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Iron Range's fast fall follows boom

The mining industry faces sudden shutdowns, but many see a silver lining in the long run. Shutdowns are expected to last months rather than years Updated: Mar. 24, 2011 - 02:30 PM

Minnesota lost more than 10,000 jobs last month

The state is shedding jobs so quickly that forecasts made just months ago are already obsolete. Businesses are trying to cut their way to survival in the worst recession in decades. Worker advocates say the state's rising unemployment rate raises alarm bells. Updated: Mar. 24, 2011 - 02:38 PM

A great time to shop - if you have money

Despite the lousy economy, some shoppers are taking advantage of bargains. Updated: Mar. 24, 2011 - 02:32 PM

The Star Tribune's coverage of the housing crisis, the credit crunch and their effect on Minnesotans.

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Miles Seppelt

With ax poised to fall, Hutchinson is on edge
Article By: CHRIS SERRES ,Star Tribune Publish December 14, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 13, 2008 9:37 PM
Layoffs are imminent in a city that used to be immune.

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Select Comfort cutting 120 HQ jobs
Publish December 17, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 16, 2008 8:53 PM

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Best Buy offers buyouts to 4,000 at its Richfield HQ
Article By: JACKIE CROSBY , Star Tribune Publish December 16, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 16, 2008 9:36 AM
The company would not say how many jobs it hopes to cut, but nearly all of the 4,000 employees at its corporate offices are eligible to take the voluntary buyouts.

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3M products

3M to cut jobs to weather storm
Article By: DEE DePASS , Star Tribune Publish December 9, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 9, 2008 9:59 AM
The company will shed 2,300 jobs, up 500 from what it said last week. Of the total cuts, 400 will come from the Twin Cities.

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Denny Hecker

Hecker's Rent A Car files for bankruptcy protection
Article By: DEE DePASS , Star Tribune Publish December 9, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 8, 2008 10:38 PM
Twenty-two of the Advantage locations nationwide are closing; 13 remain open.

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3M will slash 1,800 more jobs, delay merit pay
Article By: DEE DePASS , Star Tribune Publish December 6, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 5, 2008 10:30 PM

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Retailers find if it’s not on sale, it won’t sell
Article By: JACKIE CROSBY , Star Tribune Publish December 5, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 4, 2008 8:22 PM
Cash-strapped consumers are forgoing the big-ticket items of years past. Retailers find if it's not on sale, it won't sell.

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Capacity and job cuts coming to Delta and NWA
Article By: LIZ FEDOR , Star Tribune Publish December 3, 2008 2:00 AM / Update December 3, 2008 11:37 AM

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Hard times put the skids on another housing deal
Article By: JENNIFER BJORHUS , Star Tribune Publish November 27, 2008 2:00 AM / Update November 26, 2008 7:38 PM
The upscale GardenWood development in Blaine is headed for foreclosure, and developer Sienna has its hands full in court.

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Bad loans sap banks’ profits
Article By: JENNIFER BJORHUS , Star Tribune Publish November 26, 2008 2:00 AM / Update November 26, 2008 3:57 PM
Mounting loan losses are straining the nation's banking institutions, and Minnesota's banks aren't immune.

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Minnesota jobs: Troubling signs
Article By: MIKE MEYERS , Star Tribune Publish October 17, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 16, 2008 10:57 PM
September marks the state's third month in a row of job declines, as experts foresee more on the way.

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Local lenders are making money and loans the old-fashioned way
Article By: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune Publish October 14, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 13, 2008 10:54 PM
While big Wall Street "money centers" tumble on bad bets and frozen credit, community banks and their customers are doing fine.

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Eva and Matt Johnson, right, and Eva’s brother Dexter Spilman

College debt a heavy burden
Article By: JACKIE CROSBY , Star Tribune Publish October 12, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 11, 2008 4:17 PM
Saddled with big student loans, this young couple rents out their basement and taps their line of credit to make ends meet.

