March 29, 2002 - INTRO: > The Minnesota Department of Transportation is rolling out a new 3-digit phone number... 5-1-1... for travel information... just in time for the summer road construction season. MnDOT announced yesterday that this summer will be the biggest road construction year ever. Drivers will see almost 250 projects across the state costing a billion dollars. All those projects could catch drivers off guard, and cause delays, so the department is offering motorists the new 5-1-1 number to call for road information. Ginny Crowson (CROH-son) is traveler information coordinator for MnDOT. She says the number works with most cell phones, and callers will be able to get a variety of information from 5-1-1. Ginny Crowson (CROH-son) is traveler information coordinator for MnDOT.
March 29, 2002 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Kurt Badenhausen, a senior editor at Forbes Magazine, who estimates the Minnesota Twins are worth $127 million…up from $99 million in the previous year. The jump in value was the second largest in major league baseball. Still, the Twins rank 29th out of 30 teams, ahead of only the Montreal Expos.
April 1, 2002 - American RadioWorks’ John Biewen presents “Corrections, Inc.,” a documentary that examines the business and financial aspects of imprisonment, and how some of those with vested interests help to shape who gets locked up and for how long.
April 1, 2002 - An April snowstorm is snarling road and air traffic in the state. More than 100 vehicle crashes have been reported including one that killed two people. And, Northwest Airlines has had to cancel nearly 100 flights out of the Twin Cities. A spokesperson for the airline expects operations to be back to normal tomorrow. Craig Edwards is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. He says after a mild winter, Minnesotan's are finally getting a dose of reality:
April 1, 2002 - This week Minnesota based Best Buy Company, the nation's largest consumer electronics retailer, is expected to report record breaking profit for its past fiscal year which ended last month. Despite the difficult economic conditions, Best Buy's stock has surged over the past year. Wall Street analysts are predicting even better times ahead for the Minnesota company thanks in no small part to recent acquisitions that are opening new markets. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
April 2, 2002 - A newly released state survey suggests Minnesota manufacturing is stabilizing, and may even be slowly experiencing an economic rebound. Minnesota has lagged the rest of the country in climbing out of the recession. One major reason was the predominance of manufacturing in the state's economy. Manufacturers took the brunt of the economic downturn. But now there are signs of improvement. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
April 3, 2002 -
April 3, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with historian Hy Berman about Nellie Stone Johnson, an influential leader in civil rights and labor movements, who passed away on April 2nd, 2002. Johnson was 96 years old.
April 5, 2002 -
April 5, 2002 -