October 18, 2002 - The Sierra Club's National Executive Director is in Minnesota to draw attention to today's 30th anniversary of the Clean Water Act. Carl Pope says that 40 percent of America's lakes, rivers and streams still do not meet federal clean water standards and that more than 75% of the population lives within 10 miles of a polluted waterway. Pope is also in town to encourage voters to support candidates committed to protecting Minnesota's lakes, rivers and streams. He says the Clean Water Act was a milestone in the efforts to protect water in the United States:
October 18, 2002 - People are debating where Minnesota should get some of its electricity. Xcel Energy wants to continue buying hydro power from Canada. Company officials want a new ten-year contract to buy electricity from Manitoba Hydro. The billion dollar contract would begin in 2005. Environmentalists oppose the contract. They say Manitoba Hydro's dams cause serious damage to the environment. A Cree Indian band is also fighting the plan. They say the hydro-electric dams have destroyed their way of life. The Public Utilities Commission is accepting comment from all sides beginning Monday. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
October 18, 2002 - Record reports this week. Cold and snow produced some daily records in Minnesota and across the region this week. On Tuesday, October 15th, International Falls reported a record-tying low of just 18 degrees F. On Wednesday, October 16th, Watertown, SD reported a new record snowfall of 3.0 inches, while Rochester reported a trace of snowfall, typing the record for the date. Also on Wednesday morning, Embarrass, MN reported the coldest temperature in the nation with a chilly 8 degrees F. On Thursday, October 17th, several locations reported new daily snowfall records as well.
November 8, 2002 - On this date in 1870, the first storm warning was issued by the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the precursor to the National Weather Service.
November 27, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on The Peshtigo Fire, which wiped out the booming mill town of Peshtigo Wisconsin, just north of Green Bay. About two thousand people died.
December 5, 2002 -
December 6, 2002 - I will be calling in from Finland, MN on Friday morning since I am attending a meeting of snow observers up there ..also I am stopping in on the Wurzers at Knife River to talk about making snow observations there......
December 11, 2002 - More and more people are choosing to buy organic food, but now some poor people are finding they don't have the option. The Women Infants and Children Program (WIC) helps low-income women feed their families better. The program covers nearly half the babies born in the U.S. every year. The people who run the program in Minnesota have told participants they can't use WIC vouchers to buy organic food anymore. They say it's too expensive. The Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth is trying to persuade the state Health Department to reverse the ruling. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {
December 11, 2002 - Prescription drugs are expensive in the U.S. More and more Americans are getting around the high prices by going to Canada or Mexico for their medications. Now, some companies are helping people get drugs from Canada without having to travel. A small company in Duluth is hoping to cash in on the trend. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
December 13, 2002 - The pressure pattern at higher latitudes has had more to do with our weather this fall than El Nino. Indices of atmospheric pressure such as the Arctic Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, and Pacific North American pattern all favored periodic intrusions of polar air over Minnesota. These have been very evident on numerous days. Minnesota has reported the lowest temperature in the contiguous 48 states this fall on the following dates.....