News

USDA invests $11 million in broadband for rural Minnesota and Iowa communities

Saturday, January 18, 2020

HARMONY, Minn. – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Deputy Secretary Stephen Censky announced USDA has invested $11 million in three, high-speed broadband infrastructure projects that will create or improve rural e-Connectivity for more than 1,395 rural households and nearly 120 businesses throughout several counties in Minnesota and northern Iowa. This is one of many funding announcements in the first round of USDA’s ReConnect Pilot Program investments. Read full article.

Housing market forecast: What can we expect in 2020?

Sunday, January 05, 2020

Over five million existing homes sold in the United States in 2019. With the year drawing to a close, people are beginning to turn their sights to what 2020 may bring. Will recession be a hot topic next year? Will home buyers still enjoy increasing home prices? Will young people keep demand for houses up? All of these questions and more are things that our team set out to answer for the purpose of constructing this article. Based on our research, we’ve come up with some expert-backed predictions for next year’s housing market that home buyers and sellers alike should be privy to. Read ful...

Time for rural Minnesota to 'own' its narrative

Friday, January 03, 2020

GRANITE FALLS, Minn. — It’s time to write our own rural narrative, according to Neil Linscheid, a University of Minnesota Extension educator and 2017 Bush Fellow. While people in the media and academics love to write about rural decline and sleepy towns, the facts don’t support that narrative, according to Linscheid. He told members of the Yellowstone Trail Alliance that rural Minnesota needs to tell its own story to counter the negative stories that “continue to percolate and be out there in the ether. We have to push back against this deficit approach,” or what he called “poverty porn.” Read full article.

Rural Broadband and the Next Generation of American Jobs

Thursday, January 02, 2020

Rural broadband providers are leveraging their networks and working closely with educational institutions to provide the training necessary for jobs in industries ranging from health care to technology. Technology is shaping the next generation of American jobs. Manufacturing, agriculture and health care are among the sectors that demand more highly skilled employees than in the past. The need for increased training and education is imperative for many rural areas that face demographic and economic challenges. Although some rural areas have enjoyed population increases in the past several years, many rural areas are challenged by static or decreasing population. Likewise, some rural area...

Why Minnesota's Broadband Push is Crucial to Rural Residents

Thursday, January 02, 2020

Rural communities in Minnesota fail to conduct timely business because they lack fast Internet. In one town, it's the difference between employment and mass layoffs. A new state bill would fund broadband for two years. (TNS) — International Falls, Minn. – After more than 30 years of doing business in this longtime mill town, Optum Health plans to close its health care claims office this summer. The good news is the company's 90 workers can keep their jobs. The bad news is that offer is good only if they're able to work remotely. And those who live outside the city limits ma...

Child care shortage addressed

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

FAIRMONT — The shortage of child care slots in Fairmont and Martin County and the impact it has on business growth was in the spotlight as possible solutions to the issue were unveiled. Heidi Hagel Braid, chief program officer at the national non-profit First Children’s Finance, delivered a summary of past, present and future action to build the supply of quality child care to support the local economy. Read full article.

Life in the 2020s: Slower growth will be the new normal in Minnesota

Wednesday, January 01, 2020

The accumulated effects of previous growth rates will widen the gap between slow growers like Minnesota and fast ones like Texas and California. Minnesota’s population will grow more slowly than ever in the 2020s, a development that will tug on the lives and fortunes of everyone in the state. The Minnesota economy will also be squeezed as the last baby boomers retire in the decade. The 3 million-person labor force will essentially stop growing in the first five years of the 2020s, demographers say, and pick up only slightly after that. Read full article.

Final Round of Opportunity Zone Rules Unveiled

Tuesday, December 31, 2019

The latest batch of regulations answers lingering questions about how investors can take advantage of the program. The U.S. Treasury and the IRS have issued the final round of regulations governing Opportunity Zones, firming up guidelines and providing eagerly awaited certainty for investors on outstanding questions two years after the tax incentive program was launched. The 544-page document reflects input from the investment community following two rounds of proposed regulations in October 2018 and April of this year. The updated rules clarify how and when investors can exclude capital gains from tax by holding the money in a Qualified Opportunity Fund for at least 10 years. Read ful...

