Wind industry layoffs

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The wind energy industry needs free-blowing wind and free-flowing credit — and lack of credit is slowing development, reports the PiPress. In Pipestone, the world’s fifth-largest turbine manufacturer, Suzlon Energy Ltd., will lay off 70 of 324 workers by August 2, and 90 more by September 12. Last year was a big year for wind power, but this year projects have been stopped or delayed by lack of financing. Banks and developers are waiting for the U.S. Treasury Department to finalize regulations next month that can free up valuable federal grants for renewable energy projects, but the money likely won’t start flowing until September at the earliest, said Gregory Jenner, a partner and tax specialist for Stoel Rives, a law firm that works with wind energy projects. At the same time, a company in Fargo is laying off 100 workers at a plant that made support towers, and a planned production facility for wind turbine gearboxes in southeastern Minnesota is on hold, according to MPR. Continue Reading

Carstarphen: Go slower

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Departing school chief Meria Carstarphen recommended that St. Paul schools focus on academic reform and delay action on proposed changes to a three-region busing and school choice plan for another year, reports the PiPress. The board was scheduled to vote on the plan this month, which would mean implementing it in 2010. Instead, Carstarphen recommends waiting until April to vote, and not implementing the plan until 2011. It’s not clear from the report whether Carstarphen is also recommending a delay in closing three schools. Continue Reading

Death in Somalia: Looking for answers

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As the family of 17-year-old Burhan Hassan grieves, conflicting stories about his death in Somalia circulate in the community. MPR reports that a young woman who is a friend of some of the young Minnesotans in Somalia says she talks to them frequently and has spoken to them about Hassan’s death. She said she heard from Somali-American fighters in Mogadishu that Hassan was killed by a stray bullet that struck his head when he stepped outside. … The three fighters, all from Minnesota, told the woman they had been traveling with Hassan and had just arrived in Mogadishu when he was killed. Continue Reading

What now, Norm?

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Politics in Minnesota has gotten several answers to that question over the past few days. First, on June 4, came a report from Roll Call that Norm was willing to bow out if the MN Supreme Court rules against him. PIM thought that sounded unlikely, and, within hours, posted:
I checked with several Coleman team members. All are stymied by where Roll Call got this information. Look for all-systems-go on appealing an adverse Minnesota Supreme Court decision and / or filing a new case in federal court. Continue Reading

Up – domestic violence, tick populations / Down: Auto dealers, Gang Strike Force / “Stagecoach from hell” / Tweet trouble

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Domestic violence increase “off the charts” Looking at domestic violence, St. Paul police see an “an uptick off the charts,” and Dakota County’s Community Action Council reported a 37 percent increase in women seeking services for domestic abuse from 2007 to 2008, reports the PiPress. The increase in domestic violence is attributed, at least in part, to the economic recession. MORE• Domestic violence increase “off the charts” So say metro-area police, social service agencies.• Tick alert The little buggers are multiplying.• Gang Strike Force … going down? Continue Reading

War Reports | June 8, 2009

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Counting the cost Global military spending rose again in 2008, to $1.464 trillion dollars, according to the Swedish-based Institute Sipri, reports BBC. The U.S. spent $607 billion. The next nearest nation was China, which spent $84.9 billion. The arms and military aerospace industries continue to show growth, in contrast to civilian industries:
In total, the 100 leading defence manufacturers sold arms worth $347bn during 2007, the most recent year for which reliable data are available. Almost all the companies were American or European. Continue Reading

World/National Headlines | June 8, 2009 | “Stagecoach from hell,” Mexico, Lebanon, Peru

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Riding “the stagecoach from hell” A former Wells Fargo loan officer details home lending practices that deliberately steered credit-worth black customers to subprime loans, reports the New York Times. According to Beth Jacobson’s affidavit:
“Wells Fargo mortgage had an emerging-markets unit that specifically targeted black churches, because it figured church leaders had a lot of influence and could convince congregants to take out subprime loans.”
Her affidavit is part of a lawsuit filed against several banks by the NAACP. The New York Times, in a recent analysis of mortgage lending in New York City, found that black households making more than $68,000 a year were nearly five times as likely to hold high-interest subprime mortgages as whites of similar or even lower incomes. (The disparity was greater for Wells Fargo borrowers, as 2 percent of whites in that income group hold subprime loans and 16.1 percent of blacks.)
U.S. allies win Lebanon election BBC reports that the current governing coalition won a narrow parliamentary victory over Hezbollah-aligned parties. Peru BBC reports that nine police officers kidnapped by indigenous protesters in northern Peru were killed in a governent rescue effort. Continue Reading

Tweet trouble

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You may have heard that MN Rep. Paul Gardner got in trouble with the MN House ethics committee after tweeting about two colleagues, but MinnPost has more, detailing other political and business Tweeters’ troubles. My fave – “Cisco fatty” who lost a job after tweeting: “Cisco just offered me a job! Now I have to weigh the utility of a fatty paycheck against the daily commute to San Jose and hating the work.” Seriously, though – Twitter can be both a powerful tool and a double-edged sword, as evidenced by the arrest in Guatemala of a man who tweeted about the murder of lawyer Rodrigo Rosenberg and the bank corruption scandal connected with the assassination. The charge? Continue Reading

MN Job Watch

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About 320 workers are returning to MinnTac after a three-week layoff, reports the PiPress, but another layoff is scheduled to start June 28. Continue Reading

How many auto dealer closings in MN?

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The latest estimate by the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association says that 36 GM dealers and 19 Chrysler dealers will close, reports the PiPress. combined with loss of specific automobile lines by 109 of 149 GM dealers, the two bankruptcies are expected to cost Minnesota auto dealers about 2,400 jobs. Continue Reading