Story archive for February 2002

Friday, March 1

• Niebuhr advances to state semifinals

• Championship hopes

• Students use theater to deliver serious message

• Sleeper stain was a partial DNA match

• City considers changes at crossings

• Bill would tap some Web sites for sales tax

• Birdies on hole 2

• Editorial: More lasting budget fix is now needed

• Column: Remembering John Larson and his concrete career

Thursday, Feb. 28

• Column: The story of a firefighter and his strange dress code

• Glorious sunset

• A Bantams come up big again

• Obituaries for Feb. 28, 2002

• Police, county investigated alleged abuse

• Weekend Planner: Benefit for girl with leukemia is Friday

• Manchester to double-check where city boundaries begin and end

• Farmland bill gets warm reception in committee

• City runs into opposition on sales tax

• Late Bidney Bergie earned the title of 'Mr. History'

Wednesday, Feb. 27

• Editorial: Split the HRA away from city

• Tigers stifled in semifinals

• Not without a fight

• Obituaries for Feb. 27, 2002

• Smaller retailers undaunted by Home Depot

• Boy's mother describes day of murder

• City may establish separate housing agency

• Community Action hopes to diversify with bus service

• Aces of customer service

• Column: Finding ways to lose weight without doing a thing

Tuesday, Feb. 26

• City refuses to pay for skate park supervision

• A season of change

• Obituaries for Feb. 26, 2002

• Albert Lea Farmer's Market will move downtown this year

• Doctor describes extensive injuries

• County moving ahead with plan for new LEC

• Decorations and cheers mark school's anniversary

• Hawthorne celebrates 50 years

• Editorial: State should let local voters decide on tax

• Column: Modern music most deserving of an 'Earache Award'

Monday, Feb. 25

• Obituaries for Feb. 25, 2002

• Finding fair jurors was a delicate process

• Country acts, rodeo planned for fair

• Conger coming together to help Burgess get by

• Boat rentals and street projects on city's slate tonight

• Headed to state

• Still going

• Section splash

• Niebuhr, other area wrestlers reach state

• Hansen, Elseth advance to state

Saturday, Feb. 23

• Column: Designing a new state flag is just a matter of pride

• Column: Participation in local caucuses is key to the state's political process

