On Saturday afternoon at 3:13, the Meeker County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a structure fire in the 53000 block of 291st Street in Swede Grove Township. Meeker County Deputies, Grove City Fire Department, and Atwater Fire Department responded to the scene. Upon arrival, the deputy saw a barn on the property that was fully engulfed in flames. The property is owned by 26-year-old Wyatt Renne. The barn was unoccupied at the time of the fire and is a complete loss. It is believed a nearby brush fire was the cause of the fire. No one was injured as a result of the fire.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, remote work surged. And many employees came to appreciate how working from home can make it easier to juggle home and job responsibilities.
Minnesota has the highest rate of people working remotely in the Midwest, according to the Minneapolis Federal Reserve. More than a third of workers in the state worked at home at least part time in 2023.
But now, five years after the pandemic, the great experiment of remote work is shaking out. More employers are calling workers back to the office. On Monday, tens of thousands of state employees who had been working remotely are returning to work in person at least 50 percent of the time, complying with a return-to-office order from Governor Tim Walz. Some private companies, such as 3M and Medtronic, also are dialing back their work-from-home policies and President Donald Trump has sought to end remote work for federal workers.
Coming up at 9 a.m. on Monday, MPR News host Angela Davis discusses what we’ve learned about remote work — when it works and when it doesn’t — and what its future might be.
We want to hear from you, too.
What’s been your experience of remote work? How do you describe the pros and cons?
Call us during the 9 a.m. hour at 651-227-6000 or 800-242-2828.
Guests:
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Chris Farrell is a senior economics contributor for MPR News and Marketplace.
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Colleen Flaherty Manchester is a professor and faculty director of the Center for Human Resources and Labor Studies in the Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota. She studies flexible work and other benefits and programs offered by employers.
Subscribe to the MPR News with Angela Davis podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify or RSS.
On this day in music, June 2, 1978, Irish rockers Thin Lizzy released their double concert album, Live and Dangerous. Featuring performances in London, Philadelphia, and Toronto, and produced with Tony Visconti, the album compiled some of the band’s greatest live moments from 1976-77. Despite controversy over the fact overdubs were recorded in a studio, the album was a commercial success, reaching No.2 in the UK. Today, it ranks among the greatest live albums of all time.
In 2008, singer, songwriter, and guitarist Bo Diddley died at the age of 79. Born Ellas Otha Bates, the artist was instrumental in bridging the gap between the blues and rock‘n’roll in the 50s and influenced everyone from Buddy Holly and Elvis Presley to the Rolling Stones and The Beatles.
In 1984, Wham! scored their first No.1 hit in the UK with “Wake Me Up Before You Go Go.” Written and produced by George Michael, the energetic tune was inspired by a note that his bandmate, Andrew Ridgeley, left for his parents. Elsewhere, the single topped the charts across Europe, as well as in Australia, the US, and Canada.
In 1979, Donna Summer began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with her disco hit “Hot Stuff.”
In 1976, Paul McCartney and Wings set a new record during a show in Seattle, where they performed to an audience of 67,100 fans – the largest indoor concert attendance at the time.
In 1981, Prince played his first show on British soil at London’s Lyceum Theatre. The Minnesota-based artist would not play the UK again for another five years.
In 1962, Island Records released its first single, “Twist Baby” by Owen Gray. The legendary imprint would eventually sign the likes of Bob Marley, U2, Jethro Tull, and Amy Winehouse.
BORN ON JUNE 2
1941: Charlie Watts (Rolling Stones)
1944: Marvin Hamlisch (Composer)
1950: Chubby Tavares (Tavares)
1955: Michael Steele (The Bangles)
1960: Tony Hadley (Spandau Ballet)
1970: B-Real (Cypress Hill)
1976: Tim Rice-Oxley (Keane)
1980: Fabrizio Moretti (The Strokes)
The Songs of Summer Festival will be coming up on August 15th at Memorial Park on Lake Ripley in Litchfield. Gates will open at 4 p.m., and then the music will begin at 5 p.m. – with Michael Shynes, South 40, and the Fabulous Armadillos.
Sarah Jones says they accept freewill donations for the event and the money raised goes back into the community to support various youth-related organizations. She says Memorial Park provides such a beautiful backdrop for the event.
Jones says there is good parking at Memorial Park and the splash pad and playground give children a place to occupy themselves. She says you should come hungry to the Songs of Summer Festival as there will be several food vendors.
Amanda Nelson says the Knights of Columbus will have their burger stand, the Boy Scouts will sell fudge, the Meeker County 4H Horse Club will sell crepes and lemonade, the wrestling club will sell hot dogs and brats, LAMP will sell dirty sodas, Prospects will sell macaroni & cheese bowls with either pulled pork or shrimp and there will be a couple of other food trucks too. She says it’s a secure area for children as it’s all fenced in.
Nelson says they were able to provides funds to 3 organizations last year – St. Philip’s School, the 4H Horse Club and LAMP. She says they have lots of great sponsors who help to make the Songs of Summer Festival possible. Raffle tickets for $20 each and t-shirts are available at Mid Country Bank in Litchfield. For more details, look for Songs of Summer Litchfield on Facebook.
According to the Minnesota Department of Transportation, the final year of construction for the two-year Highway 12 Litchfield-to-Cokato resurfacing and concrete repair project gets underway on June 9th. A detour will be in place from June 9th until the project’s completion, scheduled for August 15th. Highway 12 will be closed to through traffic from Dassel to Cokato.
Through traffic will be routed to Highway 15 and County Roads 21 and 3. Highway 12 will be accessible to local homes and businesses. To provide access, only one lane will be worked on at a time, starting from west to east. Construction dates are subject to change depending on weather and other unforeseeable circumstances.
Highway 12 was resurfaced from Holcombe Avenue in Litchfield to east of Meeker County Road 14 in Darwin in 2024. Sidewalks and pedestrian ramps were upgraded to improve accessibility in Litchfield and Darwin. New sidewalk was created from Davis Avenue to Hubbard Avenue in Litchfield.
A culvert was replaced at the county ditch 1.5 miles east of the Highway 12 and Meeker County Road 34 intersection in Litchfield. A pedestrian push button station was installed at Davis Avenue in Litchfield. The concrete was repaired, and asphalt shoulders were replaced on Highway 12 from east of Meeker County Road 14 in Darwin through the Highway 15 intersection in Dassel. The Darwin Rest Stop was also resurfaced, and improvements were made to sidewalks.
This summer, the concrete will be repaired, and asphalt shoulders will be replaced from east of Highway 15 in Dassel to the end of the concrete section in Cokato. Sidewalks and pedestrian ramps in Dassel will be upgraded to improve accessibility. Ramps along the trail from Dassel to Cokato will be upgraded to improve accessibility.
Duininck, Inc. is the contractor, and the project cost is approximately $11.3 million. You can learn more www.mndot.gov or visit www.511mn.org.
Historical Events
1625 – Prince Frederick Henry sworn in as viceroy of Holland/Zealand
1881 – Haarlem-Zandvoort Railway opens
1901 – Benjamin Adams arrested for playing golf on Sunday (NY)
1953 – Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey, London, England
2018 – Ringo Starr’s thirteenth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Steve Lukather, Gregg Rolie, Colin Hay, Graham Gouldman, Gregg Bissonette, and Warren Ham
Famous Birthdays
1940 – John O’Shea, Welsh rugby union prop (5 Tests Wales, 1 British and Irish Lions; Cardiff RFC 213 games), born in Weston-Super-Mare, England (d. 2024)
1940 – Christopher Bernau, actor (Guiding Light), born in Santa Barbara, California
1948 – Jerry Mathers, American actor (Leave It To Beaver – “Theodore ‘Beaver’ Cleaver”; The Trouble with Harry), born in Sioux City, Iowa
1967 – Kenny Atkinson, American basketball head coach (Brooklyn Nets 2016-19; Director Player Development, Houston Rockets 2007–08), born in Huntington, New York
1970 – Karen Mok, Hong Kong actress and singer (Around the World in 80 Days), born in Hong Kong
Famous Deaths
1968 – R. Norris Williams, American tennis player (US National C’ship 1914, 16; survived sinking of RMS Titanic), dies of emphysema at 77
1996 – Amos Tversky, Israeli psychologist (b. 1937)
2003 – Fred Blassie, American professional wrestler (b. 1918)
2004 – Loyd Sigmon, American radio broadcaster, sound engineer, and inventor (“Sig Alert” for traffic and emergency notices), dies from complications of Parkinson’s disease at 95
2023 – Kaija Saariaho, Finnish electro-acoustic and contemporary classical composer (L’Amour de loin (Love from Afar); Circle Map), dies of brain cancer at 70