October 10, 2003 - Later this year Northwest Airlines could take back 31 jet airplanes it leases to Mesaba Airlines. Mesaba is a Northwest partner that serves smaller cities in outstate Minnesota and much of the upper Midwest. If the jets are withdrawn, travelers might not notice a big difference, but it could be major blow to Twin Cities-based Mesaba. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
October 9, 2003 -
September 26, 2003 - This (FRI) afternoon Governor Pawlenty stopped at Rocori High School in Cold Spring. Cold Spring classes resumed just two days after the fatal school shooting. Students say it was hardly a typical day of school -- the halls were relatively quiet, and teachers put their normal lesson plans aside. The goal for the day was mostly to make sure students kept their hands and minds occupied. And that they had someone to talk to if they needed it. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
September 25, 2003 - The Pawlenty administration and others watching the Minnesota economy see biotechnology as one bright light on the horizon. And no single place better captures Minnesota's biotech dreams than a sprawling, abandoned building on the west edge of St. Paul. The city bought the building this month to serve as a non-profit "incubator." Officials hope the empty space will nurture fledgling biotech entrepreneurs into tomorrow's powerhouse corporations. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
September 22, 2003 - Lawson Software, one of the biggest employers in downtown St. Paul, laid off five percent of its workforce today (MONDAY). Lawson says the layoffs are mostly the result of business reorganization, as the company shifts to focus on particular areas where software development is most in demand. But there may be layoffs in store. Lawson also says over the next two years it plans to join the growing number of software companies moving jobs to India.
September 22, 2003 - It's not much to see, but Conal Garrety is happy to show off the new phone system in his Shoreview home. Like millions of others in Minnesota, his house is hooked up to the copper wire network installed by Qwest Communications. But Garrety doesn't use it. Instead, he relies on a small black box next to his computer -- one line runs to his phone, another to his broadband cable modem.
September 12, 2003 - A rainstorm didn't halt the state's largest September 11 memorial ceremony last (THURSDAY) night in St. Paul. Governor Pawlenty and other leaders told a small but dedicated crowd the fight against terrorism must continue. They said Minnesotans can channel their emotions into community service here at home. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
September 1, 2003 - Eighteen-year-old Jeffrey Parson begins this week confined to his parents' home in Hopkins, prevented from any contact with computers. Parson was arrested Friday on charges he modified and spread a computer worm that slowed Internet traffic around the globe this summer. If Parson indeed did what is alleged, his work is unlikely to win him much respect inside or outside the computer hacker community. Far from a mastermind, experts say Parson is just an especially unlucky example that a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
August 19, 2003 - This week the biggest union at the Minneapolis Star Tribune is expected to approve a new contract. This could put new pressure on labor negotiations at its rival paper in St. Paul. Union leaders at the St. Paul Pioneer Press have been locked all day in talks with management, hoping to avert a strike. The contract for the paper's largest union expired more than a year ago. Crafting a new one has been slow and acrimonious. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
August 19, 2003 - Minnesota is easily the best in the nation when it comes to collecting child support. Last year the state collected more than 21-hundred dollars per open case, more than twice the national average. But many who *pay* child support -- especially those with lower incomes -- say the system can actually make it harder for them to meet their obligations. Rather than helping them get back on their feet and hold a steady job, they say it encourages a spiral of debt and unemployment. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.