skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, May 23, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Trump administration says it's halting Harvard's ability to enroll international students; Post-George Floyd, MN communities drive Black wealth building; FL's fluoride ban sparks concerns over dental health; Despite barriers, TN adults want college degrees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

A deadlocked Supreme Court prevents nation's first publicly funded religious school, House Republicans celebrate passage of their domestic policy bill, and Trump administration sues states for taking climate action.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Despite lawmaker efforts, rural communities still short of crucial broadband, new Trump administration priorities force USDA grant recipients to reapply, and Appalachia's traditional broom-making craft gets an economic boost from an international nonprofit.

Minnesota Grapples with Inflation; Report Blames Corporate Profits

play audio
Play

Wednesday, April 20, 2022   

The bigger bite taken out of Minnesotans' paychecks by higher consumer costs is being seen in multiple ways - including the possibility of corporate profiteering.

A new report from the Groundwork Collaborative said corporations are taking advantage of the pandemic to drive up costs for things such as prescription drugs, groceries and diapers. The authors pointed to corporate earnings calls in which some CEOs openly boast about their price hikes.

Shirwa Adan, executive director of the Central Minnesota Community Empowerment Organization, which helps immigrants with needs such as job placement, said it's clear these individuals are feeling the squeeze.

"It's something that the community is feeling and those low-income families, maybe that are using government assistance, what you're seeing is whatever they will receive, it stays the same," he said, "but the prices have doubled across the board."

He also said he sees local residents scrambling to find higher-paying jobs to offset price increases. The report compiled information that details near-record corporate profits. And the U.S. Commerce Department noted these margins are at their highest level in 70 years.

Corporate leaders argued the spikes are largely fueled by supply-chain issues and labor shortages, but the Groundwork Collaborative suggested those arguments are a shield for decades of corporations monopolizing certain industries, creating less competition and worsening supply issues seen today.

Coleen Bui, who owns Shear Reflections, a hair salon in Worthington, said it's harder to buy products, the ones she can locate are more expensive, and her stylists have seen changes in customer activity.

"People stretch out their appointments further in between," she said. "It makes a difference on what the girls take in."

Shannon Berns, who founded Du Nord, a Minnesota-based small-business consulting firm, said clients are still in "recovery mode" from the pandemic and are now passing along price hikes for their products onto customers. She said some are raising eyebrows about the extra costs from suppliers.

"It's hard for them to understand why I just had my prices hiked 50% last month," she said, "and now you're hiking them again, by the same or more."

Minnesota's attorney general has called on state lawmakers to advance legislation on the issue, including updates to anti-competitive statues. But the report said a broader crackdown is needed, as well as more investment in supply-chain infrastructure, to make a difference.


get more stories like this via email
more stories
Florida has become the second state to officially ban fluoride in public drinking water. (Pixabay)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Florida's new law banning fluoride in public water systems has drawn sharp criticism from dental professionals, who cite decades of evidence …


Environment

play sound

Tax revenue from marijuana sales in Montana will now support a wider variety of conservation projects, since Gov. Greg Gianforte has signed House …

Environment

play sound

Memorial Day weekend is the start of recreational boating season in Minnesota. State officials are encouraged by recent trends in keeping people safe …


Five years after George Floyd's murder, Minnesota government researchers say racial disparities are still a challenge, including a widening homeownership gap for Black residents. (Adobe Stock)

play sound

The racial reckoning spurred by George Floyd's murder got the public's attention about possible progress in ending wealth disparities. A Black-led …

Social Issues

play sound

A budget plan taking shape in Congress is getting attention for tax cuts and reductions for safety-net programs. Policy experts in South Dakota also …

In 2004, British Petroleum introduced the carbon calculator, reframing the climate crisis as a matter of personal responsibility, according to reporting from The Guardian. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

By Jessica Scott-Reid for Sentient.Broadcast version by Nadia Ramlagan for West Virginia News Service reporting for the Sentient-Public News Service C…

Social Issues

play sound

May is National Foster Care Month, and Kentucky advocacy groups across the political spectrum say the state hasn't done enough to keep kids out of …

Social Issues

play sound

By Enrique Saenz for Mirror Indy.Broadcast version by Terri Dee for Indiana News Service reporting for the Mirror Indy-Free Press Indiana-Public News …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021