Minnesota
Ramstad: Trump’s economic plans may slow an already sluggish Minnesota
Donald Trump promised to remake the American economy if voters returned him to the White House. Now that they have, his plans are likely to hit Minnesota more painfully than other parts of the nation.
The economy and immigration were top issues for Minnesota voters on Tuesday, according to Associated Press exit polls. Yet our state’s economic pressures are not the same as those that dominated the presidential campaign rhetoric.
The influx of undocumented immigrants from the nation’s southern border has been far smaller in Minnesota, which is so distant from it. Estimates vary but one that seems consistent is that around 30,000 people arrived over the past couple years, a figure that amounts to about 1% of the state’s workforce.
Not all are working but, even so, Minnesota’s workforce hasn’t been damaged by their presence. In fact, the workforce is actually smaller than it was before the pandemic shutdowns in spring 2020.
If Trump follows through on plans to reduce the number of illegal immigrants in the country, that shrinking of the nation’s labor force will add to the pressure Minnesota’s employers feel. Vice President-elect J.D. Vance, as an Ohio senator and on the campaign trail with Trump, has repeatedly said millions of Americans have been pushed to the employment sidelines because of competition from immigrants.
It’s a theory that, if tested by a mass deportation of recent immigrants, will be felt more acutely in Minnesota. The state, like many in the northeast and Midwest with older populations, has a greater proportion of people out of the workforce because they are retired, not because they are discouraged from seeking jobs.
In the last four years, Minnesota at times had the lowest rate of unemployment in the country and the highest rate of labor force participation. Those two things make for tight labor conditions. Today, Minnesota jockeys with a handful of other states for the nation’s tightest labor availability.
During Trump’s first term in office and in the years since, the real question in Minnesota has been: How can we get more workers?
Minnesota
School bus company’s inspection history in question after kids hurt in Hamline University crash
Data from the Minnesota Department of Public Safety shows the company that owns the school bus that crashed into a building Tuesday at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, has failed the majority of its inspections over the last three years.
Three students from the St. Paul charter school Higher Ground Academy and their bus driver suffered minor injuries when the vehicle crashed into the Robbins Science Center on Tuesday afternoon, according to the St. Paul Police Department. All four have since been released from the hospital. About a dozen students were on board at the time.
Police say the driver “did not exhibit any signs of intoxication or impairment.” Patrick Boyle, the attorney representing the St. Paul-based bus company Pride Transportation, says the crash was due to operator error, noting the driver — who was in the midst of their first week on the job — had accidentally stepped on the gas pedal instead of the break.
State records show vehicles owned by the company, also known as PTB Services, failed most of their recent inspections:
- 2024: 52 passed, 55 failed
- 2025: 40 passed, 47 failed
- 2026: 1 passed, 6 failed
Boyle insists those failures are often corrected and reinspected on the same day.
“We also want to clarify that the inspection statistics referenced in publicly available reports do not represent the entirety of our operating fleet nor do they indicate that vehicles remained in service after failing inspections,” Boyle said. “All buses currently transporting students for PTB Services possess the required inspection certification and comply with applicable state requirements.”
Police are still investigating the crash.
With family by his side, Dennis “Bud” Peterson went to be with the Lord on the morning of June 1, 2026.
He was born at Drake, North Dakota on April 2, 1932 in the home of his parents Nick and Helen Peterson. The family moved to Duluth at the beginning of World War II.
After graduation from Duluth Central High School Bud served in the US Army in Korea during the Korean War, and received an Honorable Discharge with the rank of Sergeant. He used his GI Bill benefits to attend UMD receiving an Associate Degree, and also earned his Commercial Instrument Pilot rating.
Bud was a longtime employee of St. Louis County retiring as Supervisor of Roads and Bridges. In retirement he served as Boiler Engineer and a do it all repairman for Duluth Gospel Tabernacle. He generously devoted his time and talents as a consummate do it yourself repairman to all of his family.
Dennis is preceded in death by his parents, Nick & Helen Peterson; brother, Robert Peterson; sister, June (Don) Kruger; and infant brother and sister, James and Delores Peterson.
He is survived by his sister, Carol (Eli) Miletich; and numerous nieces and nephews all of whom he loved dearly.
At Bud’s request, his family will be holding a private funeral service. Arrangements by Dougherty Funeral Home 218-727-3555.
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