May 3, 2002 - Hundreds of internet broadcasters went silent in a protest over proposed royalties that would drive them out of business.
May 6, 2002 - Record companies are emplored to embrace the positive effect of file sharing and recorded music sales.
May 6, 2002 - Government regulators begin hearings today (Monday) to decide whether Xcel Energy can build new powerlines in southwest Minnesota. Xcel says the lines are needed to serve the growing wind energy industry in that part of the state. So far there is no organized opposition to the plan. Hearings are scheduled this week in Worthington, Pipestone and Redwood Falls. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports:
May 6, 2002 - The Business Development Group of Wayzata and Federated Department stores say they're calling off discussions about a sale of Fingerhut. The two parties have been holding talks since January, shortly after Federated announced it would shut down the company if no buyer could be found. The business development group says new requirements from a credit rating agency were a major factor in the decision to terminate discussions. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
May 7, 2002 - The Business Development Group of Wayzata and Federated Department stores say they're calling off discussions about a sale of Fingerhut. The two parties have been holding talks since January, shortly after Federated announced it would shut down the company if no buyer could be found. The Business Development Group says new requirements from a credit rating agency were a major factor in the decision to terminate discussions. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
May 7, 2002 - Two investors are still considering buying Fingerhut one day after Federated Department Stores called off another potential sale. Former Fingerhut chief executive Ted Deikel and Eden Prairie wholesaler Tom Petters are discussing a possible bid for the catalog company, according to their spokeswoman. Yesterday, Federated ended negotiations with Peter Lytle's investor group -Business Development Group Acquisitions, Inc- or BDGA, and says it will begin to dismantle Fingerhut in the next 30 days. Sherry Chiger(CHI-ger)- the editorial director of Catalog Age magazine- tracks the financial health of catalog companies. She says a major reason negotiations between Federated and BDGA ended was because Moody's downgraded Fingerhut's credit status:
May 8, 2002 - (Innovative) The long-time publisher of the Daily Globe in Worthington, James Vance died yesterday. Considered an industry innovator, He left his mark on the paper as reporter, photographer and later publisher. In the early sixties, Vance introduced a new form of publishing. "Cold type" was the precursor to today's computer typesetting. (generated type.) Vance hired a young photographer named Jim Brandenburg. Brandenburg later went on to become an award-winning National Geographic photographer. Brandenburg was head of the photography department at the Globe for many years. He says Vance left a profound impression on him:
May 8, 2002 - St. Cloud took a big step closer this week to a future without Fingerhut. The one buyer who took a prolonged look at the catalog retailer announced he could not make an offer. At the price it would cost him to borrow money for the venture, Peter Lytle decided there was no way he could still have enough left over to turn the business around. The odds are now strong that within one month, the Fingerhut catalog will be shut down for good.
May 8, 2002 - The Paul Bunyan Playhouse in Bemidji is the longest continuously running summer stock theater company in Minnesota. But, lately, it's fallen on tough financial times. Playhouse officials say they've had trouble filling seats the past two years. They say part of the problem has been a sluggish economy and fewer tourists. But the Playhouse is also facing competition from several new theater companies. And as Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports, there are plans to bring even more theater to Bemidji. {
May 9, 2002 - The U.S. Senate has wrapped up weeks of debate on an energy bill. The senate's bill calls for a wide array of incentives to encourage conservation, including the increased use of corn based ethanol. Supporters of a planned expansion of an ethanol plant in Preston say it will be a boon for farmers in Southeast Minnesota who face the lowest grain prices since the Great Depression. But some environmentalists and an angling group are concerned about the potential threat the expansion might pose to the Root River, one of Minnesota's best trout streams. They say the increased demand for corn would lead to more farm chemicals getting into the river. The plant expansion will also put more pressure on Preston's waste water treatment facility. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley prepared this report as a part of our series, "Changing currents."