January 16, 2001 -
January 16, 2001 - From Minnesota Public Radio, this is Future Tense for January 16th. I'm Jon Gordon. Today...do we expect too much from Internet companies when it comes to protecting our privacy? A Microsoft executive says yes. First...this news. Hoping to boost sagging profits, wireless giant Motorola will shut down its only U-S cellphone factory and lay off about 2,500 plant employees. The jobs being cut in Harvard, Ill., represent nearly 2 percent of Motorola's work force of 130,000. Motorola has pledged
January 17, 2001 - MPR's Andrew Haeg presents various local viewpoints on the telecommunication regulations debate. The Ventura administration wants to dramatically change the way the state regulates telecommunications. The goal is to foster competition for telephone and cable customers throughout the state, and, by doing so affordable and advanced services to all Minnesotans.
January 17, 2001 - Some Minnesota lawmakers are looking for someone to blame for soaring natural gas prices. At a Senate committee hearing Tuesday, several Senators questioned whether consumers are getting gouged. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports, the reasons for the high prices aren't that simple...
January 17, 2001 - Northwest Airlines has announced a multi BILLION dollar aircraft order it says will modernize and simplify its fleet. The Minnesota-based airline, which flies the OLDEST FLEET of any of the majors, is buying 52 Boeing and Airbus planes many of which will replace Northwest DC-10's. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports....
January 17, 2001 - Officials from around the state broke ground today (Wednesday) on the eleven-and-a-half mile Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis. The ceremony marked the start of construction on the massive $675 million dollar transit project which begin carrying passengers in about three years. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
January 18, 2001 - North Dakota and South Dakota are using government funded broadband networks to bring state of the art telecommunications access to all parts of the state. Officials there believe encouraging telecommunication companies to build an infrastructure to meet government needs will mean better access for business and everyone else. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
January 18, 2001 - Northwest Airlines is reporting rising profits and revenues in the fourth quarter and the full year -- despite labor problems, higher fuel costs and severe winter weather. But the coming year brings additional challenges, including the slowing economy AND the possibility it could get swept up in the trend toward airline mergers. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
January 18, 2001 - From Minnesota Public Radio this is Future Tense for January 18th. I'm Jon Gordon. Today, unloading a whole life on eBay. ((tease cut)) Last year, John Freyer of Iowa City, Iowa came to the conlcusion he owned too many things. So he decided to sell a few items on eBay. Make that a lot of things: Freyer--an artist and University of Iowa graduate student--is trying to sell just about everything he owns. What started as an effort to reduce clutter has turned into a full-blown exercise in interactive multimedia art. Freyer's Web site --allmylifeforsale.com-- has links to what he's selling on eBay...and explains how he wants to track all the things he's sold, and maybe even take a road trip to visit his old stuff. He's unloading some everyday things like clothes and furniture...but nothing is sacred.
January 22, 2001 - THE BAD NEWS JUST KEEPS COMING FOR MINNESOTA'S IRON RANGE. NOW, NATIONAL STEEL PELLET, IN KEEWATIN, SAYS IT'LL LAYOFF TEN WORKERS BY THE END OF THE WEEK....15 WERE LAID OFF EARLIER THIS MONTH. IN NEARBY HOYT LAKES, 14-HUNDRED JOBS WERE LOST WHEN LTV STEEL CLOSED FOR GOOD, AND IN EVELETH, ALMOST 500 JOBS COULD BE ON THE LINE IF EVTAC CLOSES BECAUSE IT CAN'T GET BANK LOANS OR INSURANCE COVERAGE. MINNESOTA'S TACONITE INDUSTRY HAS ALWAYS RUN IN CYCLES, BUT SOME ON THE RANGE WONDER IF THIS DOWNTOWN IS WORSE THAN OTHERS. ECONOMICS PROFESSOR RICK LICK-TEE TEACHES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA-DULUTH AND HE SAYS A SLOWING ECONOMY IS ONLY PART OF THE PROBLEM.