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MPR | November 21, 2018
It was once the military capital of the Dakotas, and George Armstrong Custer's superior officer commanded there for a time. It served the armed forces from the Spanish American War until after the dropping of the atomic bomb.
But soon Fort Snelling's Upper Post will be home for as many as 180 families, tucked into the corner of Highway 62 and Highway 5, just outside the fence at the Twin Cities airport.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which has had authority over the 41-acre site for decades, signed a development deal Wednesday with Plymouth-based Dominium to remake the Upper Post. It's where 26 military buildings are still standing, including a 19-century administration building and barracks where as many as 300 troops were billeted at one time. It overlooks the nearby Fort Snelling historical site and Fort Snelling State Park and was named one of the most endangered historic sites in America in 2006.
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Star Tribune | November 20, 2018
After two years of sometimes fractious discussion, a task force charged with finding ways to protect the state’s bees and butterflies is proposing dozens of ideas to make Minnesota’s landscape more hospitable to pollinators.
Chief among them: programs to add more clover and other flowers to lawns and farm fields, and tightening up on the wide use of the insecticide that carries much of the blame for their declining numbers.
The task force, appointed by Gov. Mark Dayton, will present its findings to the state Environmental Quality Board, which is made up of the heads of key state agencies. The report is likely to result in proposals at the 2019 Legislature to create and fund some of the suggested programs.
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Area Development | November 30, 2018
Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development approved grants totaling more than $1.51 million in funding for three business in Greater Minnesota and three in the Metro area.
The Minnesota Job Creation Fund awarded funding for Pinnacle Climate Technologies Inc., Alula, Windings Inc., Hydra-Flex Inc., New Plastics Plus Inc. and Bix Produce Company.
“Supporting business expansions like these is exactly what the Minnesota Job Creation Fund is designed to do,” said Governor Mark Dayton. “I congratulate these Minnesota businesses and their hard-working employees for their success. We are grateful for their contributions to our economy and for the 381 new jobs these expansions will create.”
“These investments grow our local economies and build a strong basis for future success,” said DEED Commissioner Shawntera Hardy. “With support of the Job Creation Fund, these businesses are investing over $48 million in the State of Minnesota.”
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 KSTP | November 21, 2018
The Minnesota Department of Human Services has announced a total of $4.9 million in mental health grants will be awarded to intermediate school districts in the state.
It's part of what is called the School Innovation Grant initiative.
The funding is meant to help specialized school districts provide mental health services to children, including those who have experienced trauma.
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 Star Tribune | November 28, 2018
The Orange Line bus rapid transit (BRT) is on the road to completion in 2021 after the federal government announced Wednesday it would deliver $74 million in funding for the project.
The federal financial boost caps the resuscitation of the line between Minneapolis and Burnsville, which was imperiled at times by funding snags at the state and county levels. It will bring all-day mass transit to the southern Twin Cities metro and provide access to thousands of jobs, while alleviating traffic congestion along the busy Interstate 35W.
“This is great news,” Gov. Mark Dayton said in a statement provided by the Metropolitan Council. “The Orange Line BRT project is a critical part of building a 21st Century transportation system in Minnesota.”
The new federal money covers half the line’s $150 million cost. The other half has already been approved from a variety of sources closer to home, including Hennepin and Dakota counties as well as the state’s bonding bills.
The 17-mile Orange Line will run along Interstate 35W, the region’s busiest express bus corridor that now sees more than 200,000 cars and trucks daily.
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Hometown Focus | November 21, 2018
IRRR grants help reuse two vacant downtown Ely buildings
The former Vertin’s restaurant—which closed in 2006—was bankowned until Alley A Realty purchased it in 2014. Alley A owners John and Tanner Ott partnered with executive chef Daniel Vollom and Sarah Wigdahl-Vollom to reopen the building as Insula Restaurant. The Otts focused on modernizing the mechanical and HVAC systems to reduce utilities and create an affordable lease. The Volloms applied their culinary and restaurant operations expertise to the interior renovations and aesthetics.
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