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775 blizzard state's top news for year
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Stenvig's upset victory over incumbent
Two deadly and destructive blasts of Democrat Al Hofstedc in the Minneapolis
weather -- the "Super Bowl", blizzard and mayoral race was a huge surprise to most
the Red River Valley rainstrom -- have everyone, including Hofstede. Stenvig. the
been selected as Minnesota's top news police officer who ran as an independent,
stories of 11*75 by The Associated Press.
returns to the office he held for iwo terms.
The vote by the news cooperative's
3M's legal troubles over political
newspaper and broadcast members in contributions continued in 1975. The.firm
Minnesota, gives the top spot to the winter and two former officers were handed
blizzard and second place to the summer charges for failing to pay federal.income
storm.
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taxes on the money illegally contributed to
Rounding out the top 10. in order, were politicians.
the Reserve Mining Co. environmental
Residents of Fertile were evacuated as
tnal: Sen. Hubert Humphrey's ascent as a railroad workers cleaned up derailed tank
presidential contender; violence
cars carrying highly combustible propane.
Stillwater Prison; teacher strikes; No one was hurt, but a lot of residents were
Charles Stenvig's return as Minneapolis scared.
mayor; the 3M Co.'s illegal political
The state GOP decided at its convention
contributions; the derailed prnpane that the name "Independent-Republicans"
tankers in Fertile, and (he Republican might attract more voters, so it adopted
party's name change.
that new name.
Leading the list, though, was the
Close behind the top 10 stories were a
blizzard that hammered the state from handful'of others that attracted a lot of
Jan, 10 to 12. Dubbed the "Super Bowl" votes. They included the earthquake that
blizzard, since it occurred while the rattled dishes across central Minnesota;
Vikings were meeting Pittsburgh in the the visit of Norway's King Olav; passage
football extravanganza at New Orleans, of the handgun registration bill and its
the winter storm paralyzed thestoie.
enforcement; discovery of high levels of
Upwards of a dozen deaths were blamed,
fish taken from Like Pepin and
directly or indirectly, on the blizzard. l.i Mississippi River; Buhl's fiscal
Hundreds of travelers were stranded, and problems that almost meant a winter
cattle were buried in drifts so deep that without coal to heat its homes and
some carcasses weren't found until the businesses; the canning lid shortage,
spring thaw.
solved partially by a distribution plan
Not so deadly but even more damaging centered in Minneapolis, and the Internal
was the rainstorm that deluged Revenue Service's decision not to allow
northwestern Minnesota over the Fourth Humphrey to use his vice presidential
of July holiday. Fertile farm land was papers as o tax write-off.
.
covered by more than a foot of water, and
crops were ruint d. Losses were estimated
in excess of $100 million in Minnesota
done, and were even worse in North
Dakota.
The Reserve case named top story of
1974 in Minnesota was in the news most of {
this year again as U.S. District Judge
Miles Lord ordered the Silver Bay firm to
shut down rather than continue dumping
tacomtc tailings into Lake Superior. Lord was overruled by an appeals court,
WORTHINGTON, MINN. GL03E
however, and as the year ended the
P. 2G.3UO
appeals court was ^deciding whether to
allow Lurd to continue on the case.
Humphrey, vowing all the way he wouldn't enter any presidential primaries
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JAN 2 1976 $**
but would accept a draft by the
Demotrutic National Convention, picked .
up considerable support as the new year
approached. Humphrey apparently will be
in (he middle of his party's election of a
presidential candidate.
Outbreaks of violence at Stillwater
Prison, including the stabbing death of one .
inmate during a fight and the strangling of
another who allegedly was an informant,
prompted a legislative investigation that is
continuing.
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MONS 032977
The teacher strikes came in a flurry in
December. Walkouts occurred at Winona,
Roseau. Howard Lake-Waveriy, Luverne