Archive - Mar subscribe, 2008

3M will webcast its first-quarter 2008 earnings conference call at 8 a.m. Tuesday, April 29.

Investors can access the webcast on the Internet at http://investor.3M.com. A replay will be available at http://investor.3M.com, for one week following the call.

3M employs approximately 1,500 workers at its Hutchinson plant.

(Doug Hanneman is editor of the Hutchinson Leader. He may be reached at hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com)

Kelly M. Showalter, 45, of Darwin, died Friday, March 28, at Meeker County Memorial Hospital in Litchfield.

A funeral service will be at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, April 2, at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson with interment at 4:30 P.M. Wednesday, April 2 in Our Lady of the Lakes Cemetery in Spicer.

Visitation will be one hour prior to the service Wednesday at the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson.

Arrangements are with the Dobratz-Hantge Funeral Chapel in Hutchinson. Online condolences may be directed to www.hantge.com.

Samuel Benjamin Prieve, 64, of Humansville, Mo., and formerly of Dassel and Hutchinson, died Sunday, March 16, at Cox South Hospital in Springfield, Mo.

A memorial service will be at 4 p.m. Thursday, May 22, at Lake Jennie Covenant Church in Dassel.

Arrangements were made under the direction of Murray Funeral Home, Humansville. Online condolences may be made at www.murrayfuneralhome.com.

Apartheid is no more, but a Stewart farmer recently witnessed the ongoing racism and economic injustice which still pervades South Africa.

Joe Ludowese visited the country for 10 days in February as a capstone experience to his 18-month participation in the Minnesota Agricultural and Rural Leadership program.

Ludowese visited numerous farms and saw stark contrasts in how the predominantly white farmers treat their predominantly black workers. “They wouldn’t say they were uneducated. We heard people say they were dumb … or lazy.”

3M said Monday it is changing its U.S. retirement program to ensure sustainable and flexible benefits over the long-term.

While pension plans for current retirees and employees will not change, new plans for 401(k) savings and retiree medical coverage, which generally become effective next year, address several key factors driving the need for change, such as the emergence of tax-efficient savings vehicles and the development of Medicare in the marketplace.

The McLeod County Board’s March 25 decision to terminate County Administrator Nan Crary’s employment left many unanswered questions, including some from Commissioner Ray Bayerl himself.

“I was kept out of it,” he said, referring to the process by which Board Chair Grant Knutson arrived at making his motion to dismiss Crary. “I was not privileged to know why it was done.”

I've heard takes from across the country about where the Minnesota Twins will finish this season in the AL Central. I've heard one or two firsts (from homers), a couple seconds and thirds, but mostly fourths and fifths. Yes, some people (even Sports Illustrated) have the Twins below the Royals.

Maybe, they're right.

I'm a pessimist...I admit it. But, I consider myself a realist and with the pitching staff we have I can't have us any higher than fourth. I still think we finish ahead of the Royals, but not good enough to top a veteran team in Chicago.

Here is why:

The number of cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in Minnesota climbed to a new high of 17,057 in 2007, according to new data released by the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) for National STD Awareness Month in April. Reportable STDs in Minnesota include chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis. The number of cases of STDs in 2006 was 16,428.

The Minnesota March 1 Grain Stocks Survey estimated SOYBEANS stored in all positions at 184 million bushels, down 19 percent from the previous year’s record high level, according Minnesota Field Office of the United States Department of Agriculture. On-farm storage of 115 million bushels accounted for 62 percent of the total.

CORN stocks in all positions totaled 748 million bushels, an increase of approximately 5 million bushels from March 1, 2007. On-farm stocks at 520 million bushels accounted for 70 percent of the total.

Derek Mears: The new JasonBloody-Disgusting.com reports stuntman Derek Mears (“The Hills Have Eyes”) will play the socially maladjusted Jason Voorhees in a forthcoming remake of “Friday the 13th.”

As you can see in the quick-and-dirty mock-up I put together, Mears looks pretty freaky in a hockey mask. That's the good news.

The bad news is director Marcus Nispel is helming this remake, slated for a Feb. 13, 2009 release. This pits “Friday the 13th” against “The Wolf Man,” opening that same day. I smell a Valentine's Day double-feature. Or not.