April 1, 2002 - An April snowstorm is snarling road and air traffic in the state. More than 100 vehicle crashes have been reported including one that killed two people. And, Northwest Airlines has had to cancel nearly 100 flights out of the Twin Cities. A spokesperson for the airline expects operations to be back to normal tomorrow. Craig Edwards is a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. He says after a mild winter, Minnesotan's are finally getting a dose of reality:
April 2, 2002 - Wisconsin could become the first state in the country to force electric utilities to reduce the amount of mercury they put into the air. Coal-burning power plants are the largest single source of airborne mercury pollution. Mercury can cause brain damage and reproductive problems in fish, animals, and people. Mercury that lands in the water can build up in the food chain. People take in mercury when they eat fish. Wisconsin, Minnesota, and other Great Lakes states have fish advisories. They warn people not to eat too much fish caught in the region's lakes and rivers. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
April 8, 2002 - If you computer gathering dust in a closet, you're not alone. According to one estimate, Americans will discard about 500 million PCs in the next five years. Computer parts contain lead and other heavy metals. They shouldn't be sent to the landfill or burned in incinerators. Now the industry has taken the first step in setting up a national system to deal with used electronics gear. They plan to impose a disposal charge on sales of new equipment. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports the state of Minnesota has had a leading role in developing the system. {
April 16, 2002 - Craig Edwards, Meteorolgist-in-Charge at the National Weather Service; and Mark Seeley, Climatologist and Meteorologist at the University of Minnesota, discuss the favorite Minnesotan conversation topic, weather, in honor of "Severe Weather Awareness Week."
April 17, 2002 - As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota, Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Bill Hughes, a SKYWARN spotter and a spotter instructor. Hughes says spotters cannot be replaced by technology.
April 19, 2002 - Morning Edition, April 12, 2002 Topic: Costing our National Weather Service
April 26, 2002 - Earlier this week when light snow occurred over the far northern Red River Valley, Gillam, in northeast Manitoba reported nearly 6 inches of snowfall with an overnight low of just 8 degrees F, ..a measure of the cold air that is still north of us this late into April. Topic: April 2002 behaving like a winter month
April 26, 2002 - April's ever-changing weather resembles anything but a BROKEN record. Records, however, have been broken this month at both ends of the thermometer. On April 15th, Waseca hit a record high of 93 degrees -- four degrees warmer than it was in Winona on the same day 48 years ago. This morning, we went the opposite direction when the thermometer in Embarrass, Minnesota registered eight degrees -- a new all time low for today's date. Meteorologist Bruce Watson says it's all a matter of which way the wind is blowing:
May 2, 2002 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports on the better than predicted regrowth after one of the strongest storms in the BWCA's history. Kelleher interviews various forestry and ecology experts about the new growth and the changes to landscape in the three years since blowdown.
May 2, 2002 - Business leaders and government officials met today in Bloomington for a so-called "congestion summit" designed to let lawmakers know they want action on transportation this year. Business leaders say increasing traffic delays are costing them time and money. Government officials agree the problem is acute, but say they lack the money to pay for new projects, and so far, the political will to raise the necessary funds. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.