• Viaduct has been a city asset

• Storytelling festival a place to remember, learn, share

• Chickadee: the Dale Carnegie of avian world

• Change is inescapable for the old viaduct

• Tigers can't contain Winona

• Obituaries for Feb. 24, 2002

• Ventura's antics annoy: Dorman, Schwab express frustration

• MFT to open 19th season with famous faces: Van Patten, Gorshin

• Jury selection finished, trial starts Monday

• County unemployment numbers up in January

• Conger to get new bank

• End of an era

• Games and food making fund-raising fun

Friday, Feb. 22

• Wolverines gain playoff momentum

• ALHS girls fall in OT at Winona

• Swimmers on course for state

• ALHS icemen survive in section

• Obituaries for Feb. 22, 2002

• Suicide puts more scrutiny on county jail

• Precinct caucuses to be held March 5

• Jury selection could wrap up by end of today

• G-E school changes to be made by autumn

• Warm winter effects on plants hard to predict

• Taking down the bridge

• Editorial: Drunk driving laws present tough challenge

• Column: He's the lad who came to Albert Lea in a pony cart

Thursday, Feb. 21

• Girl commits suicide at county jail

• Weekend Planner: Fund raiser meals planned

• Patient alleges malpractice during delivery at ALMC

• No-parking zones on Front and First altered

• Four of 12 jurors in place

• Thousands attend Home Depot preview

• Column: Sight of Yankee drill all it takes to jog keen memory

• Blades to face former North Stars

• Obituaries for Feb. 21, 2002

Wednesday, Feb. 20

• County again denies tax abatement

• On the campaign trail

• Column: Waiting for the nonexistent storm is a winter ritual

• Editorial: State budget deal lacking in substance

• Panthers continue second-half surge

• G-E boys run record to 16-4 with win

• Ambush at Austin

• ALHS girls fall to Austin

• School custodians reach tentative contract deal

• Parties take on Ventura with budget deal

• Jury selection crawls along for Gutierrez trial

• Dance team may survive with booster funding

Tuesday, Feb. 19

• Column: Sales overload can drive one to desperate measures

• Swimmers take high hopes into section

• Lasting impression

• Dual-meet season ends for Alden-Conger matmen

• Obituaries for Feb. 19, 2002

• Senate bill includes trails, not local incubator or dams

• Mason City TV station sets up first bureau in Albert Lea

• Potential jurors to be closely scrutinized

• Ice thickness increasingly dangerous

• Warm winter forces shacks off lake early

• Editorial: Refusal of more checks a sign of the times

Monday, Feb. 18

• Thinking red and purple

• Season ends for Albert Lea dance team

• ALHS matmen stopped in semifinals

• Obituaries for Feb. 18, 2002

• School board to discuss fate of dance team

• 'Red Hat Society' members meet middle age with verve, odd hues

• Murder trial to be biggest ever in county

Saturday, Feb. 16

• Hinnenkamp fighting for fairness

• Home Depot ready for Albert Lea

• Poverty warrior

• Creative thinking for old problems

• Politics heating up, if you're watching or not

• Extension changes may be bad news for rural Minnesota

• A close encounter of the avian kind

• When the Home Guards defended the county

• NRHEG girls top A-C, 58-35

• A songwriter's dream

• Albert Lea girls edged at East

• Tigers complete sweep of East

• Stray dogs cause concern in townships

• Presidents' Day is a combination holiday

Friday, Feb. 15

• Cat rescued from burning house

• City slogans mix local pride, boosterism and exaggeration

• Businesses worry about noise, access during bridge work

• City, county ask state for pay for dams

• Woman hurt in house fire

• Obituaries for Feb. 15, 2002

• G-E boys nipped by LeRoy-Ostrander

• ALHS icemen rally past Winona

• Tigers turn back Mayo

Thursday, Feb. 14

• Habben settles with city over property

• Coleman says he'll spread the wealth

• Cannon Valley Telecom takes digital step

• Water plant comes down

• Editorial: Olympics are a source of pride for America

• Column: Memories of beauty -and of a debate over purity

• Not as easy as it looks

• Obituaries for Feb. 14, 2002

• Weekend Planner: Suppers, sales this weekend

Wednesday, Feb. 13

• GOP candidates highlight experiences

• Bars to be added to windows

• Walking the tracks

• Column: New addressing takes fun out of directions

• Editorial: Meeting United Way goal not easy

• Special teams troublesome for ALHS icemen

• Progress continues for ALHS basketball girls

• Free throws sink ALHS boys at Mayo

• ALHS girls stifled in semifinals

• Obituaries for Feb. 13, 2002

• Township officers air grievances with county

• Second arrest warrant issued for Jason Tope

• Habben must respond to city suit by today

Tuesday, Feb. 12

• City, Habben return to legal wrangling

• NRHEG boys hold off M-L at the line

• G-E wins border battle

• Best of the rest

• Obituaries for Feb. 12, 2002

• Tope may have stolen car

• New jail plan focuses on security

• Businesses surprised by new parking rules

• Bridge project will close part of Main

• Part of the problem

• Editorial: Escape shows need for new jail

• Column: Animal neglect a sad situation

Monday, Feb. 11

• Fountain Lake boat rentals on city agenda

• County to discuss new LEC

• Pork weekend

• Column: Recycling means conservation, efficiency

• On to the semifinals

• Obituaries for Feb. 11, 2002

• Meat-shop owners have a beef with new taxes

Saturday, Feb. 9

• Teachers contribute to school finances

• Sheriff: Overcrowding contributed to escape

• Program lets youths explore law enforcement

• Sentencing for Konrad delayed

• United in celebration

• Column: Efforts aim to keep school programs

• The gift of love through song

• Column: The sooner we know facts on sales tax, the better

• Column: Addressing prescription drug costs

• Seliger: from musician to car salesman

• February facts, fiction

• Quartets to offer singing Valentines

• Tigers hold off Faribault

• Albert Lea girls' rally falls short at Faribault

• Krueger, Wichmann provide spark for Alden-Conger girls

• Obituaries for Feb. 10, 2002

• United Way surpasses goal

• Tope still at large

Friday, Feb. 8

• An Olympian in the family

• Wolverines lambaste L-O

• ALHS hockey boys overpower East

• ALHS matmen take it to Century

• Obituaries for Feb. 8, 2002

• Trail board pools $10,000 startup fund

• Nephew of local couple in Olympic games

• Kelley to leave TV job for campaign

• History repeats itself at jail

• Editorial: Courthouse issue moves in right direction

• Column: Solving the mystery of the Winter Carnival

Thursday, Feb. 7

• Who will govern the trail?

• Sisters plan to reestablish dining tradition

• Recknor elected president of State Fair board

• Weekend Planner: Pigs, plays for weekend

• Fate of disputed park to be decided by judge

• Happy trails

• Editorial: Contraction delay may save Twins

• Column: Etiquette for guests was an art

• Frerk wins title to lead in state tourney

• Obituaries for Feb. 7, 2002

Wednesday, Feb. 6

• G-E Budget may force earlier reorganization

• Life on the lake

• Column: Hartland Harold's headlines

• Editorial: Don't let guard down, America

• Tigers pass tourney test

• Season sweep

• ALHS girls end another long drought

• ALHS boys struggle against JM

• Obituaries for Feb. 6, 2002

• County OKs parking ban on Bridge Avenue

• Group seeks to bring farm market downtown

• DAL closer to purchasing and fixing building

• Plan to expand courthouse moves ahead

Tuesday, Feb. 5

• ALHS dance team wins at Austin

• Knights hold off Lyle/Pacelli

• Cheerleaders take third at state

• Obituaries for Feb. 5, 2002

• School gets grant, contract with one union

• Representative wary of federal budget's size

• Gutknecht talks at Halverson

• Farmland TIF takes first step

• City considers charges for owner of 18 cats

• Government up close

• Editorial: Iowa English bill makes little sense

• Column: Banning smoking a courtesy matter

Monday, Feb. 4

• Scale-model farming

• Column: United Way supports non-profits

• Prairie Lakes Internet sold to Duluth company

• Conger firefighters get new ride

• Obituaries for Feb. 4, 2002

Saturday, Feb. 2

• Regulars welcome return of Bunnell's Donut Hut

• Mower's decision may hinder trail bonding

• California market looming large for corn growers

• Backers say corn can be key to future of energy

• And the crowds kept coming

• Column: Bringing the 2002 session close to home

• Column: Ventura's honesty a virtue; ideas are so-so

• Play takes a look at everyday life

• Lelands leave a legacy of service

• Auditions scheduled for next production

• Crandall's adventures with Grandma

• ACT to offer expanded season in 2002-03

• Lessons in living

• Wolverines dunk Knights

• Swimmers finish 8-2 in duals

• Obituaries for Feb. 3, 2002

Friday, Feb. 1

• Workers' seniority to remain intact

• Obituaries for Feb. 1, 2002

• Reserves spark ALHS boys to victory

• Editorial: Budget may work in the short term

• Rock-'n'-roll pilgrimage

• Biodiesel bills may mount a comeback

• Brits check out Cochran exhibit

• Residents don't appear sold on referendum

• ALHS girls secure 2nd

• Column: More memories of the late mayor