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Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers

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Minneapolis considers minimum wage for Uber, Lyft drivers


MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare companies would get a minimum wage in Minneapolis if a city ordinance passes as early as next month, city council members said Tuesday at a news conference.

Under the ordinance, drivers would get at least $1.40 per mile and $0.51 per minute, or $5, whichever is greater. The rule would only apply for the portion of the ride within the city.

Uber and Lyft “cannot continue to collect billions of dollars off the backs of drivers, like the ones here today, while those very drivers struggle to cover their rent, childcare costs, health care bills, and so many other basic necessities,” said Democratic council member Robin Wonsley, lead author of the proposed ordinance.

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Emergency call center workers say their centers are understaffed, struggling to fill vacancies and plagued by worker burnout.

FILE - A vendor bags psilocybin mushrooms at a pop-up cannabis market on May 24, 2019. Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize psychedelic plants. On Friday, July 21, 2023, Mayor Jacob Frey ordered police to stop using taxpayer dollars to enforce most laws against hallucinogenic plants, which include psilocybin mushrooms, ayahuasca and mescaline. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

Minneapolis is backing away from enforcing laws that criminalize buying psychedelic plants or using them in private.

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Nicholas Hartnett, owner of Pure Power Solar, carries a panel as he and Brian Hoeppner, right, install a solar array on the roof of a home in Frankfort, Ky., Monday, July 17, 2023. Since passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, it has boosted the U.S. transition to renewable energy, accelerated green domestic manufacturing, and made it more affordable for consumers to make climate-friendly purchases, such as installing solar panels on their roofs. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

Excessive heat continues to bear down on sections of the US, a reminder of the impetus for the The Inflation Reduction Act, the significant climate legislation that turns one year old on August 16.

Kimberly Thompson, center, listens as Francis Howell School Board members talk in favor of rescinding all previously passed resolutions, including an anti-racism resolution, during a meeting on Thursday, July 20, 2023 in O'Fallon, Mo. In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb and urged the mostly-white Francis Howell School District to address racial discrimination. The school board responded with a resolution promising to do better. Now, led by new conservative board members elected since last year, that resolution has been revoked.(David Carson/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP)

In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb.

Farxan Bedel said he has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2018 to support his family.

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“We just want fair compensation,” Bedel said. “If you pay $50 from downtown Minneapolis to the airport, why am I getting $15? That’s unfair.”

If passed, the ordinance would also guarantee riders and drivers get receipts detailing how much the rider was charged versus what the driver received.

“The pay for drivers has dropped to less than half of what it was in 2014. That’s what caused 1,300 drivers to organize,” said Stephen Cooper, an attorney for the Minnesota Uber/Lyft Drivers Association and a former human rights commissioner for Minnesota.

Seattle, New York City and Washington state have passed similar policies to protect rideshare drivers, and rideshare companies haven’t left those places, Cooper said.

In May, Minnesota’s Democratic Gov. Tim Walz vetoed a bill that would have mandated higher pay and job security for Lyft and Uber drivers in the state. Walz said at the time that rideshare drivers deserve fair wages and safe working conditions, but it wasn’t the right bill to achieve those goals.

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Ride-hailing drivers, like other gig economy workers, are typically treated as independent contractors not entitled to minimum wages and other benefits, and have to cover their own gas and car payments.

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Trisha Ahmed is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on under-covered issues. Follow Trisha Ahmed on Twitter: @TrishaAhmed15





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Minneapolis, MN

Colliers Brokers Sale of 116-Unit Historic Apartment Building in Minneapolis

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Colliers Brokers Sale of 116-Unit Historic Apartment Building in Minneapolis


MINNEAPOLIS — Colliers has brokered the sale of ElseWarehouse, a 116-unit apartment building in the North Loop of Minneapolis. The sales price was undisclosed. The transaction marks the first time the historic warehouse apartments have hit the market. Mox Gunderson, Dan Linnell, Devon Dvorak and Adam Haydon of Colliers represented the seller, Greco. North Dakota-based Great States Development was the buyer. Greco converted the 1920s warehouse into apartments in 2012. Located at 730 N. Washington Ave., the property features a variety of one-, two- and three-bedroom units averaging 907 square feet. Amenities include a fitness center, rooftop clubrooms and retail space on the ground floor.



