December 12, 2002 - In Rochester Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty today agreed to a genomics research partnership with the Mayo Clinic. The announcement comes a year after Mayo leaders said they'd be lobbying for more state funding. Mayo officials claim other nationally known medical centers already receive public funding and the clinic doesn't want to lose its position as a pre-eminent research institution. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports. {Pawlenty would not talk specifically about how much money the state is willing to give to the research partnership. But last year Mayo Clinic said it needed $80 million over the next four years to become a leader in the rapidly developing field of genomics.
October 8, 2002 - You've heard of fast food. How about slow food? Slow Food is an international movement that focuses on cooking and eating at a leisurely pace. Its members believe in supporting small-scale food production, local farmers and reviving regional food traditions. While there are 65 thousand members worldwide the movement is taking off rather slowly in Minnesota. There's about a hundred members in the state. But they say there is growing interest. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report. {The "movement" began about 15 years ago in Italy. McDonald's was building a franchise in Rome's famous Piazza di Spagna. It upset a lot of people. But instead of launching a protest a man by the name of Carlo Petrini and a few of his friends got together and formed the Slow Food movement. They committed themselves to Petrini's mantra. "A firm defense of quiet material pleasure is the only way to oppose the universal folly of Fast Life."
July 22, 2002 - Not only is Rochester the city known for treating human illnesses, but pianos can get fixed too. Liberace's rhinestone-covered piano is in Rochester for a tune up. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports.
July 8, 2002 - One year ago today (July 8, 2001) fire destroyed the Farmland Foods plant in Albert Lea. Five hundred people lost their jobs. A year has passed and company officials still have not decided whether to rebuild in Albert Lea. The company says its waiting to hear about insurance claims. To complicate matters about a month ago Farmland Industries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. Farmland's bankruptcy has sent a ripple effect through Albert Lea and is worrying many of the company's investors as well. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports. {On July 8, 2001, a spark from a welder's torch ignited a devastating fire that would have an impact on the whole town of Albert Lea.
June 13, 2002 - Hormel Foods is getting ready for the grand opening of its SPAM Museum. While SPAM has been a household word for decades, other Hormel brands have since emerged and become successful. Economists say Hormel is ahead of the marketing game. And industry analysts say a lot of Hormel's success is due to product development of brands that are known worldwide. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report. {
June 7, 2002 - Two Minnesota teams will compete in the national women's division one rugby championship this weekend in Rochester. Six other teams from all over the United States will compete. This is the first year Rochester has hosted a national tournament. The game of rugby is still relatively new to the United States. Fans and players warn the game is highly addictive. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley went to find out why. {Rugby teams tend to have names like the Amazons, the Eagles or the Rogues. But the team from the Big Apple is above that. It's simply the New York club. The team warms up with ball handling drills on the Rochester Community and Technical College campus fields.
June 3, 2002 - People in Albert Lea are trying to work out what news of Farmland Industries bankruptcy means for them. Farmland filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy Friday. City leaders say they're not surprised. Former Farmland workers say they're frustrated. Farmland's meat packing plant burned almost a year ago. The site has yet to be cleared. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report. {
May 28, 2002 - A retired I-B-M employee says he has cancer caused by breathing toxic chemical vapors during the 22 years he worked at the IBM plant in Rochester. He's suing several chemical manufacturers in what his lawyer says has the potential to be the first of several similar suits in Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley has this report. 65-year-old Ron Porter filed his lawsuit Friday in Dakota County District Court in Hastings. Porter alleges his exposure to more than 40 toxins at the I-B-M facility is directly related to his battle with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Porter is asking for reasonable compensation in excess of 50,000 dollars.
May 21, 2002 - Economists meeting in Winona say the national picture is looking brighter; but things aren't so great for the state. Financial analysts spoke today at Winona State University's Economic Summit. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley reports. Gene Stanaland is the president of GSE, an Alabama-based economics and management consulting firm. Like many other economists Stanaland says the nation is on the rebound. He says many factors including the September 11th attacks and a manufacturing and dot com recession caused the recent national economic slow down. Now he says manufacturing is making a comeback, but consumer spending needs to stay strong.
May 9, 2002 - The U.S. Senate has wrapped up weeks of debate on an energy bill. The senate's bill calls for a wide array of incentives to encourage conservation, including the increased use of corn based ethanol. Supporters of a planned expansion of an ethanol plant in Preston say it will be a boon for farmers in Southeast Minnesota who face the lowest grain prices since the Great Depression. But some environmentalists and an angling group are concerned about the potential threat the expansion might pose to the Root River, one of Minnesota's best trout streams. They say the increased demand for corn would lead to more farm chemicals getting into the river. The plant expansion will also put more pressure on Preston's waste water treatment facility. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley prepared this report as a part of our series, "Changing currents."