I am part of the business news editing team at the Minneapolis Star Tribune and a bowling/theater/music mom. Love to listen to music and read.
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Articles by Catherine Roberts
Sleep Number files for bankruptcy protection, merging with Canada company
Sleep Number files for bankruptcy protection, merging with Canada company The Minneapolis-based mattress company first said in March it was in danger of failing. Sleep Number filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (Jim Mone/The Associated Press) Comment Gift Share Sleep Number filed for bankruptcy protection as it prepares to merge with a Canadian mattress company. Sleep Number did not say how much the deal to merge with Sleep Country Canada is worth.
How to Stand Up More Easily
Tips to help you rise from your bed, chair, car, and the toilet, too April 18, 2026 Getting up from a plush sofa or a high bed or trying to step up into an SUV can be challenging sometimes. But help is available, and while not every solution will be right for every person, there are plenty of moves and tools that will make standing (and sitting) far simpler.
Star Tribune Top Workplaces deadline extended
Star Tribune Top Workplaces deadline extended The annual ranking of companies involves surveying employees. The deadline for the Minnesota Star Tribune's Top Workplaces program has been extended until March 7. (The Minnesota Star Tribune) Comment Gift Share Listen Print The nomination deadline for the 2025 Minnesota Top Workplaces program has been extended until March 7. Any employer in Minnesota with 50 or more workers can be nominated.
25 Products That Promote Health and Wellness
Many of CR's top-rated products are great choices for anyone trying to be healthier. Plus, some favorites from our health and food editors. Updated February 3, 2026 When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more. Photos: Manufacturers It’s still early in the new year, the season for making (and trying to keep) resolutions.
Nominations for 2026 Minnesota Top Workplaces open until Jan. 30
Nominations for the 2026 Minnesota Top Workplaces program are now open. This is the 17th year the Minnesota Star Tribune has partnered with Pennsylvania-based Energage to rank employers in the North Star State. Energage works with media companies across the country for Top Workplaces rankings in over 65 markets. For the Minnesota Star Tribune rankings, any employer with 50 or more workers in the state can be nominated. It can be a public or private company, nonprofit or government entity.
Algunos delineadores contienen niveles potencialmente dañinos de plomo
Un estudio reciente de la organización ambiental Pure Earth ha identificado problemas en productos kohl, kajal y surma. Los delineadores se usan tradicionalmente en las culturas del sur de Asia, Medio Oriente y África como cosméticos, productos de salud y en prácticas religiosas. By Catherine Roberts No suelo usar maquillaje a diario. Quizá por eso, cuando pruebo alguna técnica interesante que veo en Instagram o TikTok, casi siempre me sale mal.
How to make cleaning much easier
Cleaning tasks can take a lot of effort in ways that can be hard on your joints and muscles. Fortunately, there are now robots that can do the vacuuming for you, mops that save you the trouble of filling up a heavy bucket of water, and sponges that cut down on the scrubbing needed to get pots grime-free. In fact, Consumer Reports experts have tested a wide variety of tools and products and have plenty of advice about making cleaning painless.
Make Your Hearing Aids Work Harder
When you have hearing loss, certain environments can be especially challenging—even with hearing aids. Here’s how to hear better at concerts, parties, and in other tricky settings. Updated February 12, 2026 When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more. Photo: Getty Images Prescription eyeglasses can bring you back to 20/20 vision.
Treadmill Buying Guide
One of the best ways to exercise more is to make it easier to work out. If you’re interested in running, a treadmill can make it simple to do so in your own home with no need to worry about going to a gym or facing inclement weather of any kind. Thanks in part to the recent popularity of virtual fitness classes, many treadmills have gotten smarter, offering sleek integration with interactive workouts. But innovation isn’t cheap: A top-rated treadmill can cost a steep $3,000 or more.
Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh
Get rid of cooking odors, mustiness, and problematic pet 'aromas' April 13, 2025 Bad smells in your home can be more than just unpleasant. They can also indicate the presence of potential health hazards, such as spoiled food in your fridge, mold in your bathroom, or even leaking gas. And while some sources of stink can be easily dispatched, others can be trickier to handle. But a few smart strategies and effective products can help.
How to Position your Noah Swap $Noah Swap for Maximum Rewards
Catherine Roberts · Follow 8 min read · -- Are you ready to take your Noah Swap assets to the next level and earn passive income through staking? Staking your Noah Swap on the Noah Swap platform via DappRadar is a smart strategy to generate up to 25% APY while supporting the underlying blockchain network. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to stake Noah Swap on Noah Swap, from getting started to monitoring your rewards.
Keep your balance, even in ice, sleet, and snow By Catherine Roberts Senior Multimedia Content Creator, Health Updated February 4, 2025 The icy ground outside your door, on sidewalks, and in parking lots can make winter a treacherous time. And the older you get, the more difficult it can be to recover from slips and falls, says Jeremy Crenshaw, PhD, an associate professor of kinesiology and applied physiology at the University of Delaware in Newark.
Target the latest corporation to terminate DEI goals, in line with White House
Target the latest corporation to terminate DEI goals, in line with White House The Minneapolis-based retailer said diversity will still remain part of its business goals despite scaling back initiatives started in the wake of George Floyd’s murder. A display of products for Black History month at a Target store in Trumbull, Conn., in February 2024.
Santas shopped the sales at Target, resulting in a better-than-expected holiday bump
Heavy promotion and sales drew people into Target stores over the holidays, boosting comparable sales by 2% as people bought apparel and toys to put under the tree, the retailer said Thursday. While not robust compared with past holiday seasons, it beat the Minneapolis-based retailer’s guidance of flat sales and is a much better performance than in the August-through-October period. The National Retail Federation had predicted holiday sales would increase between 2.5% and 3.5%.
Santas shopped the sales at Target, resulting in a better-than-expected holiday bump
By Catherine Roberts, The Minnesota Star Tribune Heavy promotion and sales drew people into Target stores over the holidays, boosting comparable sales by 2% as people bought apparel and toys to put under the tree, the retailer said Thursday. While not robust compared with past holiday seasons, it beat the Minneapolis-based retailer's guidance of flat sales and is a much better performance than in the August-through-October period.
Santas shopped the sales at Target, resulting in a better-than-expected holiday bump
Heavy promotion and sales drew people into Target stores over the holidays, boosting comparable sales by 2% as people bought apparel and toys to put under the tree, the retailer said Thursday. While not robust compared with past holiday seasons, it beat the Minneapolis-based retailer's guidance of flat sales and is a much better performance than in the August-through-October period. The National Retail Federation had predicted holiday sales would increase between 2.5% and 3.5%.
Santas shopped the sales at Target, resulting in a better-than-expected holiday bump
Heavy promotion and sales drew people into Target stores over the holidays, boosting comparable sales by 2% as people bought apparel and toys to put under the tree, the retailer said Thursday. While not robust compared with past holiday seasons, it beat the Minneapolis-based retailer's guidance of flat sales and is a much better performance than in the August-through-October period. The National Retail Federation had predicted holiday sales would increase between 2.5% and 3.5%.
Nominations are open for the Minnesota Top Workplaces program
Nominations are open for the Minnesota Top Workplaces program Each year, the Minnesota Star Tribune and Energage partner to rank companies on how employees view their employers. You can nominate your employer for the 2025 Minnesota Top Workplaces. (Selman Hosgör/For the Minnesota Star Tribune) Comment Gift Share Listen Print Nominations for the 2025 Minnesota Top Workplaces program are now open.
