October 5, 2001 - The Minnesota Gopher men's hockey team is in Grand Forks this evening to play arch rival the University of North Dakota. The game may be overshadowed a bit by the venue. Tonight marks the opening of the ornate and controversial Ralph Engelstad Arena, which some see as a hockey palace. Others see it as a shrine to racism. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
October 5, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio’s Jeff Horwich reports on a new grant awarded in central Minnesota that will be a small first step to put more violins, violas, and cellos in the hands of children in smaller school districts.
October 10, 2001 - FBI agents wearing white moon suits and gas masks scoured the newspaper offices of two men whose exposure to anthrax has prompted heightened fear of bioterrorism across the country. The search turned up no further sign of anthrax in Robert Stevens' Florida office since traces were discovered on his computer keyboard. Stevens, a photo editor with the Sun tabloid newspaper, died last week of inhaled anthrax, a rare, particularly lethal form of the disease. Anthrax cases are rare in humans. The disease is much more commonly found in animals. Today, the University of Minnesota's Center for Animal Health and Food Safety is sponsering a teach-in on bio and agro-terrorism. Dr. Will Hueston (Houston) is the director of the Center. He says his veterinary students could play a key role in the fight against terrorism.
October 10, 2001 - Hundreds of striking state employees rallied at the state Capitol this morning (WEDNESDAY), one day before contract talks resume between the state and its two largest employee unions. Neither side is publicly showing any sign of movement - striking workers say they'll walk the picket line as long as it takes to get a better contract, while Governor Ventura says the state is standing by its final offer. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
October 10, 2001 - Last spring, the Winona Area Public School District threatened to shut down Ridgeway Elementary, the smallest and most remote school in the district, because of low enrollment. In response, the community of Ridgeway and local educators worked together to revive the school by applying for--and then receiving--charter status. Mainstreet Reporter Rob Schmitz reports on how making the transition to charter kept a small school alive. { "We really don't know what self-directed means, do we? no."
October 10, 2001 - Al-Amal School is a private school located across the street from Totino Grace opened in 1994. Al-Amal allows for religion practices within the school day.
October 12, 2001 - The University of Minnesota is stepping up its security precautions to deal with the threat of terrorist attacks. The increased concern has touched animal research, sporting events, and energy faciliites on university campuses. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
October 16, 2001 - In most cases, terms like "free agent," "signing bonus," and "salary cap" would typically refer to professional athletes. But this fall they could be just as valid when talking about the Marshall school district -- or a few others around the state competing to find new ways to pay their teachers. Among hundreds of millions of education dollars, the legislature set aside eight million for a few districts willing to make bold experiments in teacher compensation: Experiments that may stand traditional notions of collective bargaining on their head - and could tie teacher pay to student performance. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich visited Marshall, where the district and its teachers have already been toying with some new ideas for two years.
October 17, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports three professors and a student are filing a lawsuit in federal court against St. Cloud State University and the entire MnSCU system, alleging that the school has done too little to deal with antisemitism on campus. St. Cloud State has been studying the problem for more than a year, but those suing the school say the time for studying is over.
October 24, 2001 - Since the September 11th terrorist attacks, Americans have expressed their patriotism in different ways. One of those is a move in some states -- including New York, Wisconsin, and now Minnesota, to require elementary school children to recite the "Pledge of Allegiance" at school. St. Paul School Board Member Tom Conlon wants to make the Pledge mandatory in all of the district's 70 schools. Last night Helms reports.