July 11, 2000 - Heavy rains over the weekend also caused flooding in Eagan where about 200 homes sustained serious water damage. The city got nearly 15 inches of rain in two days, overwhelming its storm sewer system. Eagan Mayor Pat Awada says damage estimates could reach the 8-million dollar mark, and most of that damage is to homes and other private property. Much of that property was not insured against flooding. Mark Kulda is the spokesman for the Insurance Federation of Minnesota. He's on the line now.
July 11, 2000 - MPR’s Erin Galbally reports on record breaking floods that have divided downtown Austin, Minnesota. Heavy rains caused the Cedar River, Dobbins Creek and Turtle Creek to overflow into basements and roadways. Some in community find themselves without a home or belongings.
July 12, 2000 - The public and the press will be excluded from some proceedings in the Donald Blom kidnapping and murder trial. The jury is due to hear opening statements today. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { Judge Gary Pagliacetti ruled Tuesday that he will close the trial to the public during certain arguments when the jury is not present. That unusual move was opposed by three newspapers and a television station. Mark Wernick, president of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, says it's a move to ensure a fair trial, specifically so the jury will base its verdict solely on evidence presented in court and not what they may hear, even inadvertently, in the media or from friends. .
July 20, 2000 - An expert in forensic dentistry says the single tooth and parts of a jawbone found in Donald Blom's firepit are those of Katie Poirier. Blom is charged with abducting and killing Poirier last May. The prosecution is trying to build its case against Blom hampered by the fact it has very little physical evidence. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { Testimony in the trial this week is focusing on the tiny bits of evidence found in the firepit on Donald Blom's property just outside Moose Lake. Forensic odontologist Dr. Anne Norlander told the court she believes "to a reasonable degree of medical certainty" the bone fragments and tooth found there belong to Katie Poirier.
July 26, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews WCCO meteorologist Paul Douglas, who says the massive storm system on July 25, 2000 was unusual in a number of ways. For one thing, it produced many more tornado warnings than usual in Minnesota.
July 26, 2000 - MPR’s Tim Post reports on how residents of Granite Falls spent the day cleaning up and assessing damage after a tornado ripped through town on Tuesday night. Hundreds of homes were pulverized on the westside of town. Post talked with homeowners as they were allowed back into damaged areas of town to collect personal items.
July 26, 2000 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports on tornado that struck Granite Falls, Minnesota. Steil gets firsthand accounts of the storm. The tornado is the latest disaster for a city which has seen floods and job losses in the last few years.
July 27, 2000 - The Granite Falls tornado highlighted the need for people to have ample warning before severe weather strikes. The national weather serivce provides a warning network for homes or businesses that will automatically turn on radios when severe weather strikes. But not everyone in Minnesota is covered by the service. WCCO meterologist Paul Dougas says the service is centered in big cities, but the coverage gap is about to close. A bill that passed in the last Legislative session provides money to build 13 transmitters to make sure the entire state is covered. George Wilcox is a public affairs officer with the National Oceanic and Atmostpheric Administration or NOAA -- the organization that oversees the National Weather Service. He says NOAH weather radios operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
August 4, 2000 - Jurors in an Iron Range Courtroom heard a tape of Donald Blom confessing to abducting and killing Katie Poirier Thursday. The taped confession which Blom has since recanted, was a long-awaited and painful part of the prosecution's case. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The Virginia courtroom was more crowded than usual, and Katie Poirier's friends and family wiped their eyes and gave each other supportive hugs as they heard Blom's voice describe taking the teenager from the convenience store where she was working alone late at night, driving to his nearby property, and strangling her. The tape was actually dominated by the voice of BCA investigator Paul Wagner, who conducted the interview. Blom said he'd been drinking that night and his memory of what happened hazy. Wagner had to lead him repeatedly through various episodes, trying to corroborate evidence provided by witnesses, or just trying to get Blom to recall exactly what happened.
August 4, 2000 - The prosecution has rested its case in the Donald Blom kidnap and murder trial. Three weeks of testimony culminated with emotional stories from two women who had been kidnapped and assaulted by Blom seventeen years ago. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The Blom jurors heard two women describe how - 17 years ago when they were both in their teens - they picked up Blom who was hitch-hiking near Stillwater. They said he threatened them with a knife, forced them into the woods, and attempted to choke and rape one of them. When a police car stopped to check on the abandoned vehicle, Blom ran off. One of the women recognized him two months later and he pled guilty to the assault and served four years in prison.