Cómo hacer que viajar sea más cómodo
Ya sea que viajes en avión, tren o automóvil, estas estrategias pueden facilitarte el camino. By Catherine Roberts Viajar puede ser duro para el cuerpo, especialmente si vas a recorrer largas distancias y tienes que llevar equipaje o permanecer sentado durante períodos prolongados. Pero llevar contigo elementos esenciales como medicamentos y utilizar algunas herramientas y dispositivos útiles puede hacer la diferencia.
Western Minnesota ag co-op OKs $225M deal to merge with CHS
Western Minnesota ag co-op OKs $225M deal to merge with CHS CHS, a Fortune 500 company, upped its bid after a competing offer from North Dakota-based Arthur Cos. West Central Ag Services' members voted to merge with CHS in a $225 million deal. Shown is CHS' grain operation in Savage. (The Minnesota Star Tribune) West Central Ag Services members this week voted to merge with CHS in a $225 million deal.
Gen AI won’t replace legal professionals but it has transformative potential
The advent of generative AI (gen AI) for legal professionals is much more than just a tech transition. It gives businesses the opportunity to completely transform their ways of working. Yet, as businesses navigate the complexities of AI adoption, the balance between getting the most out of technology and maintaining the integrity of expert-driven work remains a critical consideration. Today, one of the hottest questions being debated is; can gen AI truly replace human legal professionals?
The Downsides of Disinfecting Wipes
These products are often unnecessary and can be dangerous—especially for kids. Here’s what to do instead. By Catherine Roberts It seems like such a simple and easy way to clean up a dirty surface: wipe it down with a disinfecting wipe, the kind of product sold in easy-to-grab cylindrical canisters. Indeed, in the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, consumer interest in disinfecting products skyrocketed. But products labeled as disinfectants aren’t simply cleaners.
The Downsides of Disinfecting Wipes Original
These products are often unnecessary and can be dangerous—especially for kids. Here’s what to do instead. Updated 5:55 a.m. Photo: Getty Images It seems like such a simple and easy way to clean up a dirty surface: wipe it down with a disinfecting wipe, the kind of product sold in easy-to-grab cylindrical canisters. Indeed, in the earliest days of the COVID pandemic, consumer interest in disinfecting products skyrocketed. But products labeled as disinfectants aren’t simply cleaners.
Best In-Ear Thermometers of 2024
Catherine Roberts September 8, 2024 at 2:00 AM·5 min read Our testing found that ease of cleaning is surprisingly important. Here’s what else to know. In our tests, we found that cleaning an in-ear thermometer properly is critical for accurate readings. By Catherine Roberts When your child is sick, monitoring fever symptoms becomes something like a part-time job. And when you’re checking and rechecking (and rechecking . .
What to know about an aggressive tick species spreading across the U.S.
Consumer Reports has no financial relationship with any advertisers on this site. The most distinctive feature of lone star ticks may be the starlike white splotch on the backs of adult females that gives them their name. But it’s the baby (larval) lone star ticks that may make a bigger impression. That’s because they tend to hunt in packs, colloquially — and horrifyingly — referred to as “tick bombs.” Subscribe for unlimited access to The Post You can cancel anytime.
Top Workplaces special award winners say employee empowerment is key to strong leadership Original
To this year's winners of Top Workplaces leadership awards, empowering team members to do their best is their goal as their organizations' top managers. "One of our founding beliefs as an organization is trusting people to do the right thing," said Dale Nitschke, CEO of Ovative Group, the winner in the large company category. His job, and that of other company leaders, is to set clear expectations and objectives, and then to trust the teams to work together to drive growth.
Lifelong learning key to leadership for KPMG's Laura Newinski Original
If you asked me what is the most important attribute for a journalist, I would answer curiosity. You need to want to know everything about the topic, everything you can about the people in your story. It doesn't matter if the story is about a city zoning law or a CEO's missteps. You can recite a bunch of facts, and the story will be accurate, but it won't be interesting —unless you figure out how things came to be.
