February 5, 2002 - Baseball commissioner Bud Selig announced today he's dropping plans to contract two major league teams this year. Yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court refused to consider an appeal of an injunction that forces the Twins to honor their Metrodome lease. Selig's announcement comes just nine days before the start of spring training. He is vowing to press forward with contraction for 2003. Baseball author and analyst Gary Gillette says Seligs announcment is no surprise:
February 5, 2002 - The future of Minnetonka-based Fingerhut is still up in the air. Fingerhut's parent company announced three weeks ago it would sell or liquidate the catalogue retailer. But many Fingerhut workers are already out hunting for new places to work. In St. Cloud today , a student career fair opened its doors for the first time to the general public. It was an invitation to the 27-hundred workers at Fingerhut's St. Cloud distribution center. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports some workers did make their way to campus, feeling out what may be a tough job market ahead.
February 6, 2002 - A House committee today approved a bill that would prevent telemarketers from calling individuals who put their names on a state-sponsored "do not call" list. Supporters of the measure say telemarketers are inundating residents with too many calls and becoming a nuisance. Opponents argue the bill won't do anything to stop fraudulant telemarketers and will impede businesses that rely on telemarketing. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
February 6, 2002 - A bill that would bar telemarketers from calling people who put their phone numbers on a "do-not-call" list gets a hearing this morning at the Minnesota capitol. The bill would create a state-administered list of people who don't want telemarketers to contact them. DFL representative Matt Entenza of St. Paul is the lead sponsor, and he's on the line now.
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February 8, 2002 -
February 8, 2002 - Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing will have fewer Minnesota employees by the end of the year. 3-M says it is cutting five hundred jobs at its plant on the east side of Saint Paul. At the same time, the company announced a long-term plan to turn part of the plant into a research center. Officials say that conversion will send employment back up again in 2003. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
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February 11, 2002 -
February 11, 2002 - Former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman held a series of news conferences around Minnesota today, formally launching his bid for U.S. Senate. Coleman, a Republican is challenging DFL incumbent Paul Wellstone. A new poll conducted by the Star Tribune, shows the two are in a dead heat. With the Senate so closely divided, the race for Minnesota's seat is expected to become a national battleground, and to break campaign spending records. Already the two sides are attacking each other in radio ads. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...