Uncertainty in St. Charles, 7 months after fire

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ST. CHARLES, Minn. (AP) -- Residents of St. Charles still wonder about the future of the North Star Foods plant, seven months after fire devastated the city's largest employer.

The April 17 fire destroyed the meat-processing plant, forced the evacuation of the southeastern Minnesota town of 3,500 and resulted in the loss of about 250 jobs.

St. Charles City Administrator Nick Koverman tells the Post-Bulletin of Rochester, "It's like losing a member of your family."

But some worst-case scenarios have not happened. Mayor Bill Spitzer says a lot of businesses "are still afloat." There's also not been a mass exodus of people who worked at the plant.

Roger Stahl, a Rochester attorney representing North Star Foods, says the company won't know what it will do until it can reach a settlement with its insurance company.

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