December 29, 2000 - The National Weather Service says we'll be ringing in the new year in bitterly cold weather . According to the forecast, it will be as cold AS 20 below zero this weekend. All around the region people are struggling with higher energy bills. It's been a double whammy this winter: colder than normal temperatures coupled with about a 50 percent increase in the cost of natural gas. There are several ways to cut down on your energy expenses this winter all the while remaining comfortable in your home or apartment. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
December 29, 2000 - The snow created bad road conditions in many other parts of the state as well. We checked in with Renard Fritz of the state patrol in Detroit Lakes to see how things are going in that area of the state. Renard Fritz is a radio communications operator for the State Patrol in Detroit Lakes.
December 29, 2000 - How people in the Twin Cities are faring the morning rush hour.
December 29, 2000 - Meteorologist Mark Seeley on the weather. It was a snowy December.
January 10, 2001 - More than a thousand band members gathered at Mille Lacs Tuesday to hear their new chief executive's State of the Band address. Melanie Benjamin defeated former executive Marge Anderson last June. Her campaign stressed accountability and reform. Yesterday's speech amplified those ideas. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has this Mainstreet report. { Benjamin's central theme was courage. She reminded the attentive audience of the courage shown by past generations of Ojibwe. They were warriors in the past and in more recent conflicts ranging from the Great War to the Gulf War, and they defended their language, their religion, and their treaty rights.
January 12, 2001 - From Mark Seeley Re Suggestions for MPR's Morning Edition, Friday, Jan 12, 2001 Topic Seasonal Snowfall Accumulation Slowing Thankfully, the frequency of snowfall has slowed considerably this month over last. Many communities reported that snow removal budgets were depleted rapidly, stocks of salt and sand were running out and roof ice dam damages were building up during December. Both the Twin Cities and Rochester reported over 30 inches
January 18, 2001 - Northwest Airlines is reporting rising profits and revenues in the fourth quarter and the full year -- despite labor problems, higher fuel costs and severe winter weather. But the coming year brings additional challenges, including the slowing economy AND the possibility it could get swept up in the trend toward airline mergers. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
January 29, 2001 - The loss of jobs on Minnesota's Iron Range doesn't just affect mining towns, such as Hibbing and Chisholm. In Duluth, the huge ships passing under the aerial bridge are already carrying less iron ore. In fact, last year the port moved more coal than iron ore for the first time since the Great Depression. Last year, ore shipments from the Duluth-Superior port hit their lowest level since the 1980s, when the Iron Range economy took a nose dive and the mines laid off thousands of workers. The mining slump in the '80s hit Duluth hard, too. Businesses closed. People lost jobs. This time, economists are predicting Duluth will withstand the blow somewhat better. But they say the city WILL suffer. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.
January 29, 2001 - Meteorologist Tony Zaleski details freezing rain engulfing the southern third of Minnesota, making for treacherous commutes. The National Weather Service predicts significant amounts of ice forming, an uncommon occurrence in Minnesota. Zaleski explains how an ice storm happens…even when it’s below freezing.
January 30, 2001 - MPR’s Tim Post reports on a winter storm that dumped freezing rain and snow across much of the state. Freezing rain spread a layer of ice in central and southern Minnesota while residents in western Minnesota and the Dakotas received mostly snow; anywhere from a few inches to more than a foot.