Rural

The Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program — what was once thought of as a solution to unequal access to the internet in Minnesota — could turn out to be a bust.

Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners — known as SANE nurses — are a critical part of the experience for victims who report their assault or go to a hospital, but many rural areas lack examiners and other resources that can support victims.

The grants will help internet companies get high-speed connectivity to rural homes and businesses.

An estimated 27% of all rural children would benefit from the proposed expansion, compared to 22% in metropolitan areas, according to Center on Budget and Policy Priorities data.

A report by the nonprofit Headwaters Economics found that less than 20% of FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grants went to rural areas.

The DNR encourages landowners to reforest their properties with hardy seedling bundles. Stock includes flowering trees and conifers.

When calculating who has access to proper broadband, the federal government counts much slower internet speeds compared to Minnesota’s definition. As a result, the cash may be enough to hit federal goals for universal broadband, but not state ones.

The IRRR will use the funding to expand the current MARTI pilot — a free on-demand automated micro-transit service in Grand Rapids — to make transit services more reliant, convenient and accessible in rural communities, including for wheelchair users.

The Minnesota Department of Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation is a state agency located in Eveleth. The economic development agency reinvests local taconite production taxes into northeastern Minnesota businesses and communities.

Even as Democrats coalesce around a series of tax cuts and credits, the child care credit is one of a few significant differences the House and Senate will need to reconcile. It’s also one of few major DFL tax plans to benefit middle class residents.