And here we go. The Minnesota Legislature’s top priority this session — setting a two-year budget that, hopefully, also puts the state on more-solid, longer-term financial footing — kicked off Tuesday with the release of Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed spending plan. The state’s top leader pitched new and increased taxes and more spending for education, [...]

The other day I read where companies in Sweden pay a minimum wage equivalent to $19 U.S. dollars per hour. What?! How can Swedish businesses afford that? Plus, the story said, workers receive at least five weeks of paid vacation, and all overtime work is voluntary. So, workers in Sweden have larger take-home paychecks and [...]

The struggling department store chain this week is rolling out some of the hundreds of sales it ditched last year in hopes of luring back shoppers who were turned off when the discounts disappeared.   Penney also plans to add new price tags or signs for more than half of its merchandise to show customers [...]

A private assessor responsible for valuing property in 25 townships in St. Louis County has been suspended for 90 days by the Minnesota Board of Assessors, a wing of the state Department of Revenue. Jan Jackson, of Kelsey, also has been ordered to attend training and have her assessment work monitored and reviewed by the [...]

The Islamic Center of the Twin Ports will host a dinner Saturday to benefit relief organizations working in Syria during the continuing conflict there. There will be two seatings for dinner on Saturday, at 5:30 and 7 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Duluth, 835 W. College St. Dinner will feature Middle Eastern foods [...]