January 16, 2002 - City officials in Minnesota say they'll be cutting services if Governor Ventura gets his way. Dozens of representatives from northern Minnesota cities gathered in Duluth today to talk about the governor's plan to fix the state budget. The state is facing a two-billion-dollar shortfall. Part of the governor's plan is to reduce the amount of money the state gives to cities. Some city officials say they're being asked to shoulder more than their share of the burden. They want lawmakers to come up with a new plan. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has this report. {
January 17, 2002 - Four-hundred hats, neck gaitors and ear warmers from Ely-based Wintergreen Designs are on their way to Ground Zero in New York City. Ground Zero coordinators contacted Susan Schurke and asked if her company could make and donate the items to help keep emergency workers warm. Schurke says her company closed down its regular production to complete the order...
January 17, 2002 -
January 17, 2002 - As expected, Northwest Airlines today posted a massive loss for last year. A costly combination of economic recession coupled with a plunge in travel demand after September's terrorist attacks, left Northwest losing more than two hundred million dollars in the last three months of 2001. For the entire year, Northwest posted a loss of more than $400 million dollars. Despite the red ink, the airline did better than Wall Street was expecting and the carrier says it's poised to starting making money when the economy turns around.
January 17, 2002 - A group of North Dakota Ranchers hope to get a better price for their beef by selling it to Muslims in the U-S. A new processing plant in Harvey, North Dakota kills cattle and processes the meat in accordance with Muslim religious rules. The ranchers are also targeting health conscious consumers. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
January 17, 2002 - More than half of Fingerhut's Minnesota-based employees work at the company's Saint Cloud facility. Fingerhut is St. Cloud's largest employer with nearly 27-hundred workers. Employees at the plant say they're surprised and dissapointed that Fingerhut's parent company plans to shut down the catalog business. And city leaders in St. Cloud say the company's departure presents a huge economic challenge for the community. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
January 18, 2002 - Microsoft is predicting that personal computer sales are going to sink even more in this year's first quarter. Sales will be in the dump until at least June.
January 18, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio’s Laurel Druley reports that city and county leaders throughout the state have been complaining about Governor Ventura's budget deficit plan for about a week. Many worry the proposal cuts too much state aid to local governments. Some state nursing home workers may be without jobs and the governor's plan cuts money that would go to rural road expansion and repairs.
January 18, 2002 -
January 18, 2002 - A Grand Rapids company thinks it has an answer to a predicted power shortage in Minnesota and nearby states. Rapids Energy is planning a new electrical generating plant that would burn wood waste and coal in a relatively efficient, low emission process. Cost efficiencies would come from sharing heat and electrical power with Grand Rapid's Blandin Paper plant. But it's not without concerns, coming from both area residents and regional environmental groups. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Kelleher reports: