June 8, 2001 - MPR’s Andrew Haeg reports on political and business commentary regarding trade with Japan. Minnesota business leaders and experts on Japan convened to discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing business in Japan. The country is Minnesota's second-largest trading partner, and the state's exports to Japan are growing.
June 13, 2001 - Drawn out negotiations between General Electric and European anti-trust regulators over GE's plan to buy Honeywell International are raising questions about whether the deal will go though. Combined, the two companies employ some 8 thousand in Minnesota. With GE facing a deadline tomorrow, the regulatory process has dragged on longer and involved tougher negotiations than many expected. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
June 13, 2001 - A feasibility study for a new commuter rail line from St. Paul to Hastings is complete. Yesterday Helms reports.
June 18, 2001 - Northwest Airlines new C.E.O. says management and unions need to find a better way to handle contract negotiations to improve relations. Richard Anderson, who took the top job in April, says with employee support Northwest will be strongly positioned for growth over the next several years. Later this week Anderson takes his message on the road with visits to employees around the country. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
June 20, 2001 - Census 2000 confirmed some common perceptions; that Mainstreet is showing its age. A population shift has brought young people into the booming urban economy, a trend that's already producing significant economic effects. As a rural workforce of farmers and factory workers settle into retirement, they are no longer replaced by their children. In the latest installment of our series "Aging Gracefully" Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally reports on the changes in store for rural Minnesota. BACKANNOUNCE: As our series "Aging Gracefully" continues, tomorrow a look at one small town on the North Shore coming up with creative ways to meet the needs of older residents. There's more information on our series, as well as images and statistics at MinnesotaPublicRadio.o-r-g
June 20, 2001 - Much of the push for property tax reform at the Capitol is coming from Minnesota businesses. Business leaders say to remain competitive Minnesota MUST continue cutting taxes. Critics of the plan say it would shift the burden of paying property taxes from businesses to homeowners. They say homeowners pay enough already and there are good reasons for commercial and industrial properties to pay a higher rate. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
June 21, 2001 - Red Wing, Minnesota is known for its tourist town features: small shops, Mississippi shores, and picturesque bluffs. Discount retailers Target and Wal-Mart want to move into Red Wing and the small shop owners are afraid of what that will do to the tourist town.
June 21, 2001 - State employment figures confirm what newspapers have been experiencing. Between 1995 and 2000, the state added 55-thousand new jobs annually. This year we're down to 27-thousand new jobs. And with summer officially underway there's more competition for those jobs. Jay Mousa is sirector of research at the Minnesota Department of Economic Security. He says students are noticing a big change in this year's job hunt.
June 26, 2001 - Seven years after the state sold Anderson Window 245 acres to encourage expansion near the company's Bayport headquarters, Anderson is looking to sell the undeveloped parcel at a profit. The land includes wetlands and a sacred Indian burial ground, prompting a long, public battle when the state first tried to sell the property. About 150 residents attended a public meeting last night.
June 29, 2001 - La Crosse Footwear, a major employer for more than a hundred years in western Wisconsin, will close today . Just Wednesday Trane Company announced it would lay off more than 70 employees when it closes its north side La Crosse compressor plant. The Footwear plant has hit a financial slowdown and for the last few years has gradually moved production overseas. At one time the La Crosse plant employed more than 15-hundred people, putting out a sturdy line of boots, raincoats and shoes. Today the last hundred and thirty-nine will clock out for the final time. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report. Most plant workers were not surprised a month ago when they got their lay off notices. The company, which has had trouble competing for several years with other shoe manufacturers, has been gradually farming out jobs overseas to Asia.