As $1.9B Surplus Announced, Budget Battle Begins
Minnesota lawmakers from both parties agree that a nearly $1.9 billion budget surplus is good news. They just disagree on how to spend it.
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Minnesota lawmakers from both parties agree that a nearly $1.9 billion budget surplus is good news. They just disagree on how to spend it.
That trip on Thursday to Grandmother's house? It'll cost you a lot less this year. Thanksgiving gas prices are the lowest they've been in nearly a decade. They could go even lower.
Bird flu took a bite out of the turkey supply. Heavy rain washed out the pumpkin crop. Yet Thanksgiving groceries likely won't cost Americans much more than last year, and nobody should have to miss gobbling down their favorite holiday foods.
f you filled up your car recently, you might have noticed a price jump at the gas station. Gas prices went up about 10 cents a gallon in the Twin Cities Wednesday, and have gone up over 20 cents a gallon since last week.
There's good news for those of you who decided to hit the road this Labor Day! The average gasoline prices are at their lowest point in 11 years for a Labor Day weekend.
Minnesotans seeking the best driving experience can rest east, as a new ranking places the state among the top five best in the nation. Minnesota comes in with the fifth best state in the U.S. with the best conditions for drivers, according to a study by Bankrate.
Oil and gas industry watchers said Wednesday prices at the pump have jumped across the Great Lakes region because of the unexpected, partial shutdown of a large Indiana oil refinery, and those increases could continue.
Drivers taking that summer road trip can expect to see even more savings at the pump in the coming weeks.
Roughly 41.9 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from their homes this Independence Day, according to AAA. AAA said this is up .7 percent from 2014 and the most Fourth of July travelers since 2007.
You may not have noticed much of a change at the gas pumps over the past week, but there is good news ahead -- experts say gas prices have hit their peak for the year.
Drivers who have seen a steady rise in the price of gasoline can relax: They will almost certainly be paying far less for gas this summer than they have in at least six years.
The average national price for a gallon of regular gas dropped five cents over the past month to $2.39 a gallon.
Gas prices usually go up in the summer. But AAA said prices could actually drop this year. AAA said as long as there are no unexpected refinery problems or major conflicts in the Middle East, gas prices will go down.
Every Friday, we tackle a bunch of viewers' burning questions. This week, Heather Brown explores gas prices, strange structures in the Mississippi River and gray hair.
After gas dipped below $2 last month, prices have begun to rise. Statewide Monday morning, Minnesotans are paying $0.17 more than we were one week ago. The average now sits at $2.41 a gallon. A month ago, it was $1.99.
Gas prices have been a little more tolerable for a while now. Or at least we don't cringe every time we pull up to the pump. But as cheaper gas flows into our cars and less money leaves our pockets, how much of that $2 per gallon gas is helping with road repairs?
Lower gas prices have had an added bonus in Minnesota beyond fatter wallets: Train traffic is leveling off, giving regulators space to refocus on safety issues, a state railroad official told lawmakers Wednesday. "That's the good news. It gives us a little breathing space," Dave Christianson, a rail planner for the Minnesota Department of Transportation, told a state House committee.
Cheap oil doesn't only mean cheaper gas in the tank. It means that a car dealer in Illinois is shuffling the inventory of models he'll be selling, that more students in Wisconsin may get school-provided iPads, that some planned projects in a Southern California city will get delayed, and that some expected oilfield hiring in North Dakota and Texas may not happen.
The new speaker of the Minnesota House, Rep. Kurt Daudt, spoke with Esme Murphy on WCCO Sunday Morning about road construction, gas prices, education, liquor on Sundays and the Capitol construction project.
Travel agents say now is a good time for that beach vacation. With the state of the economy and low gas prices, spring break trips are booking fast. If you want to save some money and avoid the lines, experts say to try some last minute deals.
Minnesota drivers are paying 7 cents less per gallon than a week ago. The state's average is now $1.93, which makes it the sixth-cheapest state in the country for gas currently.
Gov. Mark Dayton blasted the new Republican Majority in the Minnesota House Friday for what he calls a "phony" transportation plan. Republicans yesterday unveiled a "no new taxes" plan to fix roads and bridges, but Dayton called it "fantasy."
Twice a month, CitySprint, a courier company based in Edina, adjusts its fuel surcharge. It generally adjusts down one percent for every 10 cent drop in gas. Larger delivery companies, like UPS, have also reduced their fuel surcharge.
Sticker shock at the pump continues in the Twin Cities and around the nation. And for motorists filling up, it's the good kind of shock.
Minnesotans are starting 2015 with the cheapest gas prices we've seen in five years. According to AAA, the average price for a gallon of gas in the Twin Cities is $2.03. That's 14-cents cheaper than a week ago, and far cheaper than the $3.24 we were paying last January.