Change is hard. 15-year Top Workplaces winners talk about how they managed through tough years Original
Leaders need a special touch to bring a company through major change without dissatisfied workers: From communication to hard financial decisions, leaders must be assertive, compassionate and direct. That's the message from top managers at the four Minnesota companies that made the Star Tribune Top Workplaces list for all 15 years of the program. And, of course, it's easier said than done.
Lifelong learning key to leadership for KPMG's Laura Newinski
Business KPMG Chief Operating Officer Laura Newinski says AI is her current learning focus, and she is asking every employee to do the same. KPMG executive Laura Newinski is now one of the Big Four accounting firm's top leaders as deputy chair and chief operating officer. (Star Tribune) If you asked me what is the most important attribute for a journalist, I would answer curiosity. You need to want to know everything about the topic, everything you can about the people in your story.
Change is hard. 15-year Top Workplaces winners talk about how they managed through tough years
Business Stalwarts share what strategies they still employ to move their companies forward. The one constant over the past 15 years for many companies was change. That's likely to continue. (sanjeri) Leaders need a special touch to bring a company through major change without dissatisfied workers: From communication to hard financial decisions, leaders must be assertive, compassionate and direct.
Best Electric Toothbrushes for Kids
Our tests found brushes from Brusheez, Philips, and Oral-B that do a great job cleaning kids' teeth June 3, 2024 When you shop through retailer links on our site, we may earn affiliate commissions. 100% of the fees we collect are used to support our nonprofit mission. Learn more. Photos: Philips, Oral-B Anyone, including kids, can achieve great oral hygiene with either a manual or an electric toothbrush.
Neuroprotective amyloid β N‐terminal peptides differentially alter human α7‐ and α7β2‐nicotinic acetylcholine (nACh) receptor single‐channel properties - Roberts - British Journal of Pharmacology - Wiley Online Library
oAβ1–42 oligomeric amyloid β1–42 N-Aβ fragment N-terminal fragment of amyloid β1-15 N-Aβcore N-terminal amyloid β core hexapeptide PAM positive allosteric modulator What is already known Oligomeric amyloid β1–42 (oAβ1–42) induces neuronal instability via activation of α7-containing nACh receptors. What does this study add Neuroprotective forms of amyloid β N-terminal peptides activate and differentially alter single-channel properties between α7-nACh and α7β2-receptors.
Insect Repellent Buying Guide
Mosquitoes and ticks can spread dangerous diseases, including the West Nile virus, Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and babesiosis. Our insect repellent ratings identify which products work best against these bugs. (We currently don’t systematically test our products against ticks, but past test results indicate that repellents that work well against mosquitoes also tend to be effective against ticks.) Choosing the right repellent matters.
How to Keep Mosquitoes and Ticks Away
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Can you wash pesticides off your food? A guide to eating fewer toxic chemicals
To avoid pesticides, consider buying the fruits and vegetables that pose the least risk in a new analysis by Consumer Reports, and buying organic for those that pose the most. Below are answers to common questions about what other steps you can take. Does washing remove pesticide residues? Yes, some – but not all. Note that when the US Department of Agriculture tests a food for pesticides, it first washes and, in some cases, peels the food as a consumer would.
Produce Without Pesticides
Some of our favorite fruits and vegetables carry unhealthy levels of chemicals. CR's exclusive ratings reveal how to get the benefits from these foods while minimizing your risk. CR analyzed pesticide data on nearly 30,000 samples of 59 fruits and vegetables.
We Found Unhealthy Pesticide Levels in 20% of US Produce - Here’s What You Need to Know
Consumer Reports recently conducted its most comprehensive review of pesticides in 59 US fruits and vegetables. Here the organization shares what it found When it comes to healthy eating, fruits and vegetables reign supreme. But along with all their vitamins, minerals and other nutrients can come something else: an unhealthy dose of dangerous pesticides.
