October 4, 2002 - Xcel Energy officials say their own internal audit of outage records has turned up no evidence of falsification. But new accusations the company has altered records have also surfaced. State officials are investigating allegations from undisclosed accusers that the company changed records to remain in compliance with state time limits on power outages. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
October 4, 2002 - 3M, one of the country's biggest manufacturers, is about to expand into the service industry. The idea is to sell contracts to customers who buy products that need ongoing services. 3M's CEO James McNerney's (mick-NER-knee's) new strategy could add a whole new dimension to the 16 billion dollar company. 3M's move is the topic of an article in this week's edition of "The Business Journal." Reporter Sam Black, who wrote the article, says the company is looking to develop ongoing relationships with its customers.
October 4, 2002 -
October 4, 2002 - Topic: Warm start to the week Much like the first week of the month, the last day of September (Monday the 30th) brought record warmth to many parts of the state. The following record high temperatures were reported..... Rochester 86 F (tied 1952) Benson 88 F (tied 1976) Owatonna 88 F Red Wing 86 F Moose Lake 82 F (tied 1976) Many other locations reported temperatures in the 80s F, though not record-setting. Topic: One of the wettest growing seasons..... May through September, the primary growing season for Minnesota gardeners and farmers, was one of the wettest in history for many locations. In fact, statewide many communities reported well over 25 inches for the period. The Twin Cities reported 28.52 inches of rainfall, the 2nd wettest ever growing season (1892 was 31.42 inches). Crookston in the Red River valley reported over 24 inches of growing season rainfall, their 2nd wettest in history, while Rosemount in Dakota County reported 30.10 inches, also their 2nd wettest growing season. Topic: Paper airplanes galore!! An article in the American Meteorological Society Bulletin describes an event that took place in Oklahoma this year to promote the study of aerodyanamics and the upper atmosphere. Organized by Takeoff Technologies in Pomona,
October 7, 2002 - Next month North Dakota voters will decide whether their state should join with others in a lottery. Proponents say North Dakota is losing money. Thats because all the neighboring states and even Canadian provinces have lotteries. Three times North Dakota voters have said no to a lottery. But its back on the ballot again. Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports.
October 11, 2002 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews reporter Andrew Tellijohn about the Minnesota Twins success on the field is translating into more, and bigger, corporate sponsorships. Tellijohn covers the story in this week's edition of The Business Journal. He says the while Twin's sponsorship revenue has gone up the past two years, the Twins think it will increase even more next season.
October 11, 2002 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports it's not just the players and fans who would like to see the Minnesota Twins success in playoffs last another couple of weeks through to the World Series…so would downtown businesses and merchandisers who are profiting themselves from the Twins' success.
October 11, 2002 - Since 1993, the nonprofit sector has grown nearly non-stop. The number of people working for nonprofits nudged upward again last year. But, now the nonprofit sector is struggling. The total number of non-profit organizations slipped for the first time in several years. Non-profit officials are worried about the downside of a shaky economy, and a huge State budget deficit. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.
October 14, 2002 - DFL gubernatorial candidate Roger Moe plans to announce today Mon what he's calling a "large and far-reaching" transportation package. Transportation has become one of the defining issues in the governor's race. The four major party candidates are divided over everything from raising the gas tax to expanding light rail. Some voters say the candidates' views on transportation will determine their vote. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
October 14, 2002 -