July 12, 2000 - The lasting heat and humidity is making some electricity providers sweat. Power company officials are on the look-out for so-called "peak alerts" when the demand for power exceeds what's readily available. Some places around the country expect short blackouts at times of high demand. In Rochester, the municipal utility company is sending a more potent message. It's warning residents that their electric bills could spike from a normal of three dollars a day to as much as 100 dollars if they don't conserve energy. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes explains.
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 8, 1999 - Layoffs at four of IBM's US plants were announced today....including nearly 150 workers at the company's Rochester plant. Nation-wide about three percent of workers in IBM's business computer section have been laid off. Company officials say the cutbacks are at the low end in terms of expected numbers.
December 6, 1999 - The Mayo Clinic in Rochester is developing a for-profit Internet company to compete in the growing electronic health information market. Clinic leaders say the new venture's website will start up next spring and will expande the online tools available for people wanting to learn more about personal health.
December 1, 1999 -
November 29, 1999 - Mankato residents will have to sort through no fewer than a dozen candidates in an upcoming special election for mayor. Typically a candidate's political philosophy can be the most important factor in a race. But when Mankato residents elect a new mayor in February, their stand on a controversial railroad expansion will be centerstage.
November 17, 1999 - Several hundred IBM employees packed a Rochester school auditorium last night to discuss the company's recent change in pension plans, which many employees say hurts long serving workers. Senator Paul Wellstone attended to express his support for the workers, while Rod Grams was content to send an aide. Appearances by several other candidates demonstrated the likelihood that pensions will be an issue in upcoming campaigns.
October 1, 1999 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on how All God's Children Metropolitan Community Church is looking to broaden acceptance in a conservative community. Leaders of the Minneapolis church, which serves primarily gay and lesbian Christians, is praising the apparant successes of a branch church in Rochester. The extension of church has been meeting and growing in Rochester for more than a year.
September 21, 1999 - A Senate committee hearing in Washington today focuses on a controversial pension plan that many large corporations have adopted or are considering. Recently IBM employees launched a campaign against the company's switch from a traditional defined-benefit plan which rewards long service, to a cash-balance plan favoring younger, more mobile workers. As Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports, IBM workers from Rochester testify at today's hearings bolstered by recent victories.
September 6, 1999 - Technology industry giant IBM is making a play to attract younger, more productive workers by changing the company's retirement plan. The new system provides more portable benefits that younger employees can take away when they change jobs. The company's previous pension package rewarded long years of service. As a result, many veteran IBM employees are up in arms and some are claiming pension losses of as much as forty percent. IBM employees in Rochester are joining their counterparts across the country trying to get back what they say they've lost.