Companies that are coming out of the recession better than others found a way to reach customers outside the United States, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce VP Bill Blazar told attendees at the Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corp.’s annual meeting Monday in Baxter. A story by Renee Richardson in the Brainerd Dispatch quotes Blazar as telling the group: “This is a tentative recovery at best.”
Holiday lights and hockey in December helped slow a Duluth tourism revenue freefall, reports Brandon Stahl in the Duluth News Tribune.The solid month, “which saw revenues up anywhere from 6 percent to almost 8 percent compared to December 2008,” could be in part a result of Bentleyville, the holiday lights extravaganza that ran for the month at Bayfront Festival Park, and amateur hockey tournaments, the article says.
“Elation filled the St. Cloud City Council chambers Monday night as a 13-year debate over where to build a skate plaza came to a rest,” writes Kari Petrie in the St. Cloud Times. The article says the council approved, on a 5-2 vote, building a plaza at Heritage Park.
“Five parks and trails projects have been set as priorities for the $1 million remaining in sales-tax funds” in Bemidji, reports Bethany Wesley in the Bemidji Pioneer. On Monday the City Council voted 6-0 to adopt the recommendations of the city’s Parks and Trails Commission. Projects in the plan include the development of Ridgeway Park and redevelopment of the Lake Bemidji waterfront.
