September 12, 2000 - Minnesota Brewing says it's committed to eliminating the odor problem at its plant on West 7th street in St. Paul. Ethanol production at the plant creates a strong odor that neighbors say affects their health and their property values. About 100 area residents rallied outside the plant yesterday to encourage the company to take quicker action to resolve the issue. Jack Lee is President of Minnesota Brewing. He says he is working as fast as he can:
September 12, 2000 - The Environmental Protection Agency is testing soil in Northeast Minneapolis for asbestos contamination. The W.R. Grace and Company once ran a plant in the area that produced vermiculite, a white fluffy material used for gardening and insulation. Vermiculite has been linked to several serious health problems including asbestosis, mesotheliaoma and lung cancer. Len Zintak, the E-P-A's on-scene coordinator, says that the agency has already identified a few sites that will need to be cleaned up soon.
September 15, 2000 - Parts of Quetico Provincial Park will be closed starting today so Ontario park officials can conduct a controlled burn. The one-point-two million acre Canadian park borders the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness to the north. Part of the park was hit by the same windstorm that downed millions of trees in the Boundary Waters last summer. Debbie McLane is a fire information officer for the northwestern region of Ontario, which includes the park. She joins us now.
September 21, 2000 - Local governments in the Minnesota's seven-county metro region have worked together for years to plan for growth and coordinate transportation and other services. Now more and more communities in the rest of minnesota are dealing with issues that call for regional cooperation, but many local politicians are suspicious. A state law requiring regional cooperation in planning efforts is subject to a sunset clause, and will go off the books next summer. Planners are gathering in Duluth today to discuss regional issues and one of the items on the agenda is the effort to save the concept if not the law itself. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The 1995 Community-Based Planning law set aside money for pilot regional planning efforts, primarly along the booming Twin Cities-St. Cloud corridor. Minnesota Planning's Steve Reckers says the law's chief benefit was it's requirement that local governments work together to deal with growth.
September 22, 2000 - MPR’s Laura McCallum interviews Winona LaDuke, vice-presential candidate for Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader. LaDuke discusses the Green Party platform and local support in Minnesota.
September 27, 2000 - I'm Art Hughes in Rochester. While the DM&E project raises significant questions for communities all along the route, Rochester has consistently been the epicenter of opposition. Most cities---large and small---along the tracks have signed agreements with the railroad. But Rochester has steadfastly refused to comprimise.
September 28, 2000 - The odor of a Saint Paul brewery is becoming too much to handle. Mayor Norm Coleman discusses his plans to get rid of the odor.
September 28, 2000 - The Boy Scouts recieved bad news from 2 places today: Medtronic decided to exclude the group from its United Way donation this year and the United Way of Duluth voted to pull its funding of the Voyaguers Area Council of the Scouts. This is the first United Way in Minnesota to decide against funding the group because of the recent Supreme Court ruling that the Boy Scouts can exclude homosexuals. Roger Engle is the Volunteer President of the Voyaguers Area Boy Scout Council He says he was dissapointed when he heard the decision:
September 28, 2000 - It's harvest time on Minnesota's farms, and soon many farmers will take one last pass with the tractor to till the soil before winter sets in. But a soil scientist in Morris says the practice of intensive tilling is ruining the state's soil and contributing to green house gasses. He proposes changes, which to some farmers, look like an expensive prospect. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
October 4, 2000 - With winter-like temperatures descending upon us, the rising cost of heating oil will be showing up in your monthly utility bills. The Clinton administration is hoping that tapping the government's strategic oil reserves will lower energy costs. But increasing the supply of oil is just one part of the solution. Hunter Lovins is the co-founder of Rocky Mountain Insititute, a non-profit resource policy center based in Snowmass, Colorado. Her organization helps governments and companies around the world decrease their demand for energy. She spoke in the Twin Cities today at a conference sponsored by the Green Institute. Lovins says Americans are more resourceful than we think: