December 16, 1996 - Clearing snow and ice covered roads is a routine part of Minnesota winters. Snowplow operators who clean the state's roads say the job is often thankless, especially when they hear more complaints from drivers than appreciation. Road crews with the Minnesota Department of Transportation call themselves snowfighters. They say they take pride in their committment to clearing ice and snow, and their efforts to develop efficient, tax-dollar saving, ways to clean roads.
December 16, 1996 - A Texas based company will plead guilty to charges it polluted the Blue Earth River with improperly treated wastewater from a rendering plant. Rendering plants convert dead animal carcasses and byproducts from slaughterhouses into animal feed and other products. The company has also admitted to falsifying water test results so regulators would not learn about the illegal discharges, which took place in 1991 and 1992.
December 16, 1996 - The Minnesota Department of Health says reports of Rohypnol, or "the date rape drug" are still uncommon in Minnesota, but there's concern because the small number here is growing. Hennepin County has seen about a dozen possible cases in the last year -- four in the last month. The drug is usually slipped into a woman's drink leaving her incapacitated and unable to remember what happened. Doctor Linda LeDray, of Hennepin County's Sexual Assault Resource Center, says she suspects incidence of the drug is STILL under-reported.
December 16, 1996 - Officials at University of Minnesota announced today they are suing the U.S. government in a dispute over federal efforts to recover damages that could exceed 100 million dollars. The dispute stems from the U Surgery department's ALG transplant drug program and administration of grant funds in the department.
December 16, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Catherine Winter reports from a Grand Rapids food bank. While some charities around Minnesota are doing well during the holiday season, many food shelves in rural Minnesota and North Dakota are struggling to feed all the hungry people asking for help.
December 17, 1996 -
December 17, 1996 - The Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled sexual harassment is illegal regardless of a person's gender or sexual orientation. The ruling stems from a man who sued his male boss for making sexual comments and physical gestures at work.
December 18, 1996 - Newspapers -- dailies and weeklies, all over Minnesota -- are rushing to incarnate themselves on the Internet. Less than a year ago, seven papers had online editions; now, fifty Minnesota newspapers can be found on the World Wide Web, and more are going on-line every week. This, even though the electronic readership is still small -- some papers reach only dozens of readers per issue.
December 19, 1996 -
December 19, 1996 -