September 1, 1999 - Many farmers are facing tough times due to low prices, and it's frequently referred to as a "crisis" but is it a DISASTER? Today in Mankato, the State Emergency Board of the US Department of Agriculture met to determine if the troubled farm economy qualifies as a disaster, making farmers eligible for the same kind of assistance they might get after a natural disaster. It's an approach that hasn't been tried before.
September 1, 1999 - The attorney for the man accused of kidnapping three-year-old Jessica Swanson will try to get key evidence thrown out. Last Wednesday, Dale Jenson alledgedly confessed to killing Jessica and led police to a gully where they found skeletal remains. Mary Wingfield is the public defender assigned to Jensen's case. She says the confession was illegally obtained because during Jenson's first interview with the F-B-I his interogator brushed aside repeated requests for a lawyer--in violation of his constitutional rights.
September 1, 1999 - Over the past twenty years alternatives to nursing homes have sprung up across the nation including here in Minnesota. One is Rakhma Incorporated. Celebrating its 15th year this October, Rakhma has grown from one to three homes across the Twin Cities since 1984. Rakhma homes are places for people with dementia and Alzheimer's disease to live in a home setting, but not alone.
September 3, 1999 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the International Plowing Competition in Rollag, Minnesota. Farmers from 30 states are competing for the national plowing title. The event is part of the Western Minnesota Steam Threshers Reunion.
September 3, 1999 - Bison burgers, Buff dogs…bison's becoming the 'other' red meat for health conscious Americans. Mainstreet Radio's Marisa Helms reports that cattle ranchers across Minnesota are starting to raise the nearly once extinct animal in increasing numbers. Some of these new bison ranchers try to mimic the natural prairie setting, grazing their herds on native grasses.
September 3, 1999 - Early next year, the nation's two largest meatpackers will test market a new product---ground beef that's been irradiated to kill harmfull bacteria. The Minnesota Beef Council is all for it. The council promotes beef for Minnesota's cattle farmers. This week at the State Fair, the Council is handing out tens of thousands of free samples of irradiated beef. It's the first time irradiated beef has ever been handed out in such quantity to the general public in this country.
September 3, 1999 - Minnesota's agriculture commissioner Gene Hugoson says its too early to judge whether 8% of the states farmers will go out of business in the next year because of low prices. U.S. Agriculture Department officials made the prediction Wednesday, arguing the state should be declared an economic disaster area. Hugoson says that could do more harm than good.
September 3, 1999 - Belle Plaine-based motor cycle manufacturer Excelsior Henderson is cutting its workforce by nearly half to reduce costs and attract additional financing.
September 3, 1999 - Excelsior Henderson Motorcycle Company is hoping massive job cuts and a management shakeup will be enough to turn around the company. Excelsior Henderson has been plagued by finanical problems since it began producing its "Super X" motorcycles early this year. The Bell Plaine manufacturer broke news of the restructuring to employees yesterday afternoon. Today industry observers are applauding the changes.
September 3, 1999 - The Minnesota Attorney General's office is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider a case involving the Minnesota Twins, anti-trust laws, and whether professional baseball illegally coerces communities into building publicly-funded baseball stadiums.