April 10, 1998 - State lawmakers refused to enact limits on bank service charges this legislative session. In the last several years, consumer groups have issued numerous reports blasting banks for increasing fees and adding new ones at a time of record industry profits. As Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports, legislative proposals to reign in bank fees drew more attention and support this year than they have in the past, but none survived. Jordan Ash says he's actually encouraged. Ash is the banking organizer at the activist group ACORN. He's the point man in ACORN's campaign to force banks to reduce bounced check and other fees the group says unfairly hit low
April 3, 1998 - The National Weather service issued a preliminary report indicating extraordinarily wide and long-running tornados were responsible for the damage in Comfrey, Le Center, and St. Peter on March 29, 1998. The review identified a total of seven seperate tornadoes which hit Brown, Nicollet, Le Sueur, Rice, and Dakota counties. Two, or possibly three, of the tornadoes were especially destructive "multiple vortex" tornadoes.
April 3, 1998 - The city of St. Peter endured a fifth night without power. Most businesses remain closed, and residents remain occupied with clean-up and repair of their damaged homes. But there are signs that normal life is on its way back. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports. Sun 28-MAY 11:49:29 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
April 1, 1998 - Officials are trying to put dollar figures to the damage that tornadoes wreaked in southern Minnesota sunday, and a few preliminary damage figures are beginning to trickle in. Early ... partial reports have come in with losses guaged in the tens of millions of dollars. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has this look at the economic impact of the storms. At milking time on Sunday afternoon a tornado hit Laurie and Dean Schneider's four seasons dairy in the Hanska area. The winds destroyed the barn, milking parlor, hospital barn, feed shed, calf barn, and plopped pieces of the trailer house in the manure lagoon. Out doing c
March 31, 1998 - MPR’s Bill Catlin traces path of the storm that devastated farms and towns in southern Minnesota. Reports includes firsthand accounts of the storm and tornadoes.
March 31, 1998 - Midday presents a special report on the tornadoes that went through southern Minnesota and destroyed large parts of St. Peter and Comfrey. MPR reporters give updates on aftermath, followed by various interviews and accounts from listeners.
March 18, 1998 - This MPR special report, titled The World Turned Upside Down: An End to Inflation, examines the potential end of a long period of inflation and the growing focus and concerns of possible deflation. Program includes various interviews and commentary and is hosted by Chris Farrell, MPR's senior economics and business editor.
March 1, 1998 - On this MPR Special Report, the American RadioWorks documentary “The World Turned Upside Down: An End to Inflation?” looks at inflation, deflation, and how the U.S. Federal Reserve keeps a watchful eye for BOTH.
February 5, 1998 - The economic crisis in Asia probably seems remote to many Minnesotans, but in many ways, Minnesota and Asia are joined at the wallet. According to rough estimates, Minnesota agricultural exports to Asia in 1996, amounted to hundreds of millions of dollars. Minnesota manufacturers exported more than 2.6 Billion dollars worth of goods to Japan, China and other Asian countries. The exports go to countries now in the midst of economic turmoil from slowing economies, business bankruptcies and unemployment. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has this look at the symptoms of the Asian economic Flu in Minnesota.
January 29, 1998 - The Minnesota Attorney General's office has cleared Minnesota Public Radio of any wrongdoing after a nearly two-year investigation. The office released a report today reviewing executive compensation and the relationship between the not-for profit Minnesota Public Radio, and its for-profit sister companies. The agency requested that MPR to take steps to address certain concerns, and company officials say they are complying with those requests. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has more.