http://paultosto.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by Paul Tosto en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 16:30:30 GMT 2009-12-29T16:30:30Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977966409 We've been hearing a lot lately about the recovering Twin Cities housing market. While the numbers suggest that worst of times may be over, that doesn't mean things will get better soon. That's the . . . Tue, 29 Dec 2009 02:50:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977966409 Paul Tosto 2009-12-29T02:50:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977964055 MinnEcon readers know we've worried a lot about Minnesota's ability to keep its young talent in state . It's been one of the regular themes in our "Leaving Minnesota?" series. I started to think . . . Sun, 27 Dec 2009 02:53:22 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977964055 Paul Tosto 2009-12-27T02:53:22Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977960743 Back in the summer we reported on some fascinating research showing deep gender differences in Minnesota unemployment -- gaps bigger here than the nation -- during the recession's peak. The biggest . . . Wed, 23 Dec 2009 20:12:27 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977960743 Paul Tosto 2009-12-23T20:12:27Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959106 This month marks two years since the recession officially began . And while we are told repeatedly a recovery is underway, it won't really feel like it until more people are back to work. In Minnesota . . . Tue, 22 Dec 2009 19:22:13 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977959106 Paul Tosto 2009-12-22T19:22:13Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977957440 Nothing like a little holiday gloom for the new year. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis today published its district outlook for 2010. Job-wise, things are looking up if you live in the Dakotas . . . Mon, 21 Dec 2009 20:00:55 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977957440 Paul Tosto 2009-12-21T20:00:55Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977954933 The corporate jet's taken a public beating during the recession, becoming the symbol of greed after the nation's auto titans jetted in to Washington to beg for bailouts. Push that hype aside . . . Sat, 19 Dec 2009 21:18:44 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977954933 Paul Tosto 2009-12-19T21:18:44Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977953166 With so many breadwinners unemployed in this recession, it's easy to dismiss the struggles of teens and young adults who are trying to find work. Laurie Stern of Chaska reminded me recently there's . . . Fri, 18 Dec 2009 15:51:34 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977953166 Paul Tosto 2009-12-18T15:51:34Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977952053 Tyler DeArmond's story started like many we've heard in this economy -- a would-be entrepreneur launching a new e-commerce business to supplement a pay cut at his full-time job. Then he started talking . . . Thu, 17 Dec 2009 22:48:45 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977952053 Paul Tosto 2009-12-17T22:48:45Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951852 Minnesota's unemployment data for November shows a slight improvement in the percentage of jobless Minnesotans. Let's take a deeper look at some of the data. First here are some thoughts from St. . . . Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:01:24 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977951852 Paul Tosto 2009-12-17T20:01:24Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977950211 On Thursday, we'll get our next best look at Minnesota's employment situation when the state releases jobless data for November. Thoughts are mixed on whether we'll see an uptick on the 7.6 percent . . . Wed, 16 Dec 2009 18:55:27 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977950211 Paul Tosto 2009-12-16T18:55:27Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977948577 Engineers have taken a big employment hit in this economy and we've wondered aloud if that will hurt the state's long-term economic health. On Thursday, we'll be looking for some evidence of a jobs . . . Tue, 15 Dec 2009 19:42:56 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977948577 Paul Tosto 2009-12-15T19:42:56Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946968 My MPR colleague Mike Caputo pulled together a neat virtual forum Friday asking if rural Minnesota was losing its best and brightest young people, creating a "brain drain." This is one of those . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:06:26 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946968 Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T21:06:26Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946928 Nearly two full years since the economy officially fell into recession , Minnesota seems to be crawling, slowly toward recovery. MPR's Chris Farrell will be looking for clues to the job's market direction . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 21:00:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946928 Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T21:00:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946506 Winning the Forbes.com "Boost Your Business" competition would have brought April Femrite's bamboo fiber clothing business needed capital and advertising money. It wasn't to be. The Mankato entrepreneur . . . Mon, 14 Dec 2009 15:54:25 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977946506 Paul Tosto 2009-12-14T15:54:25Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977942882 MinnEcon readers know we've worried a lot about Minnesota's ability to keep its young talent in state and we've also been concerned about the employment hit engineers have taken in this economy. . . . Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:54:10 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977942882 Paul Tosto 2009-12-11T18:54:10Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977941473 Wheels move the U.S. economy. Mark Padellford sells all kinds of wheels. So when the recession hit, he felt it. These days, though, in some parts of his business, he's starting to see a turn for the better . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 22:34:02 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977941473 Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T22:34:02Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940061 Here's the good news from today's college attendance report by the Minnesota Office of Higher Education: Minnesota's college participation rate hit an all-time high in 2008 with 70.2 percent of . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 04:02:31 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940061 Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T04:02:31Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940054 Jeff Kornoelje's seen the number of unemployed people in his ministry rise with the recession and he's been trying to help. So next week his church will try something different -- a company Christmas . . . Thu, 10 Dec 2009 03:59:12 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977940054 Paul Tosto 2009-12-10T03:59:12Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977938307 Last week we introduced you to April Femrite , a Mankato entrepreneur who's a finalist for the Forbes.com "Boost your Business" competition. At stake is $50,000 in Forbes advertising and another . . . Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:05:08 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977938307 Paul Tosto 2009-12-09T06:05:08Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977937031 Here's a post from my MPR News colleague Mike Caputo on the pressure Minnesota's local governments feel as the state prepares for even deeper cuts. The state's $1.2 billion budget deficit likely . . . Tue, 08 Dec 2009 15:26:40 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977937031 Paul Tosto 2009-12-08T15:26:40Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977935180 Below are some of the questions I'm thinking about on the economy as well as some from our colleagues at Marketplace business radio. Pick a question. Every answer makes a little smarter about the economy. . . . Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:41:18 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977935180 Paul Tosto 2009-12-07T15:41:18Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977934123 Like many organizations, the Myles Reif Performing Arts Center in Grand Rapids took a hit in the recession. So as the financial picture started to ease recently, leaders wanted to recognize those . . . Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:08:45 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977934123 Paul Tosto 2009-12-07T02:08:45Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977930011 Paul Kolisch holds down two jobs where trust and faith are vital. He's supervisor of flight operations training at Mesaba Airlines . He's also an Anglican priest. Both vocations are feeling the effects . . . Fri, 04 Dec 2009 03:10:28 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977930011 Paul Tosto 2009-12-04T03:10:28Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977928176 There's a lot to digest in today's 77-page Minnesota economic forecast . But I'm struck by a few sentences: Employment in Minnesota is now expected to fall by more than 150,000 jobs between the first . . . Thu, 03 Dec 2009 02:35:05 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977928176 Paul Tosto 2009-12-03T02:35:05Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977926500 Minneapolis Tuesday opened the application process for its popular STEP-UP summer jobs program. Demand for the program is a barometer of sorts on how young people are faring in this recession and . . . Wed, 02 Dec 2009 03:26:50 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977926500 Paul Tosto 2009-12-02T03:26:50Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977926100 He's a lawyer and a wedding photographer. So Matt Brenengen has two cool vantage points on the Minnesota economy. We asked him recently about the wedding business and he told us the signs he's seeing . . . Tue, 01 Dec 2009 22:38:51 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977926100 Paul Tosto 2009-12-01T22:38:51Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977924668 Mankato entrepreneur April Femrite has an interesting story to tell. She manufactures clothing from bamboo fibers . If you don't know her business yet, you might soon. She's a finalist for the . . . Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:23:42 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977924668 Paul Tosto 2009-12-01T02:23:42Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977924663 Chris Farrell, MPR's excellent chief economics correspondent, shares his insights on the Minnesota and national economies each Monday on MPR's Morning Edition show. I've been posting links to the . . . Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:21:17 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977924663 Paul Tosto 2009-12-01T02:21:17Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977918226 I'm a platelets donor and don't think much about my blood beyond that. But given my job, I was intrigued recently when I learned blood offered a window on the economy. Turns out blood demand is . . . Thu, 26 Nov 2009 01:15:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977918226 Paul Tosto 2009-11-26T01:15:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977916519 We posted recently about how the economy is making people move home again. Today, the Pew Research Center offered an interesting holiday twist on the phenomenon: "Instead of traveling across . . . Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:06:11 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977916519 Paul Tosto 2009-11-25T01:06:11Z