Minnesota company is finding success building apartment homes on an assembly line

There are a lot of ways to deliver more affordable housing into our communities, and one Minnesota company, Rise Modular, is doing it through efficiency of design and construction. They build modular apartment buildings that are built in a factory, shipped to the location, and assembled on site. Get the full story on innovation in

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Making the most of an icy winter in St. Paul

When winter gives them cold and ice, they make the most of it in St. Paul. And it turns out cold and ice are the exact ingredients needed to spin up an ice sculpting competition. Watch the full story at the Star Tribune video linked below.

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Low and other Minnesota bands fight for rights to their master recordings

The music business has many tales of bands and artists becoming trapped in contracts and losing control of their careers because of the fine print in industry contracts. And it becomes even more confusing when music ownership rights transfer among huge industry mergers and acquisitions. It’s forcing bands into the courtroom to reclaim what they

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Minnesota prisons confront national trend of ‘drug-soaked’ mail filtering behind bars

What’s the newest way to get drugs into prison? Put a stamp on them and send it. Of course, you’ll have to soak the paper and envelope in liquid narcotics, first. Stephen Montemayor with the Star Tribune has the full story on innovation in evasion that’s got Minnesota corrections officers on their toes. Why does

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Cities, businesses are targets of maverick Minnesota lawyers looking for wastewater polluters

It’s a litigious world out there. Even more so in Minnesota lately with regard to water discharged into rivers and streams by cities, small towns, and businesses. In question are the requirements of the federal Clean Water Act, and when water discharged is out of compliance, the penalties can add up fast. And one lawyer

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‘The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly,’ by Margareta Magnusson

With Minot home of the Norsk Høstfest, we feel an obligation to bring you all the stories with a touch of Scandinavia. It’s in that spirit that you need to know about this book review from The Star Tribune on the book The Swedish Art of Aging Exuberantly. One lesson that immediately jumps out, eat chocolate

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How much would it cost for a municipality to shovel all the sidewalks?

We’ve been covering sidewalk accessibility this week on TheMinotVoice. Two stories, the City of Minot’s initial failure to timely clean sidewalks in their portfolio, and the follow-up comments from elected officials opened the thread. There’s more coverage to come; we’ve filed a FOIA request with the City with hopes that shining a light inside exposes

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Minnetonka’s Landing Shop sells items made by residents ages 55 to 96

They say idle hands are the devil’s playground. And for a group of elderly citizen-makers in one Minnesota town, they’re occupying their time making and keeping the shelves stocked in their age-exclusive store. The Landing Shop in Minnetonka is a craft-makers consignment shop with a twist — the makers have to be at least 55

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Army Corps greenlights $2.2 billion plan to stop coastal Louisiana from washing away

The Corps of Engineers working to restore the natural, delta-building characteristics of the Mississippi River. Southern Louisiana is one of the most man-made environments around because for hundreds of years, we’ve been diverting and containing the lower river. It’s an expensive, ambitious project with the goal of righting past wrongs. It’s also not without risks

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Can an entire football division survive on the backs of the Dakotas and Montana?

When it comes to FCS College Football, the season-ending drama is consistently featuring the same teams. This season is no different. Last weekend’s games resulted in NDSU and SDUS advancing to the championship game in Frisco, Texas. Many formerly competitive teams in the division have opted up. It’s a circumstance that has many asking how

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St. Cloud betting big on downtown revitalization

St. Cloud is putting all its economic development eggs in one big downtown basket. They’ve recognized that vibrant downtowns are a tool for attracting the most precious resources – talent and people. They’ll be asking the Minnesota legislature for an investment beyond $100 million to deliver the vision.

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Stillwater, MN panel proposes cutting back on free public parking downtown

Have you ever thought about how much parking we have in Minot? If you haven’t, start paying attention as you’re out and about how many parking lots we have and how many open spaces we have in them. Then consider how often you pay for parking; it’s probably not very often. It’s nice to have

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Why workers are reluctant to come to Minnesota, but stay once they’re here

When it comes to migration in and out, attracting talent, especially out of places that have a bit more allure, what does the data actually say? In Minnesota, they’re trying to figure that out. What they’re discovering is that it’s hard to get people to come, but once they get here, they stay. Sound familiar?

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Minnesota river restoration project showing big results in a short time

What happens when you make an investment in a river with poor water quality, recurring algae blooms, and a history corrupted by human interests? North of Minneapolis they’ve been running just such an experiment, and the early going, the results are remarkable. Check the story linked below on the restoration of Rice Creek from the

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3M suspends operations in Venezuela, citing unrest

Corporate titan 3M says doing business in Venezuela is too risky; they’ve suspended operations at a cost of nearly $160 million. Get the full story from the Star Tribune in the link below, but it’s a story that matters in Minot for two reasons. First, it’s a reminder that the trust that binds our economies

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Retail sector creating big winners and big losers

With news yesterday of Dressbarn’s closing we have yet another example of how much the retail sector is changing. But not all retailers are struggling; those that are adapting to new shopping practices are thriving. One example is Target as illustrated in this article from the Star Tribune. And these types of stories invite the

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