NEWS

Oprah confirms show end, plans new cable show

Holding back tears, Oprah Winfrey told her studio audience Friday that she would end her show in 2011 after a quarter-century on the air, saying “prayer and careful thought” led her to her decision.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

State GOP is biggest user of tax break Pawlenty axed

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Republican Party was the biggest user of a campaign program he axed that gives donors tax refunds for part of their contributions.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

Tom Petters says he planned to tell gov't about fraud

ST. PAUL, Minn. - A Minnesota businessman accused of running a Ponzi scheme and defrauding investors out of billions of dollars said Friday that a 2008 raid by federal agents on his company was unnecessary and caused its collapse.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

Court reinstates $5M award in beef jerky dispute at Wis. firm

MADISON - A Wisconsin appeals court on Tuesday reinstated a $5 million damage award in a family feud involving one of the world's largest beef jerky companies.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

U.S. Humane Society offers reward in NW Iowa pig deaths

HULL, Iowa - The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $2,500 for information leading to the arrest in the suffocation of 3,800 pigs at a hog operation near Hull in northwest Iowa.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

Midwest bank survey suggests improving but weak Plains economy

OMAHA, Neb. - Business appears to be slowly improving in rural areas of 11 Midwest and Plains states, but the economy there remains weak, according to a new survey of bankers.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

Cranberry harvest is meeting expectations

WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. - Cranberry harvests in Wisconsin and elsewhere are meeting expectations, meaning your cranberry sauce will cost about the same this Thanksgiving as it did last year.

By AP wire report , November 20, 2009

List of taxpayers missing their refund checks

The following list provided by the Internal Revenue Service shows taxpayers who are due refunds and who last had addresses in the towns shown in west central Minnesota. These taxpayers' checks have been returned to the IRS by the Postal Service as undeliverable. Taxpayers can update their addresses with the “Where’s My Refund?” tool on IRS.gov. The tool enables taxpayers to check the status of their refunds and, in some cases, provides instructions on how to resolve delivery problems. To use “Where’s My Refund?” a taxpayer needs his or her Social Security number, filing status and amount of refund shown on their 2008 return. Taxpayers can access a telephone version of “Where’s My Refund?” by calling 1-800-829-1954.

By Tribune News , November 20, 2009

Records

Theft

November 20, 2009

Atwater Council looks to control where mailboxes are located

ATWATER — A recent increase in the number of mailboxes being installed on street corners and curbs has the Atwater City Council looking for ways to control their placement. “They seem to be popping up like mushrooms everywhere,” said City Clerk Goldie Smith.

By Carolyn Lange , November 20, 2009

75 from the region have unclaimed tax rebates

WILLMAR — The Internal Revenue Service is looking for 75 taxpayers in west central Minnesota who have refund checks waiting for them. The checks were returned to the IRS as undeliverable, the agency said in a news release.

By Jenna Dillon , November 20, 2009

Blind man hit by vehicle upgraded, is reunited with his guide dog

WILLMAR — Thomas Sykora, the 58-year-old blind man who was run over by a vehicle Monday evening, has been upgraded to serious condition at St. Cloud Hospital.

By Gretchen Schlosser , November 20, 2009

Renville Co. zoning board rejects appeal over gravel pit

OLIVIA — Renville County’s Board of Adjustment and Appeals rejected an appeal by Duininck Companies of Prinsburg and ordered it to meet the conditions of a permit for a gravel pit it operates in Beaver Falls Township.

By Tom Cherveny , November 20, 2009

Becker Ave. concept being refined, final proposal next

WILLMAR — The consultant working on a preliminary redesign concept of downtown Becker Avenue as a place for public festivals, markets, walkers and bikers believes investment by the public sector leads to investment by the private sector.

By David Little , November 20, 2009

Bella mopes through long, pretentious ‘New Moon’

Where would Hollywood be without the vampire-werewolf-schoolgirl love triangle?

By David Germain , November 20, 2009