December 4, 2000 - A public hearing in Superior Wisconsin today (Mon Dec 4) will give people a chance to sound off on a controversial powerline proposed between Duluth and Wausau. Its the latest in a series of hearings begun last week along the line's proposed route. Opponents of the project say they're encouraged by a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources report saying no one has shown a need for the line. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The two companies proposing the line - Minnesota Power and Wisconsin Public Service - say Wisconsin's power grid desperately needs new high voltage lines to bring power into the state. Right now, only four lines import power, three of them from the south. When demand is high, or when a storm knocks out one of the lines, the system could fail and the entire region could be blacked out. Minnesota Power's Jim Roberts says it's part of a nationwide problem.
December 7, 2000 - L-T-V Corporation is closing a Minnesota iron mining operation earlier than expected. The Cleveland-based company says its L-T-V Steel Mining Company located in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota will close February 24th. L-T-V had planned to keep it open through the middle of next year. L-T-V says the mine can no longer provide it with taconite pellets of competitive quality and cost. This is the latest in a series of recent setbacks to Minnesota's iron mining industry. Ann Glumac is the President of the Minnesota Iron Mining Association. She says the health of the industry in Minnesota is directly tied to the health of the U-S steel industry.
December 8, 2000 -
December 8, 2000 - Environmental groups are calling on Congress to reform the Army Corps of Engineers in the wake of a Pentagon report confirming the Corps doctored numbers in a feasibility study of expanded locks on the Mississippi River. Critics say the Corps of Engineers is too quick to back massive engineering projects. But farm groups say they NEED bigger locks on the Mississippi to reduce their shipping costs. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. For more information about the controversy over expansion of locks and dams on the Mississippi go to minnesotapublicradio.org to see our series called "Changing Course: The Future of the Mississippi." {
December 15, 2000 - Mark Seeley talks about the warm up from last week's frigid temperatures.
December 20, 2000 -
December 22, 2000 - Mark Seeley, climatologist and meteorologist at the University of Minnesota, talks about the weather trends of the past year and predictions for the year to come.
December 22, 2000 - Weather permitting, Minnesotans will see partial solar eclipse on Christmas day. A solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and earth are positioned nearly in a straight line. The moon comes directly between the sun and the earth, casting a shadow on the earth's surface. People in the Twin Cities will see about half (55-percent) of the sun disappear. Places farther north will see more solar coverage. University of Minnesota astronomy professor John Dickey says if you didn't know the eclipse was coming--you might not even notice it.
December 22, 2000 - As evidence of an economic slowdown mounts, consumers are cutting back on spending. Retailers are reporting weak profits, and warning of difficult times ahead. But despite the downturn and the harsh winter weather, holiday shoppers are still flocking to stores and malls. Whether they spend enough to boost Minnesota retailers flagging prospects is another question altogether. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
December 28, 2000 - Health officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota are re-evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to get the word out about the dangers of mercury in fish. Mercury can cause developmental and neurological problems, especially in fetuses and young children. Most Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes are contaminated with mercury as a result of airborne pollution, and both states publish advisories indicating how much fish people should eat from various lakes. But a recent study showed only about a fourth of Wisconsin women of childbearing age know about the advisories. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. Mercury accumulates in the flesh of fish. The older and larger a fish, the more contanimated it's likely to be. Minnesota's advisories are lake-specific suggesting limits depending on fish size and the age of the consumer. For instance, it tells children - and women who might have children - they should not eat 20-inch or larger walleye from the St. Louis River near Duluth. And they should limit their meals of smaller walleye to one each month. But how are non-angling fish-eaters to know that? For years the advisories have been available with fishing licenses and at bait shops. The Wisconsin DNR's Jim Amrhein (AM-rine) says the word isn't getting from the anglers to their families.