November 6, 1998 - Farmers and producers around the nation are competing for more than one-billion dollars in cash payments for land enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program... The program, created in 1985, protects fragile farmland by paying selected farmers to stop growing crops on highly erodible land...as Mainstreet Radio's Hope Deutscher reports, the program is particularly tempting to some farmers during the current farm crisis... Around the nation, thousands of farmers are sitting through meetings such as this one in Barnesville...they are learning the r
November 10, 1998 - At a time when most cities can boast of a decade or more of prosperity and job growth, Rochester Minnesota is particularly fortunate. The city's economic growth consistantly outpaces the rest of the state. The city's humming economy and family-friendly environment has put it in Money Magazine's top three places to live in the nation for the past six years. The cornerstone of success is the expansive Mayo Clinic which employs nearly a quarter of Rochester's population. But much of the recent growth has been fueled by a network of technology development and manufacturing firms. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports that cut-backs by one of the city's largest empoloyers spurred city and business leaders to cultivate a stronger economic foundation. The shock of downsizing hit Rochester hard five years ago when IBM---the city's second largest employer--layed off some two-thousand people.
November 11, 1998 - for weds m.e. When Northwest Airlines tried to win back customers after a walkout by its pilots union, the airline offered double and triple frequent flyer miles for travel. That strategy was testimony to the popularity of frequent flyer miles, which have been called the most powerful marketing programs in history. But with their popularity is coming criticism that frequent flyer plans promise more than they deliver. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports. Frequent Flyer plans were designed to promote airline customer loyalty. They were so successful, companies in other industries
November 11, 1998 - FOR WEDNESDAY MORNING A report released today (WED) says Minnesota faces a serious labor shortage that could threaten its economic future. The report from the Citizens League says the state needs fundamental change in its approach to economic development. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports. Creating jobs is the focus of economic development and has been for decades. But the Citizen League report says in the face of a serious labor shortage that needs to change. Citizen League executive director Lyle Ray says to put it in pers
November 11, 1998 - An early season winter storm left too little snow to open northeast Minnesota snowmobile or ski trails; but it did lift spirits of business people hard hit last year's mild winter. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports: The difference between "El Nino" and "La Nina" could mean millions of dollars for Northern Minnesota. Last year "El Nino" brought dry pleasant and relatively snow-free conditions to Northern Minnesota. Climatoligists are predicting "La Nina" will produce the opposite, bringing much colder weather than normal and an extra punch of snow. That's the best of news for the region's ski hills, winter resorts and many small business people across the state. Duluth Lawn and Sport relies on snowmobiles and sn
November 13, 1998 - Minneapolis city employees packed council chambers last night to protest the city's residency rule, which requires those hired since 1993 to live within city limits. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports: The St. Anthony West Neighborhood Association's chairman was in the minority last night. Michael Rainville says most neighborhood groups believe Minneapolis city employees should be required to live in the city. 2:42 "Noone's holidng a gun to anyone's head. If you don't want the job, because you don't want to live here, if you view that as a penalty, then perhaps you're not cut out to be a city of Minneapolis employee." :11
November 16, 1998 - As part of the “Our State, Our Forests” series, Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger presents a report on the history of the timber industry in Minnesota. Timber was far and away the biggest industry in the state…and it changed the very landscape we live in.
November 16, 1998 - Logging isn't the job it used to be. A century ago, 30-thousand loggers were at work in the Minnesota woods. Today there are fewer than a thousand, using high-tech machines to supply the state's multi-billion dollar wood-products industry. And technology is not the only big change in the woods since 1900; the economy and politics of logging are different too. In the first of a weeklong series of reports called, "OUR STATE, OUR FORESTS," Leif Enger has the story of one family that's seen those changes firsthand. Host backannounce: The series "Our State, Our Forests" continues
November 16, 1998 - THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS WILL BRING THE BEST RECORD IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE TO THEIR REMATCH WITH THE GREEN BAY PACKERS THIS SUNDAY. THE VIKINGS EARNED THEIR NINTH VICTORY IN TEN GAMES THIS SEASON WHEN THEY DEFEATED THE CINCINNATI BENGALS TWENTY-FOUR TO THREE YESTERDAY (SUNDAY). MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS THIS REPORT... MORE THAN SIXTY-FOUR THOUSAND FANS SQUEEZED INTO THE METRODOME, MAKING IT THE LARGEST CROWD EVER TO ATTEND A VIKINGS HOME GAME. THEY WATCHED A GAME IN WHICH THE VIKINGS COMMITED ELEVEN PENALTIES AND THREW THREE INTERCEPTIONS ... BUT WON HANDILY, NONETHELESS. THEIR THREE TOUCHDOWN LEAD EVEN ALLOWED THE VIKINGS TO REST SOME OF THEIR STAR PLA
November 16, 1998 - As the death toll from last month's Hurricane Mitch continues to climb, a number of businesses, humanitarian organizations, and individuals in Minnesota are contributing to global relief work. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports on regional efforts to assist Central American storm victims. NARRATION: Hurricane Mitch is already being billed as one of the deadliest natural disasters ever to hit Central America. And the final toll of life and property is still not known. Deb Brown of Church World Service says current tallies show losses are "catastrophic." BROWN: They're estimating it's going to take up to forty years to recover from this. In Honduras there are