How State Policy Shapes Broadband Deployment

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Efforts to expand access fall under five categories This brief is one of a series based on a review of broadband deployment policies in all 50 states, published in Pew’s State Broadband Policy Explorer. Overview States are playing a crucial role in efforts to expand broadband to the 21 million to 163 million Americans1 who still lack access to this critical service, encouraging broadband investment and helping to bring more of their residents online. To close gaps in access, almost every state has established broadband task forces or offices to centralize their efforts and many have set up dedicated funds aimed at reducing the numbe...

Report: Cooperatives Provide 72.7% of Fiber Broadband in Rural Areas

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Cooperatives are playing a key role in bringing fiber broadband to rural America, according to a new report from the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR). Nearly three quarters (72%) of the fiber broadband in the rural U.S. was deployed by a cooperative, according to ILSR. These cooperatives are comprised primarily of companies that traditionally provided telecom or electric service, although a few were established with the specific goal of deploying fiber broadband. Read full article.

CTC starts building better broadband to parts of Todd County

Sunday, December 01, 2019

CTC recently hosted a groundbreaking event on May 20th in Browerville. CTC was the only telecommunications company in Minnesota in 2018 to be awarded the Community Connect grant bringing broadband services to rural Minnesota. Read full article.

Why We Support Todd County Businesses on Small Business Saturday

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

For many people in our community, their favorite shopping memories have occurred when visiting a small business downtown. There is something special about shopping at a local store where the owners greet you by name, swap stories with you and ask about the kids. You can’t find that experience everywhere, but you can find it here. Small Business Saturday is an opportunity to recognize local small businesses for the positive contribution they make to our lives – during the holidays and all year long. Why We Support Todd County Businesses on Small Business Saturday Ideally, community members would shop local all yea...

70% of Small Businesses Will Change Hands in Next 10 - 15 Years

Tuesday, November 05, 2019

Sixty percent of small businesses are currently owned by people who were born prior to 1964 (University of Minnesota , 2019). It is estimated that over the next 15 years, 70 percent of privately-owned businesses will be sold or transferred to new owners (Giltner, 2019). This trend will impact everyone, but rural communities need to pay extra attention to the number of business owners planning to retire and help them to create succession plans. “The health of small businesses is critical to rural economies. They not only provide jobs but also important goods and services needed for rural quality o...

Lakewood Committed to Eagle Bend

Friday, October 25, 2019

Lakewood Remains Committed to Serving Eagle Bend Community Staples, MN – September 27, 2019 — CentraCare Health recently made the decision to stop providing healthcare services at the Eagle Valley clinic, which has been a shared venture with Lakewood Health System since 2003. This decision will take effect November 1, 2019. CentraCare Health’s decision DOES NOT impact the care and services provided by Lakewood Health System. We remain committed to serving the Eagle Bend community. For more information contact AMBER HOUSELOG amberhouselog@lakewoodhealthsystem.com Lakewood Health System TEL 218-894-8818

Agua Gorda Cooperative is the Recipient of Todd County’s Emerging Business Award

Monday, October 14, 2019

Agua Gorda Cooperative (Cooperative) is the recipient of the 2019 Todd County Emerging Business Award. The Cooperative provides a way for Latino farmers to acquire and work their own land, reaping the full benefits of their labor. The farmer/members of the Cooperative have created a sustainable business, and future for their families. We are pleased to acknowledge their entrepreneurial spirit and the results of their hard work by honoring them with the ‘Emerging Business’ award. For Javier Garcia, co-owner of the Cooperative, this is the second award he has accepted in 2019, having also won the 2019 ‘Todd County Farm Famil...

What Businesses Are Saying About the Entrepreneurial Program at Bertha-Hewitt Schools

Wednesday, September 04, 2019

Bertha-Hewitt public schools have implemented an entrepreneurial program that gives students the skills necessary to start and run a business - both for themselves and for local employers. “We want them to learn all aspects of running a business that will help them be more employable to fill jobs in our region,” said Eric Koep, Superintendent of the Bertha-Hewitt Public Schools. It’s working. Students Learn About Finance, Sales, Marketing and Production Students are graduating after having learned about finance, sales, marketing and running operations. The program ensures they are well rounded in their business knowledge by the time they graduate. This way...