Staff Directory 6370490

Kavita Kumar

Community Engagement Director | Opinion

Kavita Kumar is the community engagement director for the Opinion section of the Star Tribune. She was previously a reporter on the business desk.

Recent content from Kavita Kumar
Strib Voices’ contributing columnists, top row: Andy Brehm, Aaron Brown, Sheletta Brundidge and Clemon Dabney. Middle: Angela Denker, Maggie Koerth,

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.
Gov. Tim Walz at a news conference in July. On Tuesday, Vice President Kamala Harris announced Walz as her running mate in November’s presidential e

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.
As community engagement director for Star Tribune Opinion, "I will be reaching out to a wide cross-section of Minnesotans and asking them to contribut

Thoughts from the Star Tribune's new community engagement director

We aim to invite more people to be part of the conversation.
Richard Tsong-Taatarii/rtsong-taatarii@startribune.com
Value Village, some donated clothing is baled and sold by the pound to used clothing giant Rags

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.
The latest Target advertising campaign features Kristen Wiig's "Target Lady" character from "Saturday Night Live."

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.
The Mall of America's owner is suing The Sugar Factory, saying it owes it more than $2 million in back rent and related charges.

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.
Many of Minnesota's exports move through the Duluth Harbor. (AARON LAVINSKY/aaron.lavinsky@startribune.com)

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 clings to the trees along a walking path at Como Lake in St. Paul, Minnesota, on Friday, March 22, 2024.

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 is holding a job fair at its stores, hoping to hire 120,000 workers nationwide -- about 10,000 in Minnesota -- in one of the tightest labor mar

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.
UPS talent recruiter Kiaira Fletcher-Toney helps Cephas Awudzi with his application at a job fair in Minneapolis earlier this month.

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%.
FILE - A customer wears a mask as she waits to get a receipt at a register in Target store in Vernon Hills, Ill., Sunday, May 23, 2021. Retail sales r

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

Target cuts dozens of jobs in marketing

The reductions come as the Minneapolis-based retailer is refocusing its marketing efforts.
A snow groomer gets the course ready at Theodore Wirth in Minneapolis for the World Cup cross-country skiing championship races in February. The Loppe

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.
Patricia Rodriguez learns about various career opportunities at a job fair at the CareerForce Center on Wednesday in Minneapolis. The state reported T

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%.
Target is forecasting sales to improve this year after a lackluster holidays.

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 will open 300 new stores and remodel in some form most of the existing stores in the next decade, executives said on Tuesday.

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.
Nanny Faith Black-Tschida (middle) played with Caleb, 3, Ella, 7, and Alice, 5 at their home in Edina on a recent day. Their mother, Sarah Wilson, fou

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. Bancorp is now requiring workers to be in the office three days a week.

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.
Best Buy reported lower sales during the holiday season.

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.
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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.
The Von Furstenberg special collection will hit stores and Target's website in March.

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.
Ikea is opening a mini-showroom at Rosedale Center.

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 is launching a new private-label brand this weekend called Dealworthy. These products will be bargain buys, and most will be under $10.

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.
Jerry Beyer shopped in August for vegetables at Cub Foods in Minneapolis. At the time, grocery prices were up, but in January the consumer price index

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.
"We left some business on the table," said Jim Muehlbauer, Best Buy's chief financial officer. The chain ran out of some TVs and digital cameras when

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 headquarters in downtown Minneapolis.

Target is no longer the largest employer in downtown Minneapolis

Hennepin Healthcare overtakes Target to be the No. 1 employer downtown.
Aaron Mason, an employee at Furnish Office and Home, sorts office chairs from a new delivery into rows. The secondhand store in northeast Minneapolis

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.
On the first day of 2021 trial in Ramsey County District Court, Brian Lipschultz, front, and Daniel Reardon, an Otto Bremer Trust trustee. The Minneso

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
At its first branch in Minneapolis, located on Washington Avenue next to the U of M, Chase Bank has restaurant-style booths for bankers to help custom

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
California Gubernatorial candidate Neel Kashkari speaks during a election night rally Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2014 in Costa Mesa, Calif. (AP Photo/Chris Carl

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.
FILE- In this Thursday, July 5, 2012, file photo, rows of carts await customers at a Target store in Chicago. Discount retailer Target Corp. said Thur

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

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.
GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Thursday, October 4, 2007 -- Minnetonka, Minn. -- UnitedHealth Group Headquarters in Minnetonka, Minn.

