Good morning, and happy Wednesday. Sorry if you got yesterday's newsletter twice. Here's the latest. Affordable child care is a challenge for towns and cities across Minnesota. It's difficult to recruit or retain young workers if child care is not available and affordable. MPR’s Dan Gunderson reportsthe northwestern Minnesota town of Warren the first in the state to use local sales tax to fund a daycare center. Voters narrowly approved the half-cent sales tax in November. Business leaders pushed hard for the tax. They understood how a shortage of child care was limiting economic growth. “It’s the number one factor,” said Phil Thompson who chairs the Warren Economic Development Authority and owns an accounting and crop insurance firm that employs about 30 people.
Inflation may finally be slowing down, and some numbers show it’s slowing down more in the Twin Cities area than in the rest of the country.The Star Tribune reports: This region saw a smaller year-over-year increase in the consumer price index in November — 5.3 percent compared to 7.1 percent for the U.S. Both were the lowest readings of the year. Since hitting a high of 8.7 percent in May, inflation in the Twin Cities has been cooling off now for three readings in a row. The regional numbers come out every other month. The consumer price index for the U.S., which comes out every month, has also been coming down after hitting 9.1 percent in June, the highest level in four decades.
A bill to rename the Minneapolis federal building after former Minnesota Sen. Paul Wellstone is on its way to President Joe Biden after the House passed it Tuesday. This year marks the 20th anniversary of Wellstone's death. The Minneapolis Federal Building houses offices for the Department of Housing and Urban Development, the National Labor Relations Board, and the State Department's Passport Agency. “I can’t think of a better tribute to Paul’s legacy of service than a building where Minnesotans gather and get the assistance they need,” Sen. Amy Klobuchar said in a statement about the passage of the bipartisan legislation. By naming this building after him, we hope to honor his legacy and years of service to Minnesota,” said Sen. Tina Smith.
Duluth Mayor Emily Larson said Tuesday she is running for a third term.MPR’s Dan Kraker reports Larson became Duluth’s first female mayor in 2015 when she coasted to victory, earning 72 percent of the vote to succeed Don Ness, who chose not to run for a third term. Four years ago she was reelected with 64 percent of the vote. She said seeking a third term isn’t something she’s doing lightly. She said she wants to cement the progress her administration has made over the past eight years. “The commitments that we have to building an economy that works for everybody, to sustainability, to evolving from the old Duluth to the new Duluth — this is when that really takes root,” Larson said.
More on a public works construction bill, usually known as a bonding bill. As our Dana Ferguson noted earlier in the week there is some talk of possibly using cash instead of bonds. MinnPost has the latest story: A politically divided state House and Senate in recent years likely contributed to the lack of any bonding bill in 2021 and 2022, but in 2023 with a DFL-controlled Legislature, there is already a burgeoning debate over whether DFL leaders should avoid potential gridlock by committing cash to projects that would normally have landed on the state’s credit card bill. But it has drawn some skepticism from Republicans, who say avoiding debt can be a good thing — especially since interest rates are higher than in recent years — but want input on what is built. And even Gov. Tim Walz said he favors working with Republicans on a more traditional bonding bill. “I would be concerned that the bill would be one that would reflect the entire state of Minnesota,” said Rep. Dean Urdahl, a Republican from Grove City who leads minority House Republicans on capital investment. “In other words, districts that are represented by Republicans as well.”
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