April 23, 1998 - The Marvin Windows and Doors company got what it wanted from the state legislature yesterday (WED). The Minnesota House voted 99-to-30 to change the wording of a state law to help Marvin win a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against one of its suppliers. The Senate passed the same law change on Monday, and the Governor has already promised to sign it. But the Marvin Windows bill did NOT sail through the legislature without opposition. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Marvin Windows employees were all smiles as they lined up outside the House to thank Speaker Phil Carruthers for coming through for their employer. Carruthers assured company president Susan Marvin that he and the Legislature acted for the good of the whole state:
April 24, 1998 - Internet providers cannot be held liable for the information they carry. That, according to a federal judge who has dismissed America Online as a defendant in a 30 (M) million dollar defamation suit. White House adviser Sidney Blumenthal sued A-O-L and gossip columnist Matt Drudge over a report last August accusing Blumenthal of spousal abuse. Drudge -- who's Website appears on A-O-L -- later retracte
April 24, 1998 - A few days ago some unknown poet, stuck a piece of paper to an old cottonwood tree in Saint Peter. The words are a testement to the tremendous loss the town has faced since the tornado. "This is torture! Everywhere I go, all my favorite trees gone! Even so, everyday it's something new, another busted up old house bulldozed, another mangled old tree dropped. And even though I know it's coming, to see it is like being kicked in the chest, it just takes the wind out of me...... But here you stand! What a monument to survival. Where in the storm's path is another living thing so massive yet standing? The old cottonwood came down yesterday. A crowd of people stood and watched...waiting for the fall. Minnesota Public Radio's Lyne
April 24, 1998 - It's Arbor Day today... the day when we celebrate trees... maybe even plant a few. This year it has special significance in St. Peter. A few days ago some unknown poet, stuck a piece of paper to an old cottonwood tree in the town. The words are a testament to the tremendous loss St. Peter has faced since the tornado. "This is torture! Everywhere I go, all my favorite trees gone! Even so, everyday it's something new, another busted up old house bulldozed, another mangled old tree dropped. And even though I know it's coming, to see it is like being kicked in the chest, it just takes the wind out of me...... But here you stand! What a monument to survival. Where i
April 27, 1998 - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has found half the ten feedlots it tested in the past two weeks exceed state standards for hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. State Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson says the test results are unsettling, but factors such as wind, weather, livestock feed and water, could have influenced the outcome: Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner, Gene Hugoson. Sun 28-MAY 11:25:05 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
April 27, 1998 - More than a year after floodwaters swept through hundreds of homes in the Red River Valley... some people have yet to begin rebuilding. A combination of construction complications and fear of another flood are stalling repairs. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports... (nat. of raking leaves...) As Gene Schutt rakes up the dead leaves lying scattered in his garden in Ada, he's getting excited about his new lawnmower...
April 28, 1998 - A judge has thrown out a multi-million dollar class-action suit against Hennepin County. Residents and businesses were suing the county for allegedly overcharging for garbage fees. Hennepin County Board Chair Randy Johnson says today's dismissal of the suit ends the county's long legal battle over garbage: Hennepin County Board Chair Randy Johnson. Sun 28-MAY 11:24:35 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
April 28, 1998 - Mental health experts say talking is the best way to recover emotionally from a disaster. And that's the advice the people of Comfrey and St. Peter are getting as they rebuild following last month's tornadoes. Talking about loss and suffering is especially important for children. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports. 12-year old Paul Honnerman was not home when the March 29th tornado heavily damaged his family's northern Nobles County farm. He and his 7 year old sister Jill were staying five miles away at their uncle's. Paul was outside flying his kite before the storms moved through. : (and right at the time the tornado was hitting at our place
April 28, 1998 - The Department of Natural Resources and other agencies predicted a severe fire season in northeast Minnesota, and over the weekend they were proved right. Fire fighters finished "mop-up," or putting out remaining embers, on wildfires near the towns of Cotton and Grand Marais late Monday. And the continued dry weather is keeping the DNR and the Forest Service on alert for more. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports from Duluth. Almost 1,500 wildfires have already been reported in Minnesota this year, with 37,000 acres of wilderness burned. Normally fire season does not even begin until late April; this year it started in mid-March. Jean Bergerson with the Interagency Fire Center in Grand Rapids says lack of moisture is the culprit. Bergerson: We went into winter with very little p
April 29, 1998 - The lack of rain this spring is prompting more concern about fires in Minnesota. The Department of Natural Resources has now imposed buring restrictions on the northern two-thirds of the state extending as far south as Anoka County and parts of Washington County. Dave Schuller is with the Department of Natural Resources Forestry division. Sun 28-MAY 11:23:56 MPR NewsPro Archive