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. ]

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.
Michael Fiddelke, Target’s finance chief, will become its chief operating officer.

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 fourth-quarter profit fell by 8.4%.

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 is closing dozens of pharmacies in Target stores. Shown is a Target in Charlotte, N.C.

CVS to close pharmacies in dozens of Target stores

The closures will start next month and be completed by April.
Hundreds of items from Target’s City Center offices are being auctioned this week.

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
A Huntington Bank branch in St. Louis Park.

Huntington Bank closing 11 Twin Cities branches inside Cub stores

The closures amount to about 15% of its Minnesota locations.
U.S. Bancorp reported better-than-expected third quarter earnings Wednesday.

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.
Laura Salciccia helped a customer with a transaction at Affinity Plus Federal Credit Union in Roseville in 2012.

Why are there suddenly credit unions 'everywhere' in Minnesota?

Traditional banks are closing branches. But credit unions are taking an alternate approach.
Bridgette Noel and Lesia Jackson asked about pay and job opportunities in the home care field with Renisha Gray of Sisters of Energy at a job fair in

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.
Damon Jenkins (center), the Twin Cities regional market president of First Independence Bank, spoke with Donte Stamps (left) and Charlotte Epee, finan

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.
Bill Spriggs, chief economist of the AFL-CIO and an advisor to the Opportunity & Growth Institute of the Minneapolis Fed, died Tuesday.

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.
The Target store on Nicollet Mall displayed its 2016 collection of Pride merchandise.

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.
The aerospace and security company hopes to have a lease for its new location on the West Side of St. Paul finalized later this week.

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.
Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis.

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.
A "now hiring" sign outside of a business.

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%.
Michael Vale had been with the company for more than 30 years, most recently as its group president and chief business and country officer.

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.
Anusha Nath of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis presented findings from the most recent study of the impact of Minneapolis and St. Paul’s min

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
James Bullard, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, spoke to reporters after an appearance at the Economic Club of Minnesota on Friday.

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.
Grace Kaspar, left, Bhavagna Thumbeti, center, and Aadhya Sambhangi gave a presentation on the app they created to help reduce food waste. They were o

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
The  Minneapolis-based financial services firm will add a new savings product in March plus a new brokered CD offering in May as well as a new high-yi

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.
Chef Brennan Danielski loads an order onto a robot, Bella, to bring to the dining room at The Commons on Marice, an assisted-living center in Eagan.

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.
The state’s unemployment rate ticked down two-tenths of a percentage point to 2.8%. By comparison, the U.S. jobless rate was 3.5% in March.

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
In the first financial reports since the recent bank failures, investors are scrutinizing banks’ deposit flows to judge the health of individual ban

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 is consolidating its office space, including selling off its Home Mortgage building in the Phillips neighborhood, seen Monday, April 17, 2

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 headquarters in St. Paul.

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.
Illustration of person looking up at sack of cash out of reach.

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.
Hopeton Bedward watched the fuel pump on Tuesday as he filled up his vehicle with gasoline at Bobby & Steve’s Auto World in South Minneapolis.

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.
Soybeans and agriculture are a big part of the Minnesota economy.

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

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.

Car sales expected to rise this year as inventories improve despite high prices, interest rates

Neel Kashkari, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, spoke about the recent banking issues on Face the Nation.

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.
U.S. Bank said it saw an uptick in deposits last week in the wake of the failures of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank.

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 logged a second consecutive month of strong job growth while its jobless rate ticked up to 3%.

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%.
Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan want to send tax rebate checks to millions of Minnesotans.

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 is providing $1 billion to First Republic Bank as part of rescue package by big banks

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