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Minneapolis, MN

Turkish Airlines Plans Istanbul To Minneapolis Flights

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Turkish Airlines Plans Istanbul To Minneapolis Flights


Turkish Airlines is already a massive airline, flying to more countries than any other airline in the world. However, the company is just getting started, and has plans to roughly double in size over the next decade. Along those lines, we’ve just learned the details of the carrier’s next planned destination in the United States.

Turkish Airlines plans Minneapolis flights as of spring 2025

Turkish Airlines’ Chairman has revealed that the airline intends to launch a new route between Istanbul (IST) and Minneapolis (MSP) as of the spring of 2025, with flights likely to launch as of April or May. Those are all the details we have as of now, as we don’t yet know the frequency with which flights will operate, or what plane will be used.

However, the airline has long revealed the next routes on its radar prior to putting flights on sale, so I’d trust that this will happen. Once it launches, this 5,502-mile flight will be the carrier’s 15th destination in the United States.

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Turkish Airlines plans Istanbul to Minneapolis flights

Turkish Airlines’ current destinations in the United States include Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Denver (DEN), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK), Newark (EWR), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), and Washington (IAD).

In June 2024, Turkish Airlines announced that its next four destinations in the United States would include Charlotte (CLT), Minneapolis (MSP), Orlando (MCO), and Philadelphia (PHL). So it’s interesting to see that the Minneapolis flight is likely going to be the first of those to be launched. It’s interesting how three of the four routes being added are to major hubs of American and Delta.

Turkish Airlines currently flies to 14 US destinations

It’s fun to see competition at a Delta fortress hub!

Turkish Airlines adding flights to Minneapolis might seem a bit random on the surface, since it’s not exactly the world’s biggest or most international market. However, I’m sure Turkish Airlines will have no issues making this flight work.

For one, Turkish Airlines has managed to scale its network in a way that few airlines have. The airline can make routes work even if there’s not that much demand between that city and Istanbul, thanks to the fact that the airline offers easy one-stop service to so many destinations. So whether you’re going to Belgrade, Benghazi, Damascus, Durbin, Mahe, or Mogadishu, the airline has you covered.

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It’s especially fun to see Turkish Airlines “attacking” a Delta fortress hub, like Minneapolis. Historically, Delta loves to immediately respond when airlines add flights to the company’s hubs. For example, as soon as Aer Lingus announced it would add Minneapolis flights, Delta matched, and added the same route.

One thing is for sure — there’s no way Delta will match Turkish Airlines on this route. Delta simply can’t compete with Turkish Airlines’ cost structure, and without connectivity beyond Istanbul, the route just wouldn’t make sense.

Delta is getting some competition in Minneapolis!

Bottom line

Turkish Airlines plans to make Minneapolis its next destination in the United States, with flights expected to launch in April or May of 2025. I imagine flights will be on sale soon, and that locals in Minnesota will appreciate some added competition. I’ll be sure to provide an update once the flight is on sale.

What do you make of Turkish Airlines adding Minneapolis flights?

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Art Shanty Projects delay opening due to extreme cold

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Art Shanty Projects delay opening due to extreme cold


Lake Harriet’s Art Shanty Projects opened late on Sunday. Organizers kept visitors away because of extremely cold weather in the morning.

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Art Shanty Projects delay

What we know:

“We knew people would still come out in subzero temperatures,” Lavelle  told FOX 9. “We love the subzero days because the ice keeps building and real winter adventurers come out.”

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Visitors throughout the day stayed warm by dancing and sitting near fires.

“Oh, it’s pretty mild. It’s like Alaska spring weather,” visitor Jennifer Nelson said.

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What they’re saying:

There was also a shanty with free clothes available to anyone who came underdressed.

“I’m not cold at all. I’m sweating and my extremities are just fine,” volunteer Alo Osberg said.

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The Art Shanty Projects will be open on Saturdays and Sundays through February 9th.

Winter WeatherMinneapolis



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