August 18, 2003 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham talks with Tom Brown, with the U-S Coast Guard in Duluth, about high waves that caused unusually strong currents in Lake Superior. The dangerous conditions prompted the closing of beaches in Minnesota and Wisconsin for the day.
August 19, 2003 - Pollution experts are unsure about the sources of fecal bacteria that's closed several Lake Superior beaches this summer. Geese, seagulls and municipal sewers are all likely suspects. But some people wonder whether people play a more direct role. They say a shortage of restrooms near some popular Duluth beaches forces visitors to go where ever they can. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.
August 20, 2003 - Several areas of Minnesota finally got a much-desired sprinkle of rain over the past twenty-four hours. Rainfall last night ranged from 1-point-4 inches in Windom to point-3 inches in Minneapolis. But don't put away the hose just yet. Pete Boulay is an assistant state climatologist. He says a short rainfall is not nearly enough to reverse effects of the long dry spell statewide.
August 21, 2003 - In a live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair, Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with meteorologist and climatologist Mark Seeley about Minnesota weather phenomena. Seeley also presents the answers to his weather quiz.
August 21, 2003 - The power blackout a week ago in New York and other eastern cities left most of us feeling lucky to have our lights on. But there's that nagging question about whether such a thing could happen here. Several new tranmission lines are proposed for Minnesota and Wisconsin. Power companies say the new lines would help prevent regional breakdowns. But critics say it would be better to build small, local generators. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. Once upon a time, every region of the country had its own power company. The local utility generated the electricity, and transmitted it from the power plant to its customers.
August 27, 2003 - The sport known as Geocashing combines high tech gadgetry with the ancient lure of treasure hunting. Geocachers use hand held global positioning satellites, or GPS units, to search for token objects ---toys and other small trinkets --- hidden by other geocachers. In this week's edition of our series, The Enthusiasts, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure goes geocaching with Pam Combs, a board member of the fast growing Minnesota Geocaching Association, and Pam's husband, Dave Combs.
September 1, 2003 - As summer comes to an end, anglers in Minnesota have plenty of tales about the fish they caught. They probably have many more about the ones they didn't. But for some the memories are not hooking a fish, but how they hooked themselves. Most times getting stuck with a fish hook is a minor nuisance, but it CAN mean a trip to the emergency room. People in Alexandria's ER have a creative way to keep track of fish hook incidents. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has more in this story.
September 5, 2003 - Duluth is home to three growing colleges and universities. More than 10,000 students move to the city every year. And less than half of them live on campus. The rest crowd into residential neighborhoods across the city. That's made for some bad feelings. As Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports, the traditional "town and gown" friction is more complicated than usual in Duluth.
September 9, 2003 - Today's (Tuesday) rain was a relief to many in Sioux (SOO) Falls. For a few hours in the middle of the day, the skies turned grey and the smell of rain caught everyone's attention. Sioux (SOO) Falls is four and a half inches behind normal rainfall amounts for the summer. But today's precipitation may not be enough to lift lawn watering restriction. That's because the city's main source for drinking water is drying up. Mainstreet Radio's Cara (CARE-uh) Hetland (HET land) reports:
September 11, 2003 - The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed today what Minnesota farmers already know: drought has damaged their crops. The USDA's latest estimate describes a shrinking soybean crop and smaller corn yields compared to what was expected in August. But even with the gloomy numbers, there was good news this week for some livestock farmers. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.