Anne Polta
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Anne Polta covers health care, business/economic development and general assignment. Her HealthBeat blog can be found at http://healthbeat.areavoices.com. Follow her on Twitter at @AnnePolta.
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- 4 years 8 months
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WILLMAR -- During the first year the Kandiyohi County Sheriff's Office operated a drop box for unused and unneeded prescription and over-the-counter drugs, nearly 1,000 pounds of drugs were collected. Officials say that's 1,000 pounds of medications that might otherwise have gone into the environment -- or into the hands of children and adults for potential misuse. "This is such a good thing for our community," said Laura Daak, coordinator of the Kandiyohi County Drug-Free Communities Coalition, which worked with the Sheriff's Office to implement the "Take it to the Box" program. "Overall i
ATWATER -- The Kandiyohi County and City of Willmar Economic Development Commission is holding off on a decision whether to help fund the Minnesota Angel Network for a second year, saying it wants more information on how well the organization is meeting its goals. Members of the joint operations board said Thursday that they want to be sure their investment in the statewide angel network -- $25,000 last year and potentially another $25,000 this year -- is being well-spent. "It's sizeable money.
40 million+ - number of birds processed per year 1.3 billion - the pounds of live weight turkeys processed annually 75 - percent of all turkey burgers sold in grocery stores are Jennie-O turkey burgers 40 - percent of all grocery stores carry the Jennie-O label in their deli case 1,500 - number of products in Jennie-O's portfolio 7,000 - the number of employees
The turkey burgers were on the grill. The cameras were ready to roll. In case the crowd wasn't large enough, Jennie-O Turkey Store had hired some actors to help film its new television ad, set outside a California taco shop and touting the taste of lower-calorie, lower-fat burgers made with ground turkey. As it turned out, the best lines -- and the ones that ultimately made it into the ad -- didn't come from the actors.
1 peanuts are the company's No. 1 item 6 million pounds of in-shell peanuts roasted each year for distribution 40 semi-tractor tankers of almond bark sold during October through December 1.6 million pounds of candy coating 50 varieties of candy packaged under the Gurley's label 71 local employees
The plant manager at Gurley's Foods came back from a recent trip to North Carolina with a story for his boss, Tom Taunton. The employee was on the road and needed to make a pit stop for water and refreshments, Taunton recalled. "He walked into a convenience store and there was an eight-foot section of Gurley's candy and nuts and trail mix." From the two Gurley's plants in Willmar, millions of pounds of nuts and candy make their way each year to stores and tables across the United States. The company no longer makes the cookies that were one of its mainstays when it opened in 1953.
WILLMAR -- Rice Memorial Hospital had the best financial performance in 2011 in at least five years, earning a 6 percent overall return on total revenue of more than $100 million. That translates into a $6 million profit that can be plowed back into services, improvements and new initiatives. It's also a cushion against more difficult times, which might not be far away.
Dry, windy conditions helped fuel a large grass fire southeast of Sunburg Friday afternoon that charred 160 to 200 acres. The fire broke out shortly before noon in a farm field along 210th Avenue west of Norway Lake. Mike Gjerde, Sunburg fire chief, said the cause wasn't entirely clear but that it was likely sparked by tractor exhaust while the landowner was tilling a field of last year's cornstalks. The blaze spread rapidly, Gjerde said. "It didn't take long to grow from 10 acres to 100 acres in a matter of 10-15 minutes... It was moving.
