August 7, 2001 - Xcel energy crews are working to restore power to more than two thousand customers at this hour. Over the past three days, record heat and extreme humidity have stressed power supply equipment and forced a total of fifty thousand customers to do without electricity for anywhere from five minutes to several hours. Excel spokesperson Paul Adelman says the outages will continue until the temperature drops.
August 6, 2001 - North Dakota's sole resettlement organization is temporarily not taking new refugees into its program. Over the last ten years Lutheran Social Services has settled hundreds of refugees from all over the world in the state. Many join other family members and take service sector jobs. But the head of the Service for New Americans quit a few weeks ago, and now the agency is struggling to fill the job and hire additional staff. Kathy Thoreson, the agency's Interim Director says with such a dramatic influx of people coming to the state, her organization needs to be sure the current population is being served:
August 3, 2001 - Friends, family, and teammates gathered at a private memorial service this afternoon to pay their respects to Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Korey Stringer, who died of heatstroke Wednesday morning. The 335-pound player collapsed after practice on Tuesday. Questions continue to surround Stringer's death, including whether it could have been prevented, and if so, who's responsible. Matt Mitten, Director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University in Milwaukee says this could be a situation where no one is liable:
August 2, 2001 -
August 2, 2001 - Long-time union official Ray Waldron takes over this week as President of the AFL-CIO of Minnesota. He replaces Bernard Brommer who has been a union leader for the past 25 years. Waldron was brought up in a blue collar family. His single mother raised Waldron and his brother and sister on the wages she brought home from her nursing job. When Waldron grew up, he became a roofer. He joined his first union 30 years ago. Since then union membership in Minnesota has declined dramatically. Waldron says as president, he will focus on helping the AFL-CIO regain some of its former influence.
August 2, 2001 - The State Occupational Safety and Health Division is investigating the death of Viking offensive lineman Korey Stringer. Officials plan to talk with the Vikings about the training team staffers recieve regarding heat-related illnesses. Stringer died yesterday of complications from heat stroke, after collapsing following a practice where the heat index reached 110 degrees. The National Football League is also recommending all 31 teams review their rules on training conditions. Ed Garvey is former executive director of the NFL player's association. He thinks the NFL has a responsibility to institute uniform regulations.
August 1, 2001 - Though they played decades apart Former Viking's player Bob Lurtsema says he knew Stringer well. He says he's in total shock over Stringer's death.
July 31, 2001 - It may be sweltering in the southern half of Minnesota, but residents in International Falls are basking in the relative cool of 70 degrees. That tendency towards cooler temperatures has kept the town's Cold Weather Testing Center busy in the winter testing brakes, batteries and cars for companies around the world. But after ten years in operation, the resource is preparing to close its doors... a victim of legislative cut-backs. The center's director, Paul Nevanen (Nevuh-nen), says Minnesota has a reputation as a good cold weather testing site:
July 27, 2001 - Officials at the Minnesota Department of Health are examining the brain of the tiger who bit a 7-year-old Rochester girl last Sunday. The two-year old rare white Siberian Tiger was destroyed today after a last-minute appeal to save its life was rejected. State health officials say they were carrying out state law--which says the tiger had to be euthanized to be checked for rabies. Doctor Keith Friendshuh (friend-SHOE) is the Assistant Executive Director of the Minnesota Board of Animal Health. He says the Department DID consider other options.
July 24, 2001 - Sleek, rectangular vehicles are soaking up California rays in preparation for the last leg of the 2001 American Solar Challenge. Thirty college and university cars are competing in the twenty-three-hundred mile cross country race which began July fifteenth in Chicago and wraps up tomorrow in Claremont, California. Currently, University of Michigan team is picked to win with an hour and twenty minute lead over rival school University of Missouri, Rolla. The University of Minnesota holds twelfth place, the U team's best ranking in eight years. We caught up with Mechanical Engineering student Cedar Vandergon (Vandergone) who drove the University's car "Borealis" into Barstow on Sunday, the last checkpoint before the finish line. He says the race has been quite an adventure: