February 18, 2008 - President Barack Obama threw a $75 billionlifeline to millions of Americans on the brink of foreclosure Wednesday, declaring an urgent need for drastic action - not only to save their homes but to keep the housing crisis "from wreaking even greater havoc" on the broader national economy. The lending plan, a full $25 billion bigger than the administration had been suggesting, aims to prevent as many as 9million homeowners from being evicted and to stabilize housing markets that are at the center of the ever-worsening U.S. recession. Government support pledged to mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac is being doubled as well, to $400 billion, as part ofan effort to encourage them to refinance loans that are "under water" - those in which homes' market values have sunk below the amount the owners still owe. "All of us are paying a price for this home mortgage crisis, and all of us will pay an even steeper price if we allow thiscrisis to continue to deepen," Obama said. The new president, focusing closely on the economy, in his first month in office, rolled out the housing program one day after hewas in Denver to sign his $787 billion emergency stimulus plan to revive the rest of the economy. And his administration is just now going over fresh requests for multiple billions in bailout cash from ailing automakers.
March 19, 2008 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on ATVs in the north woods. The U.S. Forest Service is about to make a major decision about where ATVs can go and cannot go in the vast Superior National Forest in northern Minnesota. Segment includes various interviews of residents and environmentalists.
May 28, 2008 - University Avenue, the proposed route of the Central Corridor light rail line, has a colorful past that is still evolving. Four MPR reporters look at the past and the future of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s University Avenue. Story titles include “The view from Prospect Park,” “The Car Culture,” “An Entertainment Destination,” and “Immigrants Always Welcome.”
May 29, 2008 - U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar says the nation isn't ready for a lower highway speed limit. Klobuchar met with Minnesota truckers to talk about high diesel prices. Diesel fuel is 70-percent higher than it was a year ago, and truckers say it's adding to the cost of practically everything. The Minnesota Trucking Association is calling for a national speed limit of 65-miles-per-hour. Senator Klobuchar told the truckers she hopes individuals will choose to reduce their speed to save gas and money, but Congress won't require it.
July 16, 2008 - MPR's Annie Baxter presents an MPR Special Report titled "Minnesota Slowdown." Baxter looks to when Minnesota economic slowdown actually started, and it’s subesquent impacts to economy.
July 17, 2008 - We've been talking with Trisha Dillion, a healthcare consultant in Rochester, Minnesota, Steve Piragis, who owns an outfitter in Ely, Minnesota... and Jon Zitur, who works for a large local lumber company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are among a group of people we've selected from around Minnesota to give us a first-hand perspective on the effects of the economic slowdown. We'll be checking in with them periodically over the coming months.
August 5, 2008 - U.S. Senate candidates Norm Coleman and Al Franken gave similar views on key issues for rural voters on Tuesday, but offered different arguments for why they'd be better for the job. Coleman, the Republican incumbent, and Democrat Franken were joined at the annual FarmFest show by Independence Party candidates Dean Barkley and Steve Williams. All four talked up the importance of renewable fuel research and production on Minnesota's farms. Coleman and Franken, in their first joint appearance of the campaign, praised the recently passed farm bill, with both calling it a needed safety net for farmers. The forum's format didn't give candidates much chance to directly engage each other, putting the emphasis on discussion of issues.
August 27, 2008 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill visits Xcel Energy's nuclear power booth to find out what Minnesotans think about nuclear power as an energy option.
September 2, 2008 - College is a job for student, but many also have other part-time or full-time jobs to help pay for tuition. With funding for students their colleges are scarce in difficult financial economies, these side jobs become even more important for keeping students in college.
September 2, 2008 - Republican National Convention Day 2. Pres. George Bush addresses the RNC via satellite hookup.