January 14, 2002 - Hundreds of people in Albert Lea are picking up their last unemployment checks. It's been six months since the town's Farmland Foods plant was destroyed by fire and put almost 500 people out of work. The town has waited for months to hear from company officials who are deciding whether or not to rebuild. There's been talk that Farmland would relocate in Iowa or not rebuild at all. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley revisits Albert Lea, a city struggling to move on.
January 14, 2002 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Gene Merriam, a former DFL state senator, and long-time chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, about the concept of bonding bills.
January 15, 2002 - There's a challenge to Minnesota's first county-wide smoking ban. The Rochester Lodging and Hospitality Association has asked the Olmsted County Attorney to investigate lobbying by anti-smoking advocates. Those against the smoking ban say money from Minnesota's tobacco settlement was inappropriately used for the smoking-ban campaign. Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz has this report. { Rochester resident Bonnie Wolters is sitting at the bar in Victoria's restaurant, smoking a cigarette--a freedom she'll no longer have after January 31st.
January 15, 2002 - R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis, used the term "difficult" to describe the next three months. Rybak is trying to get the Minneapolis budget back on track as he begins his term as mayor.
January 15, 2002 -
January 15, 2002 - Just a couple of years ago the bison industry was hot. Demand for breeding stock outpaced supply, and prices skyrocketed. Then, a few months ago, the bison market crashed, leaving ranchers with huge investments and little income. But few producers are giving up. They say the bison industry still has a bright future. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
January 15, 2002 - A proposal for two new stadiums will be voted on this year, but there is concern that there is only a vague proposal about how the stadiums will be funded. MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on debate going on within Stadium Task Force.
January 16, 2002 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Jim Miller, the executive director of the League of Minnesota Cities, about how Ventura's budget proposal would affect city budgets. Governor Ventura released his plans for closing a nearly two billion dollar projected shortfall last week, and they included cuts in local government aid.
January 16, 2002 - The parent company of Minnetonka-based Fingerhut says it is preparing to shut down the catalog retailer. Federated Department Stores says Fingerhut could stay open if a buyer could be found, but Federated doesn't expect to find anyone willing to buy the operation. Fingerhut employs 47-hundred in Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin is with me in the studio with more on this story. Federated paid about one point 7 billion dollars for Fingerhut in march of 1999. That was when dot-coms were hot and e-commerce still held lots of promise. Fingerhut had e-commerce expertise and a big order fulfillment operation and was considered a desirable property. But e-commerce has largely been a washout and Fingerhut became a drain on its parent company. Federated, by the way runs the Bloomingdales and Macy's chains. Spokeswoman cArol Sanger says there's nothing in particular that went wrong with Fingerhut. SANGER 1 9453 profitability there. Fingerhut has nearly 27 hundred workers in St. Cloud. Most of the rest are in the twin cities area, including the Minnetonka headquarters, which employs about 700. Fingerhut has laid off hundreds of Fingerhut workers in the past as problems arose. Spokeswoman Sanger says Federated has taken a big hit with the failed merger, and says Fingerhut is not profitable.
January 16, 2002 - US Bancorp is nearing the first anniversary of its merger with Firstar. The deal brought together two brothers in a bid to create a fast-growing regional bank. But one year on, the merger hasn't yet lived up to investors' expectations. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.