December 16, 1999 - Minnesotans are jamming shopping malls and retail centers searching for the final items on their holiday gift lists. Their purchases are adding up to an exceptional year for retailers across the state.
December 16, 1999 - Today a state environmental board decided a massive study of Minnesota's forests does NOT need to be updated. The decision could smooth the way for the expansion of Boise Cascade's paper mill in International Falls.
December 16, 1999 - Members of Minnesota's second-largest state employees union have voted to authorize a strike. After a ten-day cooling-off period, members of the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees could walk off the job right before the Y2K rollover. But state officials promise a strike won't shut down state government.
December 16, 1999 - Vending machines have come a long way from the old clunkers that shake, rattle and then sometimes steal your money without delivering the goods. The new generation whirs and purrs and almost always delivers the product. A little known St. Paul business is a world leader in vending machine technology. The family-owned Automatic Products International company is celebrating fifty years of business.
December 16, 1999 - A 28 year old Long Prarie woman who suffered from depression and emotional problems was charged this fall with killing one of her daughters and critically injuring another after driving her car into a lake with the girls inside. Todd County officials can't release much information about the daughter who survived, but say she is still hospitalized. According to the girls' father, their mother had been taking an anti-psychotic medication, but stopped weeks earlier. The incident raises questions about access to quality mental health care in Minnesota. In rural Minnesota, people sometimes face obstacles when searching for treatment. Obstacles that concern professionals, community leaders and rural residents.
December 17, 1999 - The National Audobon Society will kick off its 100th annual Christmas bird count tomorrow. The first year, only 27 people showed up to count. This year, the Audobon Society expects 50,000 volunteers worldwide to participate. In Minnesota, about 30 groups across the state will form count circles. They'll record every bird they see in a 15 mile radius. Don Arnosty is the Minnesota Director of the National Audobon Society. He says the count started as a way to promote protecting birds instead of hunting them.
December 17, 1999 - The Plains Art Museum in Fargo is claimin a national first. Its the only museum in the United States to house a fine art printmaking studio.
December 17, 1999 - A recent layoff at IBM in Rochester is providing an experienced pool of applicants for other worker-hungry high-tech firms. The unemployment rate in Rochester is a slim 1.7 percent--even lower for skilled technology workers. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports the layoffs aren't bad news for everyone.
December 17, 1999 - Note host outcue Everybody with an interest in the retail industry has an eye on e-commerce this year, to see what kind of impact the Internet will have on traditional sales. It's not just store owners with a keen eye on e-retailing trends. Increasingly, state officials are asking whether an important source of revenue - the sales tax - will erode over time. As Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports, there's no concensus among lawmakers, retailers or industry experts on the issue.
December 20, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger shipped aboard a Bulgarian tramp freighter as it departed for Italy with a load of North Dakota wheat. As the last ship of the season departed Duluth early in the morning, the St. Lawrence Seaway's 40th season draws to a close.