Recent content from Kavita Kumar
Meet the 11 new contributing columnists of Strib Voices
The eclectic group of writers includes a conservative, a cannabis expert, a sportswriter-turned-pastor and a well-known chef.
Here's what some Minnesotans have said about Walz for VP, so far
Now we want to hear what you think. Send us a letter to the editor or a commentary to add your voice to the mix.
Thoughts from the Star Tribune's new community engagement director
We aim to invite more people to be part of the conversation.
Why you should donate clothing: It (probably) won't end up at the dump
Fast fashion is tough on the climate, but clothes can have second and third lives.
Target's latest ads feature Kristen Wiig's SNL 'Target Lady' and Prince's music
The ads are to promote Target Circle Week and changes to the retailer's loyalty programs.
Mall of America sues Sugar Factory for more than $2M in unpaid rent
It's one of several tenants the Mall of America has sued in recent years for not paying rent.
The inflation rate might be steadying, but the value of Minnesota exports are down
Mexico, Ireland and Australia saw some of the biggest gains in state exports
Snow could turn to rain overnight, melting some of what might still be year's biggest snowfall
In some cases, the rain may melt all of the snow that falls in southern Minnesota.
Target's employee count is down 25,000 from a year ago
Comparable sales have been down over the past few quarters, but more stores are now open; salaried employees will receive 100% of their bonuses this year.
As Minnesota's job growth slows, state officials look at the long game
Minnesota only added 100 jobs in February after blockbuster growth in January, but the unemployment rate held steady at 2.7%.
Target is making a major change to its self-checkout lanes
A pilot led to the change going into effect Sunday at nearly 2,000 stores.
![Minneapolis skyline. Target Corporate Headquarters. ] GLEN STUBBE • glen.stubbe@startribune.com Thursday, November 15, 2018](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/GQ63RYK5AETCT46UIWFM43KOCQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Target cuts dozens of jobs in marketing
The reductions come as the Minneapolis-based retailer is refocusing its marketing efforts.
Minnesota snow-dependent businesses now eligible for federal disaster loans after warm winter
The SBA has stretched eligibility to the businesses for loans usually reserved for farms.
Wage growth is now outpacing inflation in Minnesota but still hasn't caught up
The state also added 3,000 jobs in January and the jobless rate held steady at 2.7%.
Your Target Redcard will become a Target Circle card as the company revamps its loyalty program
Here's the rundown on how the program will change in the next few months.
Target accelerates store expansions with plan to add 300 more in a decade
The Minneapolis-based retailer wants to increase revenue nearly 50% over 10 years.
Finding a nanny can be time consuming. Here are three ways to find the right caregiver
From nanny agencies to a Facebook group, some options for finding a caregiver require more financial investment and others more time and effort.
U.S. Bank requires workers back in office 3 days a week
It's the latest downtown employer to take a more forceful stand on coming back to the office.
More layoffs coming to Best Buy after two years of declining sales that continued into holidays
Executives said they expect consumer electronics sales to stabilize somewhat this year, but began a restructuring in the fourth quarter.
Inflation's lower. The job market's strong. So why all the economic uncertainty?
Neel Kashkari of the Minneapolis Fed answers questions on everything from interest rates to grocery store prices.
Target teams up with Diane von Furstenberg for its next limited-time collection
The announcement comes days after the Minneapolis-based retailer also announced a new bargain brand as it looks to revive sales.
Pop-up Ikea store comes to Rosedale Center offering pared-down experience of Swedish retailer
The shop will be open only for six months and is geared toward inspiration and making and picking up online orders.
Target's latest answer to inflation angst: A new brand with prices starting at $1
Dealworthy will span apparel and accessories, household essentials, electronics and home. It launches this weekend.
Some good news for Twin Cities budgets: Grocery prices are lower than a year ago
Overall inflation in Minneapolis-St. Paul region rose 2.6% last month, compared to 3.1% for the U.S.
Best Buy is closing its store in Apple Valley
It's one of 15 to 20 stores the Richfield-based retailer expects to close this year
Target is no longer the largest employer in downtown Minneapolis
Hennepin Healthcare overtakes Target to be the No. 1 employer downtown.
