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‘Lightyear’ stays earthbound, ‘Jurassic World’ holds No. 1

"Lightyear" did not go to infinity (or beyond) in its first weekend in theaters: Pixar's first major theatrical release since March 2020 blasted off with $51 million in its debut weekend in North America, according to studio estimates on Sunday. Not only did it open lower than expected, but it also failed to conquer "Jurassic World: Dominion," which held on to the first-place spot with $58.7 million its second weekend. It is a mixed bag for Disney and Pixar as " Lightyear," an origin story about the movie that inspired the space ranger action figure in the "Toy Story" movies, is one ...

State AG: Farmers should get bigger cut of retail food prices

ORONOCO, Minn. – Attorney General Keith Ellison joined members of Minnesota Farmers Union last week for a broad-ranging discussion at the People’s Energy Cooperative. “Our policy is shaped by the people who show up,” Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) Executive Committee member Linda Larson said. Larson is also the president of the Dakota County Farmers Union. “The better informed our members are, the better our policy will be.” “Farmers Union has made antitrust a strategic priority through our Fairness for Farmers campaign because our members understand firsthand that ...

Agreement with Bird slows down scooters in some areas

MARSHALL — Motorized rental scooters have been in Marshall for about a year now, and people have definitely been making use of them. Since July 2021, customers have taken 7,000 rides and traveled more than 12,000 miles around Marshall. “We saw great community adoption there, a lot of people actually using the service,” said Kylee Floodman, Marshall account manager for Bird Rides, Inc. But when the Marshall City Council renewed an agreement letting the Bird rental company operate in the city, it came with some extra safety provisions. The agreement, which was approved Tuesday, ...

Deadline extended for assistance in paying mortgage, taxes

Up to 25,000 households across the state that may be eligible for mortgage assistance will have more time to apply after Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho announced Thursday an extension of the application period. HomeHelpMN provides $109 million in federal assistance for homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgage or other homeownership-related expenses due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program opened for applications on May 17 and has already received applications from nearly 2,800 households, with requests for funds representing about a third ...

Nuvera declares Q2 dividend

NEW ULM — The Nuvera Communications Board of Directors recently approved a second-quarter dividend payment of $.14 per share. The declared dividend will be paid to shareholders of record at the close of business on June 6 and will be payable on June 15. “In Q2 2022, we began delivering on the promise of our Gig Cities announcement and construction has started in earnest across several of our communities,” Nuvera CEO Glenn Zerbe said. “Nuvera is investing $200 million in our Minnesota network and will deliver NuFiber with faster internet speeds to thousands of customers by ...

WTO holds big meeting to tackle vaccines, food shortages

GENEVA (AP) — The head of the World Trade Organization predicted a "bumpy and rocky" road as it opened its highest-level meeting in 4-1/2 years on Sunday, with issues like pandemic preparedness, food insecurity and overfishing of the world's seas on the agenda. At a time when some question WTO's relevance, Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hopes the meeting involving more than 120 ministers from the group's 164 member countries yields progress toward reducing inequality and ensuring fair and free trade. Okonjo-Iweala acknowledged the Geneva-based trade body needs reform but said ...