Businesses negatively impacted by this year’s warm and snowless winter may be eligible for loans through the Small Business Administration.
Eighty-one counties in the state are currently covered by federal disaster declarations for drought conditions, exacerbated by the lack of snowfall in Minnesota. From December to February, Minnesota experienced the warmest meteorological winter on record.
Under the Economic Injury Disaster Loans program, businesses can borrow up to $2 million to cover their actual losses. They pay no interest on the loan for the first year and no more than 4% for the rest of the loan period.
A webinar hosted by the SBA will be at 10 a.m. Friday, March 15, to provide information about the disaster declaration, how to apply for a loan, and the use of loan proceeds. Business owners can learn more about eligibility, find an application and learn more about application deadlines for their county at the SBA's disaster assistance page.
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And: Zebra mussels confirmed in Boy Lake; Crow Wing County accepting electronic waste Thursday; and Lake and Cook county residents can apply for Taconite Harbor redevelopment advisory committee. -
Contributed/Leech Lake Band of OjibweThe new shelter is expected to open in summer 2026 and will double the current shelter's capacity, along with adding a classroom, children's play area and visitation space. -
Contributed/NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research LaboratoryThe Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Division of Resource Management announced the finding on Sept. 15, 2025. Nearby Leech Lake has been infested since 2016. -
Contributed/Nicole Neri / Minnesota ReformerHe’ll sell a tenure marked by crisis management, introduce a new vision for another for years and promise to be a bulwark against Trump. -
Lorie Shaull/Special to KAXEAn amendment passed last year by the MN Legislature requires jails to administer medications to incarcerated people if prescribed before the people were booked into jail. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEThe MN trauma system is a voluntary network of hospitals designated at various levels, reflecting their resources and capabilities, which aim to match severely injured patients with the most appropriate care. -
Megan Buffington/KAXEHundreds of service workers picketed on campuses across the state last week. The two sides jointly announced the agreement late Friday, Sept. 12, 2025. -
And: Essentia Health-Fosston regains Level 4 trauma center designation; and University of Minnesota Crookston expects to break enrollment record.
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Contributed/University of Minnesota CrookstonAn official census will be announced by the Board of Regents in early October, but U of M Crookston said it expects to pass the record set in the 2014-15 school year. -
The American Bear Association-owned sanctuary near Orr started with one man feeding black bears to co-exist. The nonprofit continues the practice to educate visitors.
