Economic Downturn
Economic Downturn
  • Business leaders interested in Franken jobs plan
    U.S. Sen. Al Franken says the federal government should resurrect a plan the state of Minnesota used to get people back to work a quarter century ago. Franken says his proposal to subsidize wages could put half a million Americans back to work, including 15,000 Minnesotans.February 3, 2010
  • Wal-Mart cuts about 11,200 Sam's Club staffers
    Wal-Mart Stores Inc. will cut about 11,200 jobs at Sam's Club warehouses as it turns over the task of in-store product demonstrations to an outside marketing company.January 24, 2010
  • Economic development chief under fire from DFLers
    A key DFL leader says he wants to replace Dan McElroy as commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development. McElroy has no plans to leave, which could set the stage for a confirmation showdown.December 31, 2009
  • Metro home prices are stable
    Twin Cities Realtor associations say the latest housing data offer further proof that home prices are stabilizing.December 10, 2009
  • Obama's plan: 'Spend our way out' of downturn
    President Barack Obama outlined new multibillion-dollar stimulus and jobs proposals Tuesday, saying the nation must continue to "spend our way out of this recession" until more Americans are back at work.December 8, 2009
  • Which job creation strategies actually work?
    Two Minnesota economists discuss today's White House Forum on Jobs and Economic Growth. How does the economy generate jobs and what can the government do to influence this?Midday, December 3, 2009
  • The White House jobs summit
    With the unemployment rate expected to stay above 10 percent well into next year, the Obama administration is holding a summit with economists and business leaders to discuss job creation.Midmorning, December 3, 2009
  • Survey shows rural Midwest still in recession
    Rural areas in middle America are being hit particularly hard by what could be another dip into recession for the region, according to a survey of business leaders in nine states released Tuesday.December 1, 2009
  • The good and the bad in the housing market
    Home sales went up 10 percent in October, because of the federal government's tax credit for first-time home buyers. Some say the tax credit should be extended to keep the recovery on track.Midmorning, December 1, 2009
  • Obama administration increases pressure on lenders
    The Treasury Department says it may fine mortgage companies that aren't doing enough to make permanent loan modifications under the government's $75 billion mortgage relief program.November 30, 2009
  • Red Wing Shoes closes one plant, cuts jobs at another
    The Red Wing Shoe Co. has announced jobs cuts at its facility in Red Wing, Minn., and another in Kentucky.November 13, 2009
  • Brainerd: When is a recovery a recovery?
    The Brainerd area once boomed with lake home construction, and manufacturing companies offered some good paying jobs. But both of those industries have taken major employment hits. Now there may be signs of a recovery, but it depends on whom you ask.November 5, 2009
  • Bemidji: A tale of two economies
    Getting a read on Bemidji's economy depends on where you look these days. You can find both ongoing struggle and boom times. It's a tale of two economies.November 3, 2009
  • Albert Lea: The manufacturing meltdown
    In Albert Lea, the pain of the manufacturing slump is acute. That sector has lost nearly 43,000 jobs in Minnesota since the start of the recession -- more than any other major industry. With a heavy reliance on factory jobs, Albert Lea's jobless rate topped 11 percent earlier this year.November 3, 2009
  • Hibbing: The recovery that wasn't
    The Hibbing area in northeastern Minnesota has the highest jobless rate of any city in the state. It's also in the center of the state's taconite mining industry. The industry is seeing a mild rebound after a summer shutdown, but so far the upturn has skipped Hibbing.November 2, 2009

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