Produce Without Pesticides
Some of our favorite fruits and vegetables carry unhealthy levels of chemicals. CR's exclusive ratings reveal how to get the benefits from these foods while minimizing your risk. CR analyzed pesticide data on nearly 30,000 samples of 62 fruits and vegetables. Photo: Sarah Anne Ward Updated October 30, 2025 When it comes to healthy eating, fruits and vegetables reign supreme.
Board Directors / Board Secretary (Volunteer)
About the organisation Organisation Name : Monkami Monkami, situated in the outer eastern suburbs of Melbourne, is a non-profit, registered NDIS disability service provider. Our purpose is centred on upholding the human rights of adults with disabilities, fostering greater autonomy, choice, and freedom in their lives.
Meta data center in Minnesota could spur more development Original
The water and electrical work being done to feed Meta's $800 million data center in Rosemount will be available to other future users that want to develop nearby land, officials announced Thursday. Mortenson is starting construction on the two-year project later this month on land purchased by Meta, parent company of Facebook, from the University of Minnesota for $39.7 million. The site is adjacent to Dakota County Technical College on the east end of Rosemount.
Make Your Bathroom Safer as You Age
These small upgrades will help keep you from slipping and make you more comfortable, too February 20, 2024 Your bathroom is one of the most important—and frequently used—rooms in your home. But due to its hard and often wet surfaces, it’s also one of the places where you’re most likely to be injured, notably in a fall. Here are some simple tweaks that can make a big, positive difference. They’re from Allysin E.
Why the best place to check blood pressure may not be a doctor’s office
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Top Workplaces deadline extended until March Original
The deadline for nominations for the Star Tribune's Top Workplaces program has been extended until March 8. Anyone can nominate a company with more than 50 employees in Minnesota for the program. Either go to startribune.com/nominate or call (612) 605-3306. So far, more than 350 companies have signed up to participate in this year's program, which is the 15th year the Star Tribune has partnered with Pennsylvania company Energage to rank companies based on workplace culture.
Nominations open for the Star Tribune’s 2024 Top Workplaces program
Nominations for the Star Tribune's 2024 Top Workplaces awards program are now open. To nominate a company, go to startribune.com/nominate or call 612-605-3306. This is the 15th year the Star Tribune has partnered with Pennsylvania-based Energage for the program. The nomination deadline is Feb. 2. Any employer with 50 or more workers in Minnesota is eligible. Nominees must allow Energage to conduct a 24-question survey with their workers, starting this month and running through March.
Get Great Glasses for Less
The truth is, it’s not always easy to tell when it’s time for a new pair of glasses. Vision can change gradually, which can make it hard to spot worsening eyesight, says Jacquie Bowen, OD, vice president of the American Optometric Association. "The brain adapts." That makes a yearly eye exam—which can determine whether you need a stronger prescription—a smart move. It can also pinpoint whether issues such as cataracts might be emerging without you realizing it.
Why the Best Place to Check Blood Pressure May Be at Home
The numbers taken at a doctor's office can be unreliable. Find the most accurate home monitors here, and learn how to get your pressure under control. December 7, 2023 Photo: Getty Images You probably know that high blood pressure (aka hypertension) is a top risk factor for some of the most common and deadliest medical emergencies, including heart attacks and strokes.
Facebook parent Meta plans $700M data center for Rosemount
In what would be one of the largest construction projects in Minnesota's recent history, Meta Platforms Inc. plans to build a $700 million data center in Rosemount. Meta, parent company of Facebook, confirmed in a Friday filing with the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) that it is the parent company of Amber Kestral, the firm that filed the project with the state. The PUC must approve electric contracts with Xcel Energy regarding the project.
How a Tick Bite Can Give You a Red Meat Allergy
Scientists have found that lone star ticks can induce the allergy. Here's how to protect yourself. Updated April 17, 2024 Illustration: Consumer Reports, Getty Images Anywhere from 96,000 to as many as 450,000 people in the U.S. may have developed an allergy to red meat following the bite of a tick, according to 2023 data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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