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Minnesota stocks $109 billion lighter
Publish October 11, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 10, 2008 10:35 PM

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Minnesota Poll: A nagging feeling of financial angst
Article By: KARA McGUIRE , Star Tribune Publish October 7, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 7, 2008 7:44 AM

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Neal St. Anthony: Resist urge to cut losses; keep investing
Article By: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune Publish October 7, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 6, 2008 11:33 PM
With the stock market's latest drop, four years of market growth has been wiped out. It's 2004 all over again.

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Allina says it will cut between 250 and 350 jobs
Article By: MAURA LERNER , Star Tribune Publish October 4, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 3, 2008 8:53 PM
The cuts were blamed on financial difficulties, including rising bad debt.

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Foreclosures might have peaked in Minneapolis
Article By: STEVE BRANDT , Star Tribune Publish October 4, 2008 2:00 AM / Update March 23, 2011 1:14 PM
The numbers are dropping, possibly because foreclosures started here earlier. Problems with the glut of empty houses continue.

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Patrick Hertel buys a new Jeep.

Credit squeeze hits Twin Cities car lots
Article By: DEE DePASS , Star Tribune Publish October 2, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 1, 2008 9:16 PM
Automakers are seeing sales slump as dealers find it increasingly difficult to get financing for potential customers - even those who have good credit.

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Minnesotans who voted no in spotlight
Article By: CHAO XIONG and PAT DOYLE , Star Tribune staff writers Publish October 2, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 1, 2008 9:31 PM
Minnesota House members who voted against bailout are in spotlight as new vote approaches.

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Hard times put cracks in the nest egg
Publish October 2, 2008 2:00 AM / Update October 1, 2008 2:26 PM
We're told to sit tight and do nothing while our savings evaporate in the financial crisis. How do we do that without panicking?

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Gabe Johnson, Jane Workman

One eye on home deals, another on the bailout
Article By: GAIL ROSENBLUM and JENNA ROSS , Star Tribune Publish September 29, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 29, 2008 5:44 AM
As a government rescue for lenders looms, home buyers and sellers are watching to see just what it might mean for them.

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Wells Fargo-Wachovia wasn't meant to be
Article By: CHRIS SERRES , Star Tribune Publish September 30, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 29, 2008 10:38 PM
By failing to land Wachovia, Wells Fargo may have missed a prime opportunity to build a truly national retail bank -- at a fire-sale price.

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Stocks whipsaw state investors
Article By: KARA McGUIRE , Star Tribune Publish September 30, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 29, 2008 11:43 PM
Uncertain. Afraid. Helpless. Discouraged. The market has average Minnesotans feeling all of this and more.

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Judy and Jim Decker

Frustrated on a fixed income
Article By: GAIL ROSENBLUM , Star Tribune Publish September 28, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 27, 2008 8:59 PM
Despite simple living, this retired couple still worry their money won't go far enough.

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Minnesotans getting hit by Wall Street woe
Article By: KARA McGUIRE , Star Tribune Publish September 24, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 23, 2008 11:18 PM
Assets frozen after the Reserve Primary Fund 'broke the buck' are still in legal limbo.

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Craig and Tina Larson

Doing well, but still feeling a pinch
Article By: GAIL ROSENBLUM , Star Tribune Publish September 22, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 11:53 PM
Saving and living simply, these newlyweds are nervous about their financial future.

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Cutting the cake

Credit crunch knows no bounds
Article By: TODD NELSON , Special to the Star Tribune Publish September 22, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 10:42 PM
From Wall Street giants to small entrepreneurs, it's getting harder to find cash.

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Inside Track
Publish September 22, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 5:11 PM

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No need to put cash under the mattress
Article By: JOE WITT , Publish September 22, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 11:11 PM
Minnesota's banking system is sound, and consumers are protected, one banker asserts.

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Saving us from Wall Street
Publish September 22, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 10:58 PM
Eight steps toward controlling the fallout from the country's growing addiction to speculation.

