Unemployment benefits in Minnesota will end after 46 weeks, instead of the current 60. The Department of Employment and Economic Development says the unemployment rate has been below six percent for three months, which triggers the reduction.

Brunswick Corp. and Lund Boat Co. have agreed to pay $295,000 in back wages and interest to nearly 200 female job applicants who were rejected for entry-level positions at a Minnesota manufacturing plant. The settlement comes after a lawsuit was filed by the U.S. Department of Labor last year alleging hiring discrimination.

The one year anniversary of the Fukushima earthquake and tsunami has many people in Japan reliving that tragic day. Workers at Xcel Energy's Monticello nuclear plant - a carbon copy of the Fukushima plant - have relived the disaster several times as a training exercise.

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved water quality permits needed for the expansion of the U.S. Steel plant. The $300 million expansion is estimated to create 500 construction jobs followed by 120 permanent jobs.

The United Steelworkers of America represent workers at most of the taconite plants on Minnesota's Iron Range. But employees of the Mesabi Nugget plant near Aurora overwhelmingly rejected the union. An organizer for the union even calls the vote "a little embarrassing."

A man from Minneapolis pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime after attacking an 83-year-old Somali man outside a bar. George Thompson admitted he assaulted the man only because he thought he was Somali or Muslim. He could face up to 10 years in prison.

Ousted Senate staffer Michael Brodkorb stated in his application for unemployment benefits that he did not violate any Senate policies or commit employee misconduct.