Loans Will Create Nearly 100 New Jobs Statewide

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Last week, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Reps. Betty McCollum, Keith Ellison, and Tim Walz (D-Minn.) announced that more than $18 million in loans will go to small businesses throughout Minnesota, helping many of them remain open and creating nearly 100 jobs. The loans, which will be overseen by the Small Business Administration, were made available by the Small Business Jobs Act passed by Congress and signed by President Obama in September.  

Nationally, $970 million in loans will be issued by local banks and guaranteed by the Small Business Administration.

You are never too washed up to start your own business and Shauntee Holmes is living proof of this. After years in the social services field, she has become the owner of the new one-stop laundromat, All Washed Up, located at 3008 Penn Avenue North.

This new state-of-the-art laundromat has 44 washers and dryers, with six heavy-duty washers for comforters and linens, video games, cable television, vending machines, WiFi, and an on-site seamstress. The laundromat also features a wheel-chair accessible ramp that also allows easy transport of laundry and 24-hour security ensure the safety and comfort of its patrons.

Program will create Job Training Partnerships in all 50 States

President Obama recently launched Skills for America’s Future, a new, industry-led initiative to dramatically improve industry partnerships with community colleges and build a nation-wide network to maximize workforce development strategies, job training programs, and job placement. 

President Obama said, “We want to make it easier to join students looking for jobs with businesses looking to hire.  We want to put community colleges and employers together to create programs that match curricula in the classroom with the needs of the boardroom.  Skills for America’s Future will help connect more employers, schools, and other job training providers, and help them share knowledge about what practices work best.  The goal is to ensure there are strong partnerships between growing industries and community college or training programs in every state in the country.”

Since 1926, the Minneapolis Urban League (MUL) has been a beacon of hope and opportunity for the Twin-Cities. With a spirit of excellence, the MUL strives to execute human development programming that provides solutions for African Americans and other people of color. Community leaders who converged in 1926 to form the MUL did so in response to both the societal challenges and emerging opportunities that existed at the time. Some 84 years later, the legacy of MUL is without question noteworthy, and truly reflects this community’s commitment to uplifting its citizenry; expanding the quality of life for all, while remaining intently focused on actionable solutions that reflect the mission of the Urban League nationwide.

Solutions
The Gateway is comprised of four intersections: College Preparedness/Career Development, Workforce Solutions, Health and Wellness, and Wealth Accumulation. Each Gateway intersection has been designed to be a solution to some of the most pressing disparities facing African Americans in the Twin Cities; therefore each is critical to the quality of life for youth and adults. Critical to the solutions are community members, corporations, foundations, and other champions.

As many as 5,500 small community-based nonprofits in Minnesota are in jeopardy of losing their tax-exempt status. The Internal Revenue Service is concerned because the loss of this status could greatly affect the organizations' charitable work and their donors' potential tax deductions.

Among the organizations that could lose their tax-exempt status are local sports associations and community support groups, volunteer fire and ambulance associations and their auxiliaries, social clubs, educational societies, veterans groups, church-affiliated groups, groups designed to assist those with special needs and a variety of others.

In the wake of another tragic death in the Twin Cities area involving a transaction initiated through Craigslist, the Better Business Bureau of Minnesota and North Dakota (BBB) is advising the public to practice caution when using the online service and others like it.

“There are certainly deals to be found online, but it’s good for both buyers and sellers to remember they’re usually dealing with people unfamiliar to them,” said Dana Badgerow, president and CEO of the BBB. “There are risks involved and we feel it’s very important that people take the time to pause and consider both their personal and financial security.”