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George Pokorny is still job hunting

Part One: 'No financial wiggle room'
Article By: Jackie Crosby , Star Tribune Publish September 21, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 21, 2008 11:03 PM
Anxious families are feeling the strain of an economy on the edge and finding it's easy to fall behind.

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Lehman's loss, Wells' gain?
Article By: MIKE MEYERS , Star Tribune Publish September 21, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 20, 2008 8:23 PM
Wells Fargo, U.S. Bancorp and other regional banks may find opportunities and profit after the extreme makeover that's changing the face of U.S. finance.

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Is your financial plan on track? Is your life?
Article By: KARA McGUIRE , Star Tribune Publish September 21, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 20, 2008 10:49 PM
Q Assume you've got all the money you need. What would you do with it? How would you live? Q You learn you'll die in five years, but have your health until then. How will you live those five years? Q You have 24 hours to live. What did you miss? Who did you not get to be? What did you not get to do?

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Why Travelers is unlikely to follow AIG
Article By: GENE WALDEN , Publish September 21, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 20, 2008 10:21 PM

THE MINNESOTA INVESTOR

GENE WALDEN

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Ameriprise sues managers of troubled money fund
Article By: KARA McGUIRE , Star Tribune Publish September 20, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 19, 2008 8:39 PM
Ameriprise sues a money market fund manager for tipping off some investors about losses.

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As the markets shake out, things may not be nearly as bad as they seemed
Article By: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune Publish September 20, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 20, 2008 12:47 AM

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Temporary ban on short-selling put into place
Article By: THOMAS LEE , Star Tribune Publish September 20, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 19, 2008 8:59 PM
The SEC hopes to help the flagging financial services industry. Some local firms are among the 800 affected stocks.

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The panic on Wall Street is rippling from the boardroom to the living room.
Article By: DAVID PHELPS , Star Tribune Publish September 19, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 18, 2008 10:59 PM
Companies face higher borrowing costs and might cut back on hiring, and individual investors are looking for a safe haven.

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Customers expected to be OK after AIG's slide
Article By: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune Publish September 18, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 17, 2008 10:04 PM
A Twin Cities insurance executive says the federal bailout of AIG was the right thing to do for policyholders and taxpayers alike.

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AIG clients are told that they have nothing to fear
Article By: NEAL ST. ANTHONY , Star Tribune Publish September 17, 2008 2:00 AM / Update September 16, 2008 10:48 PM
State regulators keeping close on AIG insurance subsidiaries

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Carol Ouhl works with therapy dogs

Putting retirement on hold
Article By: H.J. CUMMINS , Star Tribune Publish August 24, 2008 2:00 AM / Update August 23, 2008 4:15 PM
With homes worth less and stocks sinking nest eggs, retirement remains elusive for a growing number of Minnesotans.

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Robert and Dorothy Koshenina

Pensioners pinching pennies tighter
Article By: H.J. CUMMINS , Star Tribune Publish August 17, 2008 2:00 AM / Update August 16, 2008 4:04 PM
A burst of rising prices has increased difficulties and anxiety for middle-class retirees living on incomes that are falling further and further behind inflation.

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more from investigators

A Lethal Dose: The war on synthetic drugs

They carry names like Bliss and TranQuility, but don't be fooled: Synthetic drugs can be deadly. From a small town in Oklahoma to suburban Minnesota, these products have generated unusual violence and physical suffering. Efforts to control these substances remains a losing battlle.

Violated

State regulators have failed to protect some of Minnesota's most vulnerable citizens from being victimized by their care givers. Even known criminals have obtained state permission to work in nursing homes and other care settings.

Losing Our Lakes

Home builders are routinely allowed to break the rules on shoreline development. Polluters are allowed to keep polluting. And clean-up efforts are falling short. While public officials are trying to save Minnesota's iconic lakes, their efforts are undercut by a lack of federal mandates.