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Discusses the impact of the weak national economy for the third quarter of 1991 on paper companies in Minnesota. Poor financial performance of paper companies for the quarter; Decline of consumer spending; Demand for paper for catalog production.

Reports on economic conditions in Minnesota as of January 1994. Superior Recycled Fiber Industries' opening of its plant in Duluth, Minnesota; Increase in number of minority-owned businesses in Minnesota.

Presents an update of issues in Minnesota as of January 2003. Predicted population growth in the state from 2002 through 2010; Status of the paper industry in the state.

Presents news briefs in Minnesota as of January 2001. Findings of a study by the University of Minnesota on the use of wheat and barley as an alternative to wood pulp in papermaking; Increase in the population rate in the state.

The article offers news briefs in Minnesota. Mesabi Nugget which was born out of the 2001 bankruptcy of LTV Steel Mining, was going to use Japanese processing techniques to create an iron nugget of higher quality and value, but project leader Cleveland-Cliffs pulled out the project. Ford Motor Co. announced that it is closing its plant in Saint Paul, sometime in the first half of 2008.

The article reports on a survey of 20 entrepreneurs in Minnesota who have launched their start-up businesses during the economic crisis in 2008 and 2009. These entrepreneurs, who set up businesses largely in finance, insurance, manufacturing and real estate, were asked about their initial financing, reasons for launching during the downturn and survival strategies. The involvement of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) in entrepreneurship and rates of new business launching in Minnesota from 1977 to 2005 are also discussed.

The article discusses the recycling and recyclable business in the Ninth District in the U.S. It explores the trends in the business with market prices of most recyclable materials allegedly rising steeply in early 2008 but falling down as well in the second half of the year. The author discusses the impact of demand for scrap materials from China and the business outlook from firms in the sector, such as Choice Plastics in Mound, Minnesota.

The article highlights the economic forecast in Minnesota's northwoods. It highlights the description of the growth of the Minneapolis Fed traveled to the northern Minnesota cities of Park Rapids, Bemidji, and Grand Rapids and also highlights decline of unemployment rates since the Great Recession.

This article offers news briefs in Minnesota. The state's unemployment rate in the April-to-June quarter is close to its lowest rate in more than five years, with the addition of some 32,000 jobs. Iron ore plants, nickel-copper mines, a coal-gasification plant, wood-fired power plants and a major paper mill expansion are among the proposed facilities in the state, which will create good-paying jobs.

Presents an excerpt from the paper presented by economist, David Dahl at a fall 1999 conference about the history of banking in Lyon County, Minnesota. Restrictions imposed on banks prior to the late 1970s; Role played by banks in the late 19th century to the beginning of the 21st century on the county's development.

The article focuses on the mobility-based housing program of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) in Minnesota. Topics discussed include the purpose of the mobility project to allow impoverished people to have better access to a safer environment and schools for children, the section 8 Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program, and the re-examination of the Moving to Opportunity (MTO) program by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The article provides information on the Mobility Program of the Minneapolis Public Housing Authority (MPHA) in Minnesota. Topics discussed include the requirements to be considered eligible for the mobility program, the challenges that program participants face such as finding housing in an unfamiliar area within 120-180 days, and how the MPHA case managers assist program participants through pre- and post-move counseling for families.

The article reports on the approval of a certificate of need for two transmission lines in Minnesota in January 2009. The lines will run from the coal-fired Big Stone II power plant. This approval from the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission will allow cooperative firms owning the Big Stone II power plant to construct and upgrade transmission lines in the state.

The article reports on the budget deficit in Minnesota. As of December 2008, the state budget deficit reportedly reached about $6 billion. In January 2009, Governor Tim Pawlenty presented his proposal to close the deficit, the centerpiece of which was reportedly cutting the state business tax rate into half over the next six years, including wage freeze for state employees, program cuts and some tax increases.

This article contends that most of the public pensions of the Ninth District of the U.S. based in Minneapolis, Minnesota are not funded well due to the neglect of both the pension members and the funds themselves. It presents the underlying principles behind public pension funds, which is similar to a sausage-making machine, and how this complexity translates to problems for the funds. It asserts that liabilities far outweigh profits for most of the public pension funds, which explains for their present financial difficulties.

The article discusses studies on earned income tax credits in the U.S., with focus on participation rates among welfare recipients in Minnesota. It mentions that earned income tax credits are designed to help low-income individuals and to encourage them to continue working and not consider going into welfare. The article discusses the comparison of participation rate with other low-income programs like food stamp, benefit and cost comparison for recipients and the results of studies on Minnesota's Working Family Credit (WFC).

