November 29, 2000 - Minnesota's recent warm winters have left ski-enthusiasts pining for the days of predictably snowy trails. Well, if Ahvo TY-pah-le has his way, good snow cover will never be far away. Ty-pah-le -- who owns Finn-Seesu Ski Shop in St. Paul -- wants to build the continent's first underground cross-country skiing facility. He doesn't have a site picked out for the so-called "ski-tunnel" but he estimates it will cost about 14-million dollars to build. Ty-pah-le says he visited the world's first ski-tunnel, in Finland, and thought the Twin Cities could use one too:
November 30, 2000 - A new study says Twin Cities residents spend more on transportation than on any other necessity, including housing. The Surface Transportation Policy Project-- a national smart-growth advocacy group based in Washington D-C-- ranked the Twin Cities 6th of 28 metro areas in out of pocket expenses for transportation. The typical Twin Cities' household spent 8,600 dollars per year on transportation. And 98 percent of that money went into owning and operating automobiles. The findings are based on data from the federal goverment's Consumer Expenditure Survey. Barbara McCann Co-authored the study. She says the findings weren't very suprising:
November 30, 2000 - From Minnesota Public Radio, this is Future Tense for November 30th. I'm Jon Gordon. Today, e-customers: more satisfied than brick and mortar shoppers... ((tease cut)) Each quarter the University of Michigan business school releases the American Customer Satisfaction Index. The ACSI measures how satifsied consumers are across different segments of the economy. For the first time the ACSI looked at electronic commerce, and the results show Americans are generally happier with e-commerce than the old-fashioned kind. Professor Claes Fornell is director of the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan. ((fornell))
November 30, 2000 - A federal judge in Minneapolis has extended a temporary restraining order barring Northwest Airlines mechanics from any illegal work slow downs. Judge David Doty heard evidence from Northwest that members of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Assocaition are allegedly disrupting operations to protest stalled contract talks. Doty is scheduled to hear more from the airline and from the union on Monday. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
November 30, 2000 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Minnesota House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty, a Republican from Eagan, about his thoughts about state surplus and what should happen going forward. Pawlenty is concerned about Governor Ventura’s idea of lowering state sales tax, but raising in other areas.
December 4, 2000 -
December 4, 2000 - The United States Department of Agriculture is asking the beef processing plant, American Foods Group, to recall the meat it processed on November first and second for fear it may be tainted with E coli. An E coli outbreat has made at least 22 Minnesotans sick and hospitalized seven. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports... Three government agencies are investigating the source of an E coli outbreak that made at least 22 Minnesotans sick. Seven people have been hospitalized. The supermarket chain, SuperValu, has voluntarily recalled ground beef from Cub Foods stores in 4 states and from other supermarkets it owns... Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
December 4, 2000 - How the Northwest Airline mechanics strike is affecting travel and business. The union is now in court.
December 4, 2000 - From Minnesota Public Radio this is Future Tense for December 4th. I'm Jon Gordon. Today, help wanted: chief privacy officer: ((tease cut)) Last week IBM appointed a chief privacy officer. The move is a sign that the information technology industry is getting serious protecting consumers' personal data--or at least giving the appearance of doing so. The job of a 'CPO' is to craft a privacy policy, and make sure a company can pull it off technically. Jim Grady is an analyst with research company Giga Information Group.
December 5, 2000 - Saint Paul Mayor Norm Coleman is proposing a rebate of about 70 percent of a ten million dollar surplus in the city's budget. The proposal would return the money to residents through their Xcel Energy bills. At least one Saint Paul leader say there is no surplus to return and that the city should take care of other needs. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.