What happens to the 'Mercedes of office chairs' and other furniture when companies downsize offices
A cottage industry of brokers and secondhand stores flourishing, but not all the stuff finds a new home.
Minnesota Supreme Court upholds removal of Otto Bremer Trust leader
Brian Lipschultz appealed his ouster to the court of appeals and then to the state's highest court
Chase doubling presence in Twin Cities, adding 30 bank branches
The expansion would make it rival Huntington Bank in terms of number of locations in this market
Minneapolis Fed's Kashkari says there's time before interest rate decisions need to be made
In a new essay, Neel Kashkari, the president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, said higher interest rates do not appear to be overly constraining the economy.
Target pulls Black History Month product after viral TikTok details mistakes
The Minneapolis-based retail chain said it has notified the manufacturer of the errors.
![Customers line up at the pharmacy inside the Target in downtown Minneapolis on Monday, June 15, 2015. ] LEILA NAVIDI leila.navidi@startribune.com / BA](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/R3PE2LKXXM5VJ7IYUROWERM2RU.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
CVS spares Targets in Minnesota from list of pharmacy closures
The drugstore chain said earlier this month it would close dozens of pharmacies inside of Target stores starting in February.
Minnesota corporations resume donations to election disputers
At least eight major companies with headquarters in Minnesota have given more than $400,000 to members of Congress who disputed Electoral College results in the last presidential election.
![Beth Bombardo chiseled concrete inside the Allianz Stadium. She’s been a laborer for more than 20 years, the past 18 or so with M.A. Mortenson Co. ]](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/VCGT7VNSSQHVXWNTAP6FDEFMPQ.jpg?h=120&w=180&fit=crop&bg=999&crop=faces)
Minnesota construction benefits from warm December, but government jobs languish
The state added just 800 jobs in December, ending the year with slower job growth after a more productive fall.
Target's head of finance to take over operations in several leadership changes
Michael Fiddelke will replace John Mulligan, and Don Liu will retire.
U.S. Bancorp's profit takes hit because of $734M charge related to bank failures
The Minneapolis-based bank had to pay a $734 million special assessment to help replenish the federal insurance fund that was depleted following the failures of Silicon Valley and Signature banks.
CVS to close pharmacies in dozens of Target stores
The closures will start next month and be completed by April.
Want some red furniture? Target is trying to offload furnishings as it exits City Center offices
This is the fifth auction so far of items from the company's now-vacant City Center offices in downtown Minneapolis.
Twin Cities malls say crowds returned over the holiday season
Mall of America, Rosedale and Southdale centers among those who say holiday traffic was on par with or surpassed 2019 levels.
Spire, Hiway credit unions close merger, rebrand under 'Blaze' name
The merger has created the state's fourth-largest credit union
Huntington Bank closing 11 Twin Cities branches inside Cub stores
The closures amount to about 15% of its Minnesota locations.
Federal Reserve grants U.S. Bancorp relief from stricter regulations after acquisition
The Minneapolis-based bank also reported a better-than-expected third-quarter profit.
Why are there suddenly credit unions 'everywhere' in Minnesota?
Traditional banks are closing branches. But credit unions are taking an alternate approach.
Minnesota added 7,700 jobs in May despite uptick in unemployment rate
The state jobless rate increased slightly to 2.9% as more people entered the labor force.
Twin Cities' inflation is lowest among a dozen U.S. cities and half the rate of the U.S.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul region continues to see inflation moderating faster on a year-over-year basis compared to other parts of the country.
Minnesota's first Black-owned bank still trying to gain steam after first year
First Independence Bank expanded from Detroit to Minneapolis at the urging of a group of local banking executives.
William Spriggs, advisor to the Minneapolis Fed who criticized how economists approach race, dies at 68
Spriggs was chief economist at the AFL-CIO and advised the Minneapolis Fed's Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute.
Minnesota's export growth slowed in first months of 2023 but still surpassed nation's
State exports to Canada and Mexico increased while those to China declined.
Target pulls some of its Pride products after threats to store workers
The Minneapolis-based retailer is still selling swimwear made for the transgender community but is no longer selling products from a brand that critics say expresses "Satanist" views.