The article focuses on the false-positive cases of employment decline in Dickinson County, Michigan and Koochiching County, Minnesota. Both states experienced strong employment growth between 1988 and 1990. The employment growth was the result of large construction projects which brought migrant labor. Both states also experienced employment decline after the project but have established paths to rebound employment growth.

The article presents the results of four polls conducted from October through mid-November2008 by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in the Ninth District to analyze decresase of credit volume for the last three months since September. The separate surveys found that between 20 to 35 percent of firms saw access to credit went down. The results indicated that the decline in approved loans is mainly due to the rise in credit standards, decline in the number of loan applicants and to the qualities of credit applicant.

The author expresses his views on the appointment of FRANdata by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis in September 2007. FRANdata is a private research and marketing company that tracks the franchise industry and provides data on franchises. The author includes a history of the industry and a discussion of franchising in the Ninth District. He states that franchising in the Ninth District is growing faster compared to other firms.

This article reports that employers strapped for labor have turned to immigrants to fill jobs spurned by many natives. The changing face of the district's workforce is plain to anyone who hails a taxi in Minneapolis, drives by the StarMark Cabinetry plant in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the start of the night shift or stops at a Kwik Trip in Eau Qaire, Wis., to buy a gallon of milk. Industries that depend on either cheap, relatively unskilled labor or on highly educated immigrants tend to take a more sanguine view of imported labor.

Reports on the impact of Grand Casino Hinckley in the Minnesota town. Increase in per capita income between 1989 to 1999; Significance of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act which was passed in 1988 in the U.S.; Growth of Indian casino gambling in the Ninth District; Effects of gambling on local communities.

The article presents information on the Minnesota Early Learning Foundation. The goal of MELF is to suggest to policmakers cost-effective strategies for preparing at-risk children to succeed in school. It is supporting and evaluating a series of initiatives aimed at identifying the most well-integrated, cost effective system for preparing Minnesota's at-risk children for kindergarten.

The article discusses the early childhood education programs in Minnesota. The Invest Early project in Itasca County was established in early 2005, but has its roots in an earlier initiative developed in the late 1990s. It aims to provide comprehensive early childhood education for underserved kids. Invest Early has adopted features that are consistent with model programs. These features include well-educated, dedicated instructors and a comprehensive, research-backed curriculum.

The article discusses a study on the availability and usefulness of foreclosure data. The Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis study found out that foreclosure data in the Twin Cities region are often inadequate and that most useful information are often the most difficult to acquire. Several recommendations such as making more data available in an electronic format and updating or adding key information to complete foreclosure notices and sales documents, were given.

Presents information on the Minnesota Community Capital Fund. Benefits offered by the fund to nonprofit organizations and small businesses; Importance of the fund to the position of Cass Forest Products in the forest product industry; Impact of the fund on urban areas.

The article provides information on the implementation of post-purchase counseling by Minnesota's Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative. The initiative seeks to boost homeownership rates among Minnesota's minority and immigrant households as a step toward closing the large homeownership gap between those groups and the state's non-Hispanic white population. Research findings indicate that the state is in a good position to use post-purchase support programs to pursue the initiative's goals by reducing the incidence of foreclosure and helping low-income households sustain homeownership.

Presents a speech given by Richard M. Todd, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis Vice President, delivered at the launch of the Emerging Markets Homeownership Initiative in Saint Paul, Minnesota on June 28, 2004. Gap between the overall rate of homeownership in Minnesota; Factors that underlie the gaps; Emphasis of the need to sustain private sector innovations that have reduced discrimination and made credit more widely available.

Reports on developments related to the hog farm industry in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Concentration into large industrial production units owned or financed by corporations; Feasibility of large-scale hog production; Impact of developments in feed grain markets. INSET: Corn and hogs: Unique complements over time..

The article focuses on two Twin Cities' non-profit programs which offer contract-for-deed options, home-purchase arrangements for potential buyers which are becoming more and more popular in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The non-profits include the St. Paul-based MCASA Homes program, operated by the Model Cities Community Development Corp., and the Project: Reclaim program, operated by The City of Lakes Community Land Trust and Urban Homeworks.

The article comments on the nonprofit sector in the U.S. Information on the annual revenue of the U.S. workers employed by the sector is presented. The prevalence of nonprofit sector is discussed, including hospitals, higher education institutions and religious organizations. The nonprofits in Minnesota are described, including their workforce and revenues.

This article reports that immigrants have become a lightning rod for the resentment of native-born taxpayers who disapprove of extra spending on social services. A letter to the Star Tribune newspaper last spring about the impending arrival of 5,000 Hmong refugees in Minnesota raised concerns voiced often in neighborhood cafes and public forums. The Fargo-Moorhead area has absorbed more than 3,000 immigrants over the past 13 years. The public costs incurred by those new residents are real and quantifiable, line items in the budgets of local schools, clinics and social service agencies.

