WORTHINGTON DAILY GLOBE WORTHINGTON — Speakers at the Worthington Regional Economic Development Corp. (WREDC) annual meeting celebrated cooperation between public and private — and the city and Nobles County — to help foster economic development in the area. However, the main focus was on the future, and how the city should move forward. After outgoing Chairman of the Board Jason Vote thanked public and private partner... Read More
Boxed in by bad policyBy John FitzgeraldMinnesota 2020 Fellowjohn.fitzgerald@mn2020.orgClick here to read the full report (PDF).Click here to see the report's public roll out.There are about 1,800 principals in Minnesota. Each oversees a school that has been affected by the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. While NCLB was created in Washington D.C., it has permeated education down into each classroom. NCLB has forced principals to make dra... Read More
Impossible cuts asked of higher edThe perfect storm of higher education cuts proposed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty provides rare public theater. The plan to slash more than $300 million over two years for college aid faces an incredulous DFL-controlled Legislature certain to take a more conciliatory tone toward college and university presidents bristling at the impossible choices the governor asks them to make. Pawlenty wants higher ed institutions ... Read More
Lori Sturdevant: Streamlining MinnesotaBusinesses seldom come to the Capitol to congratulate government on a job well done. But this year's brutal economy has business voices sounding more sharply critical than ever of government's way of doing the public's business. Longtime Minnesota Chamber of Commerce executive Bill Blazar described the attitude this way: "Employers' expectations are that whether it's state government, local governmen... Read More
Our View: Governor must define tax reformWhat exactly does Gov. Tim Pawlenty want when he calls for reforming the state's tax laws? Does he truly want a tax structure that hones the state for global competition? Or is his focus really no deeper than that tired "no new taxes" mantra? Those are fair questions to which Minnesotans deserve clear answers, especially after Pawlenty's cool response to some key recommendations last week from a blue-r... Read More