Lockheed Martin design center coming to St. Paul, bringing more than 100 jobs
The aerospace and security company should open its Twin Cities operations this fall.
Fed's Kashkari says higher capital requirements would bolster banking system
The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis wrote an essay outlining his thinking.
After brief slowdown, Minnesota's job market ramps up in April
The state added 4,500 jobs in April, and the unemployment rate held steady at 2.8%.
3M fires longtime exec for inappropriate personal conduct
Michael Vale had been with the company for more than 30 years, most recently as its group president and chief business and country officer.
Downside of higher pay? Fewer hours, fewer jobs, Twin Cities minimum wage study says
The policy changes led to 5,400 fewer jobs in Minneapolis and 3,800 fewer jobs in St. Paul, according to researchers
St. Louis Fed chief tells Minnesota audience slow growth is more likely than a recession
James Bullard, a Minnesota native, shared his economic thinking in a Friday conversation with Minneapolis Fed President Neel Kashkari.
Girls and nonbinary students from Minnesota pitch app ideas to U.S. Bancorp execs
The pitch challenge is part of a statewide Technovation program that aims to grow interest in coding and technology
After bank failures, Minneapolis' Ameriprise adds new offerings to entice deposits
The financial services company is the third largest bank in Minnesota by deposit size.
Minnesota restaurants, senior homes turn to robots amid labor shortage
While some Minnesota businesses profess automation can't fully replace the human touch, they still intend to invest further in robotic help.
Minnesota lost jobs in March despite the unemployment rate ticking down
With March's job losses, the state has no longer fully recovered all of the private-sector jobs lost in the pandemic
Amid increased scrutiny, big banks report dips in deposits
But the country's fifth-largest bank, Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp, still reported an uptick in deposits in the days following March bank failures, plus a quarterly profit.
Wells Fargo closing home mortgage campus in south Mpls.
The company also will exit its Metropoint offices in St. Louis Park and relocate workers to downtown Minneapolis and Shoreview.
Minnesota Public Radio to quit Twitter
The move comes after National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System both announced plans to leave the controversial social media site.
Driver killed in rollover on I-35 in Lakeville after fleeing crash, then hitting semi
A Burnsville man was ejected from his SUV after it rolled into the median after striking two other vehicles.
A credit crunch could be coming. Here's what that could mean for getting a loan
In a New York Fed survey of households, 58.2% of consumers reported it was harder to obtain credit in March than a year ago, the highest percentage since the survey started a decade ago.
Inflation in Twin Cities fell to 3.4% last month, lowest rate in two years
Meanwhile, U.S. inflation eased to 5% in March.
U.S. Bancorp announces new CFO, other leadership changes
John Stern will become chief financial officer, succeeding Terry Dolan, who is taking on a new executive role.
Minnesota's economy slowed but remained resilient in last months of 2022
The state's Gross Domestic Product rose 1.3% in fourth quarter, compared to 2.6% for the U.S.
Car sales expected to rise this year as inventories improve despite high prices, interest rates
As snow melts, the car shopping season kicks off in Minnesota, starting with the nine-day Twin Cities Auto Show opening Friday.
Minneapolis Fed president said recent banking turmoil brings recession closer
Neel Kashkari made his first public comments since the recent bank failures on CBS' Face the Nation this past Sunday.
Mostly business as usual for Minnesota banks despite recent bank failures
Many said they haven't seen an outflow of deposits despite Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank collapsing.
Minnesota has finally recovered all private sector jobs lost in pandemic
The state added 10,100 jobs in February, and its unemployment rate ticked up to 3%.
Could Minnesota's proposed rebate checks fuel even higher inflation?
Some economists have raised the question after a number of states already passed tax rebates, but rebate supporters argued much bigger factors drive inflation.
Here's how to prepare for a recession, if it actually happens
Financial experts say now is a good time to save, pay down debt and keep career contacts fresh.
U.S. Bank provides $1 billion of $30 billion rescue package for First Republic Bank
The Minneapolis-based bank is one of 11 that are part of the plan aimed at helping stabilize the banking sector