Focuses on Tiger Inc., a company owned and operated by high school students and the school district in Rothsay, Minnesota which serves as a teaching aid for students. Lessons learned by high school students about business; Importance of teaching high school students on how to be successful in the business world; Opportunities provided by the company to students.

The article discusses the economic impact of closing the racial achievement gap for eighth grade students in Minnesota according to a framework using National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) data from 2003 to 2011. It references a 2009 McKinsey report using methodology developed by Eric Hanushek in a 2008 study published in the "Journal of Economic Literature." It claims that closing the gap would translate into a 0.1-0.3 percentage point increase in the long-run economic growth rate.

The article reports on an agreement signed by the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe and the State of Minnesota on October 21, 2011. The agreement will facilitate business lending and economic development on the Leech Lake reservation. The Minnesota Secretary of State's Office has been assigned as filing administrator for liens made under Leech Lake tribal law on collateral that is located on the Leech Lake reservation, according to the Leech Lake-State of Minnesota Joint Powers Agreement.

The article reports on the addition of two new titles to the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' Community Affairs report series, namely "Minnesota's Earned Income Credit Program: Utilization by Current and Former Welfare Households and the Impact of Policy Parameters" and "Gaining a Better Understanding of the Costs of Homeownership Programs: A Case Study and Recommendations for Minnesota's Home Ownership Center."

The article reports on the establishment of Twin Cities Community Land Bank (TCCLB) in late 2009 by the Family Housing Fund which aims to facilitate community development and stabilize neighborhoods in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota and the nearby seven-county metropolitan area.

The article considers the federal fiscal stimulus package for the wind energy industry. According to Lisa Daniels, founder and executive director of Windustry in Minneapolis, Minnesota, money has been provided for infrastructure for the wind projects. Daniels believes that the stimulus package would provide the resources for transmission lines, distribution and infrastructure upgrades that the industry needs to storage of large electricity.

A calendar of events for the Ninth Federal Reserve District area in Minnesota from November 2008 up to April 2009 is presented which includes a conference for small business development practitioners in Minneapolis, a South Dakota Authority conference titled "A Strong Foundation" and an Indian business conference in Montana.

This section offers news briefs in Minnesota as of September 2008. Minnesota Gambling Control Board announced that smoking ban in the state affected the operations of charitable gaming industry. Charitable gaming fell 13 percent or $40 million in the last three months of 2007 when the ban commenced. The merging of Northwest Airlines with Delta Airlines in September 2008 is seen to affect 31,000 employees due to job transfer and laying-off.

The article describes the poor economic performance of Minnesota in 2007. According to a study released by a faculty member at the University of St. Thomas in January 2008, median sale prices of homes declined to more than 2 percent while foreclosures doubled in 2007 compared with 2006. Unemployment rate in the state, however, increased from 4.4 per cent to 4.9 per cent in December 2007.

The author assesses the value of real estate in the Minneapolis, Minnesota metropolitan area. The ratio of active listings to each buyer increased by about 50% in 2006, with a third of the more than 150 communities monitored by the Minneapolis Area Association of Realtors saw median sales decrease. Home sales also decreased to about 10% from February to May 2007. According to RealtyTrac, there were 2,468 foreclosures or 95%of all foreclosures in the state.

Provides information on the first Community Development Forum of 2005 held on March 21 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Examination of national trends for the gross domestic product; Discussion of the findings of a recent Minnesota Council of Nonprofits report on nonprofit employment and financial trends; Significance of the forum.

Deals with the proposal of the American Transmission Co. to expand the electricity transmission in Minnesota. Details of the expansion plan; Amount allocated for the expansion of the transmission line; Operation of the state's transmission line.

Deals with the domination of Minnesota on average hourly wage rate for all occupations among other states in the U. S. in 2001. Range of average wages in district states; Average hourly wage of various occupations.

Reports on the total tax collection in the U.S. Ninth District in 2001. Increase in per capita collection in Minnesota; Reason for the low ranking of Montana; Components of federal tax collection.

Comments on the role the University of Minnesota should play to ensure the development and progress of the state's economy. Concerns regarding the state's faltering economy; Need for a partnership between the university and the local business community; Attempts of the government to pursue commercially oriented research.

Highlights the sale of Cannon Valley Bank, the only local financial institution in Dundas, Minnesota, to F&M Bancorporation. Customers and employees' hesitance towards the new owner; Retention of Duane Swanson as bank president.

Focuses on various events in the state of Minnesota as of July 1991. Leadership training of Soviet leaders in Grand Rapids conducted by Blandin Foundation; Growth of shopping centers and malls.