In the News: Statewide minimum wage in Minnesota set to go up Jan. 1

August 24, 2018                                                                                      Bookmark and Share


Statewide minimum wage in Minnesota set to go up Jan. 1

Governor Dayton signs a bill raising the minimum wage in 2014.

Star Tribune | August 23, 2018

Minnesota’s minimum-wage workers will get a raise starting Jan. 1, state officials announced Thursday.

An adjustment for inflation will raise the statewide minimum wage from $9.65 to $9.86 an hour for workers at companies with annual gross revenue of $500,000 or more. Employees at smaller companies will see the minimum wage go from $7.87 to $8.04 an hour.

The youth wage rate — for those younger than 18 — also will go up to $8.04 an hour, as will the training wage that may be paid to employees under age 20 for the first 90 consecutive days of employment.

About 219,000 people — or 8.4 percent of the state’s workforce — are paid minimum wage. That doesn’t include about 71,000 workers in Minneapolis, where the minimum is $10.25 for companies with fewer than 100 workers and $11.25 for companies with more than 100 workers.

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Nation's first fixed dental clinic at VA home opens in Minneapolis

West Central Tribune | August 23, 2018

The Minneapolis Veterans Home, along with state government, made history Thursday, Aug. 23,  by opening the nation’s first fixed dental clinic on a state veterans home campus.

Previously, the home relied on mobile clinics to provide dental care to veterans as do others across the state.

Challenges with the mobile clinics included a limited ability to provide dental procedures, increased cost and time for setup and teardown, lack of adequate space to receive patients, inconsistent durability of equipment, and poor conditions for infection control. 

In addition to the 300 residents at the Minneapolis Veterans Home, the new dental clinic is expected to serve up to 100 veterans at the nearby Hastings State Veterans Home. 

The Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs is considering similar projects for the veterans homes in Silver Bay, Fergus Falls and Luverne.

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Minority small businesses expanding nationally

Star Tribune | August 22, 2018

Females and minorities long have started the majority of small businesses.

The minority trend, particularly among African Americans, is accelerating, according to the Minority 2018 Small Business Trends survey by Guidant Financial.

The new survey, of 2,600 business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs, found that 45 of small business in the country were owned by minority ethnic groups in 2018. This is a big uptick from 2015 when the total percentage of minority business owners was 15 percent. 

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Stories from Public Health Innovators: Minnesota Department of Health

CDC | August, 2018

Minnesota made it easier for people to get to and from transit stops easily by improving accommodations for biking and walking, reducing health and transportation inequities in the process.

In 2008, Minnesota createdthe Statewide Health Improvement Partnership4(SHIP) to fund community efforts to improve health. 

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Task force recommends ways to address critical shortage of affordable housing

Click here to read more about the Governor's Housing Task Force's final report.

MPR | August 22, 2018

An affordable housing task force appointed last year by Gov. Mark Dayton is recommending broad changes in funding, technology and regulation to meet a statewide demand for affordable housing.

The 28-member task force made 30 recommendations and identified six goals to improve access to housing.

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Brownton granted money for sewer upgrades

Hutchinson Leader | August 23, 2018

Brownton was awarded a $1.34 million grant from the Minnesota Public Facilities Authority to improve its sanitary sewer system and lift stations.

The city will also be able to add wireless alarms and a diesel generator. The PFA granted the money from the Water Infrastructure Fund.

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Number of women-owned businesses increased nearly 3,000% since 1972, Minnesota ranks highest in employment vitality

Business Wire | August 21, 2018

Women started an average of 1,821 new businesses per day in the U.S. between 2017 and 2018, according to analysis in the 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report, commissioned by American Express (NYSE:AXP). 

The states showing the highest employment vitality - a measure of employment growth rate from 2007 to 2018 at women-owned firms and their average number of employees are: 

1. Minnesota

2. Maine (tie)

2. North Dakota (tie)

4. Iowa

5. Delaware (tie)

5. Virginia (tie) 

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