Climate change, industry, parks, air and water quality are issues that are debated in congress, compete for funding and enpassion many Minnesotans.
March 13, 1996 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports on ice fishing along and on Lake Superior during winter, when ice flows become fishing opportunities…but not without potential costs and risks to life.
May 8, 1996 - Midday presents a special Talk of Minnesota program to hear the views of Minnesota Public Radio listeners on the proposed cut in the federal gas tax repeal and energy conservation in general.
January 10, 1997 - WX INFO Minnesota Public Radio's own Marcie Tveidt is on a West Coast vacation. That is, she was supposed to be on vacation, but she took the Empire Builder train and, when we last heard from her, was somewhere is the middle of North Dakota's winter weather. Minnesota Public Radio's Marcie Tveidt, reporting from Stanley, North Dakota. Sun 28-MAY 21:10:04 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
January 16, 1997 - If you think you have it bad in winter, Greg Rhode has a tale for you. Storms literally buried his home. Rhode says that he lives at the end of a cul-de-sac, on the other side of a wide beet field -- conditions that seem to dump snow right on their house.
January 27, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio's Catherine Winter reports from Embarrass, where several dozen people spend time in sleeping in snow shelters to test everything from sleeping bags to cell phones. Temperatures in northern Minnesota provide perfect weather for camping…if you want to find out how your camping gear performs in the bitter cold.
January 31, 1997 - Many Minnesota school districts are wondering how to make up for missed "snow days." There's a lot of winter still to come, and while it's common for schools to build two or three extra days into the educational calendar, two or three extra WEEKs are another matter. Leif Enger of Mainstreet Radio reports. Any school superintendent will tell you, you can't win. Call off school on a stormy day, and parents will complain the weather's
February 5, 1997 - A State Senate panel has approved a bill to allocate 20-million dollars from the General Fund to pay for emergency snow removal. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports: Those who testified before the Transportation Budget Division, didn't even have the LANGUAGE to explain the hardships they're living with...the video and the photographs coming out of the regions hardest hit by winters storms say it best. Senate minority leader Dean Johnson says the constituents in his western minnesota district are living under duress:
February 12, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports that there's a chance deep snows of the 96-97’ winter are only "part one" of a weather disaster. The spring flood potential may lie in a secret hidden within the snow…the water amount it contains.
February 17, 1997 - The U-S Department of Agricutlture will save billions of dollars as millions of acres of land return to production. The Freedom to Farm legislation passed last year requires millions of acres to be removed from the Conservation Reserve program. The program was established in the mid-80's to protect land from wind and water erosion and to help farmers through tough times. As ten year contracts begin to expire farmers are forced to decide if they're eligible to renew for another decade of guaranteed payments or if they'll farm the land and take advantage of higher prices for crops. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland talked to two Lincoln county farmers about their plans: Minnesota's Lincoln county has the most Conservation Reserve Program acres per county in the state. 50 thousand acres lie untouched by the farmers who chose to turn it into conservation land in exchan
February 20, 1997 - THE F-B-I IS TRYING TO STEM THE FLOOD OF FORGED E-MAIL MESSAGES SENT TO MEMBERS OF CONGRESS. THE MESSAGES THREATEN TO DELETE EVERY FILE ON COMPUTERS ON CAPITOL HILL. THE "SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS" SAYS THE MESSAGES CLAIM TO BE FROM A "GANG OF CYPHERPUNKS" DEDICATED TO WIPING OUT THE COMPUTER SYSTEMS OF THE NATION'S LAWMAKERS. THE E-MAIL MESSAGES CARRY THE RETURN ADDRESSES OF SOME LEGITIMATE INTERNET USERS. BUT THE IDEN