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Minnesota's forest products industries are in a slump. Companies that produce lumber, oriented-strand board and other building materials are particularly hard hit by the sharp decline in new-home construction nationwide. Many have cut back production, and some are closing, at least temporarily, and letting workers go. Some people, including elected officials, suggest cutting the cost of trees from state-owned forests as a measure to help these companies and prevent layoffs. Others object to selling public resources to private companies for less than market value. This debate has a long history at the national level and sheds light on issues in Minnesota. Across the nation, the federal government owns large acreages used for logging or mining. It also owns petroleum deposits in the Gulf of Mexico and natural gas deposits across the West.
For many homeowners hoping to remodel their kitchens or add square footage, borrowing against their home equity is a logical way to finance such a project. That, or winning the lottery. But for some homeowners, a construction loan is another option. In decades past, construction loans were generally for homeowners who were building new homes on land they already owned outright. The loan covered only the construction process, and the homeowner typically had to seek out a long-term mortgage once construction was finished. ``There's a lot of misconception on construction loans,'' said Eric Kinney of First Horizon Home Loans in Los Altos, one of a team of loan officers there who specialize in such loans. ``Up to about 10 years ago, you had to have the property paid off, and there was a lot of hassle and paperwork.'' But these days lenders -- always on the lookout for new loan products they can market to the public -- have streamlined the way they administer these loans, making it easier to qualify, and even offering so-called ``stated income'' applications, in which creditworthy borrowers with appropriate assets can get loans without providing documentation of their income.
RAYMOND, Wash. -- Employees at HaloSource Inc. in Raymond leave views of the picturesque Willapa River behind as they enter a sterile workplace to produce the company's newest product, a pad to control bleeding.They must go through a series of steps. They carefully wash their hands, step on a sticky pad to remove residue from their shoes and don white booties, hairnets and lab coats before entering new controlled environment rooms that ensure strict guidelines are met for air quality control.
The air in the building is filtered to reduce particles in both the walkways and the "clean" rooms. A particle counting machine monitors double checks the internal environment.This sterile world is in stark contrast to the prior function of the building and it represents exciting improvements for the global, Washington-based health science technologies company."It's nice to have all those quality controls that ensure you're going to have clean air," said Danny Perry, the Raymond plant's project manager.
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