Our network

Rochester's Crow Conundrum

Rochester's Crow Conundrum

Does more need to be done to get the crows out of Rochester? Many people would say the answer is yes and one of those is the Executive Director of the Rochester Downtown Alliance, Jon Eckhoff.

Eckhoff says he's been getting an earful from business and property owners in Rochester's historic 3rd Street area.

The sidewalks in that section of the city were recently cleaned, but you can still see the remnants of the crows presence in the trees and on roof tops.

Eckhoff says the city's original plan of pushing the crows south of the downtown area worked, but not nearly well enough.

     "I think we're going to need to take a look at a way to curb the crow population. It's the population of crows, more than just the location. I for one just don't want to push the problem around.

Community Sponsors

Dates are filling up fast for riding lessons
When all else fails...we don't!
Established in 1979.

Added DWI Patrols Target 13 Counties in 2012

Added DWI Patrols Target 13 Counties in 2012

Informatiom from Minnesota Department of Public Safety

ST. PAUL — Roads in Minnesota’s 13 counties with the highest combined totals of alcohol-related traffic deaths and serious injuries will be hot-spots for increased DWI enforcement through September, according to the Minnesota Department of Public Safety (DPS) Office of Traffic Safety.
The following 13 counties accounted for nearly half of the state’s alcohol-related deaths (202) and half of the state’s serious injuries (462) during 2008–2010 (click on county names for maps plotting alcohol-related deaths and serious injuries): 1. Hennepin, 2. Ramsey, 3. Anoka, 4. St. Louis, 5. Dakota, 6. Wright, 7. Olmsted, 8. Rice, 9. Washington, 10. Stearns, 11. Sherburne, 12. Scott and 13. Carver. 

Mayo Launches Redesigned Website

Mayo Launches Redesigned Website

Mayo Clinic Health System officially launched its redesigned website today.
     
The redesign project is an extension of the health system's recent rebranding that took place back in May.
Health officials say the new site makes it easier for users to navigate the site and find what they need.

"We wanted to have a look that reflected our new sense of collaboration and cooperation in the system and that meant one website that looked the same pretty much for everybody in our system," said Patti Hareid, director of community relations and marketing for the Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea.

With just a couple of clicks of the mouse, users will be able to find the nearest Mayo Health System location as well as find things like photos of providers and their previous education and experience.

Albert Lea Unemployment Lowest Since Oct. 2008

Albert Lea Unemployment Lowest Since Oct. 2008

The unemployment rate in Albert Lea is at the lowest level it has been since October 2008, according to the latest numbers from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The rate for December 2011 is at 7 percent.  The unemployment rate was 6.3 percent in October 2008.  One year ago it was at 8.6 percent.

According to DEED, 617 people were looking for work in Albert Lea in December.  The labor stood at more than 8,800 people.

Unemployment rates of surrounding communities in December 2011:

  • Austin:  5.3%
  • Owatonna:  6%
  • Rochester:  4.5%
  • Fairmont:  5.4%

Community Sponsors

Oceans Point to Warm End to Winter

Oceans Point to Warm End to Winter

The weather we see every day greatly depends on a lot of things.  One of those is ocean temperatures in various regions across the world.  The most common one you've likely heard of is El Niño and La Niña.  The two occur in the equatorial waters of the Pacific Ocean.  When waters are warmer than normal it is considered an El Niño year.  Conversely, cooler waters compared to normal make a La Niña year.  This winter we are currently seeing a La Niña setup which usually leads to cooler temperatures in our region of the country, which so far this winter has not been the case.  Only four of the 20 La Niñas since 1949 have lead to cooler than normal temperatures in our region.

Legal truck weight load increases begin Jan. 23 in Twin Cities, Southern Minnesota

Allowable winter load limits on highways in the Twin Cities metro area, south and southeast frost zones will increase up to 10 percent at 12:01 a.m., Monday, Jan. 23, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation.

The frost zone in the Twin Cities metro area includes Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and Washington counties. This zone does not include Highway 19 along the southern borders of Scott and Dakota counties.

Snow This Morning, Slick Commute

Snow This Morning, Slick Commute

Snow will continue to fall through mid-day but it's starting to make it's exit. 2-3" is expected on top of yesterdays ice. This combination will make the roads awfully slick. Slow it down a little bit on your morning commute. Blowing snow will continue into the afternoon before winds ease tonight.

Here's links to road conditions...
http://kaaltv.com/article/stories/s95679.shtml

So far snowfall totals have been between 1-2.5" To watch snowfall totals as they come in click here... http://bit.ly/Ae4Xw9.

The rest of this week quiets down and temperatures warm up to normal or above normal temps. Little active weather is forecast for the next seven days past this morning.