As the new year begins, people in Albert Lea are doing their best to put 2001 behind them. The year has been a tough one for this southern Minnesota community. In July, the Farmland Foods plant, the city's third largest employer, burned down. The disaster left almost 500 residents unemployed. Then, in November, city residents voted down a proposed school levy referendum, forcing its school district to cut more than a million dollars from the budget. In the meantime, the city's population is declining, and businesses are leaving the city. Mainstreet reporter Rob Schmitz visits the city's schools in the aftermath of major budget cuts. HOST BACKANNOUNCE: Monday on Morning Edition, Laurel Druley reports on the how Albert Lea's economy has fared since the Farmland Foods plant burned. Families have moved away, and other businesses are struggling.