KTOE Noon News 3-27-25
Top Stories for Noon 3-27-25
- Minnesota’s job market remained stable in February. Over the month, employers shed 700 jobs, effectively flat over the month. The state’s unemployment rate held steady at 3.0% for the fifth month in a row. This compares with the national jobless rate of 4.1%. Minnesota’s labor force participation rate also remained at 68.1% in February, compared to 62.4% nationally. Over the year, Minnesota employers added 40,600 jobs.
- An Owatonna man will be sentenced today (THURS, 2 p.m.) for the murder of a Minneapolis woman in February 1974. 25-year-old Mary Schlais was fatally stabbed while hitchhiking from Minneapolis to Chicago for an art show. Her body was found on a road in Dunn County, Wisconsin. Genetic testing of a stocking cap left at the scene led to the November 2024 arrest of 84-year-old Jon Miller. He entered a plea and will be sentenced at 2 p.m.
- Lawmakers at the State Capitol are looking to create a $10 million loan program to help afford housing in Minnesota. DFL Representative Esther Agbaje of Minneapolis says the state’s budget situation poses challenges, but it’s best to look at where the state can get the most for its investment. Agbaje’s bill would create a program allowing local governments to create permanently affordable homes. Agbaje says that could help fill the gaps left when the private sector can’t or doesn’t want to build housing. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in a larger bill.
