August 9, 2000 - Citizens in Rochester are gearing up for the expected release of a key environmental document regarding the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's expansion plan. It's the most important event so far in the contentious fight over plans to expand rail lines in Wyoming, South Dakota and southern Minnesota for coal trains. Rochester leaders are bitterly opposed to the plan and have formed a new group dedicated to stop it. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports the renewed opposition effort has considerable political might which sparks concerns from many rural residents who aren't included.
August 9, 2000 - A new study finds it may be feasible to build a combined direct reduced iron and steel plant on Minnesota's Iron Range - providing a fledgling Minnesota company can raise a lot of money. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports:
August 9, 2000 - Grassland songbird populations are declining more rapidly than any other North American species, mainly because most prairie grasslands have been turned into farmland. Some of the prime nesting sites for the remaining birds are in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Researchers there are combining old fashioned legwork and high tech equipment in hopes of learning ways to stabilize the population of prairie songbirds. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
August 10, 2000 - Donald Blom took the stand in his own defense and told the jury he was at home in bed when Katie Poirier was abducted and killed late on the night of May 26, 1999. His nearly four hours on the stand Wednesday provided another dramatic day in the fourth week of testimony in his kidnapping and murder trial. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { Last week the Virginia courtoom heard a tape of Donald Blom confessing to kidnapping and killing Katie Poirier: a confession he later recanted. Many people, including Katie Poirier's family, have asked why someone would confess to a crime they had not committed. Wednesday, Donald Blom gave his explanation. He said he had recently turned fifty, was suffering from various health problems, and had two small girls to worry about. He said he had "been through this" years ago - referring to earlier convictions for sex offenses - and had been hoping never to have to go through it again. Blom talked about sitting in his Carlton County jail cell, hearing from his wife Amy about things taken away from the family home in Richfield for evidence - "truckloads of things," he said, including the children's school clothes. His wife was afraid to go out of the house, someone threw a firebomb at the house, and she was getting threatening phone calls. Meanwhile, Blom said he was confined to a small cell without a window 23 hours a day much of the time. His voice breaking, he said the last straw was when someone from the FBI told him his wife could be implicated in the crime; she could be charged with transporting Poirier's body to Wisconsin in the trunk of the family car, making it a federal offense subject to the death penalty. He said he felt authorities were deliberately trying to "make him crack." He told defense attorney Rodney Brodin his confession was what he thought investigators wanted to hear.
August 14, 2000 - Floating down the Otter Tail River on an inner tube is a popular summer pastime in Becker County in Northwestern Minnesota. Over the past 20 years "tubing " has grown from a kids summer pastime into a profitable business. But the profit has come at a price. Despite the efforts of outfitters to keep the river clean, pollution is a problem. Empty cans, broken bottles and other trash litter the stream bed and banks. It gets noisy too when tubers get a little rowdy. Now county Commissioners are considering a clampdown, and at least one outfitter is crying foul. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports }
August 14, 2000 - Farmers, environmentalists and members of the Army Corps of Engineers crammed into the conference room of a giant barge this morning in Wabasha to talk about the future of navigation on the Mississippi River. Today's annual meeting of the Army Corps' Mississippi River Commission marked one of the first public gatherings since a high ranking official accused the agency of "cooking the books" in a bid to expand the lock and dam system. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this report. {Early this morning, in the shadow of the 241-foot, cream and red Army Corps vessel, a handful of environmental groups held a press conference to call attention to the plight of the Mississippi River. Representatives from the Sierra Club, the Audobon Society, and others spoke in favor of conservation and against the expansion of the lock and dam system. The Sierra Club's Dean Rebuffoni says expansion would help big business and hurt the river. In fact he says big business is lying to help its cause.
August 15, 2000 - One of the great unanswerable questions of U.S. geography is: exactly where does "the west" begin? On the South Dakota border there's a lake that could be used to make a case for Minnesota as the gateway to the west. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil profiles Salt Lake, which has more in common with the land of cowboys and cattle than any of Minnesota's 10,000+ other lakes.
August 15, 2000 - Anthrax has killed 56 cattle and four horses in North Dakota since late July, and in Clay County, Minnesota, officials say the bacterial disease has infected livestock there for the first time in 100 years. Anthrax occurs in nearly all species worldwide. Jim Collins, doctor of veterinary medicine and Director of the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says it is very deadly and kills animals quickly. The bacteria releases toxins that destroy the infected animals' cells.
August 17, 2000 - Donald Blom will be sentenced today for kidnapping and murdering Katie Poirier. He now faces a life sentence without the possibility of parole. The sentencing comes just one day after a jury found him guilty. Minnesota Stephanie Hemphill reports on events at the courthouse in Virginia Wednesday. The St Louis County courtroom was packed, and the tension evident after five weeks of difficult and emotional testimony. Judge Gary Pagliacetti sternly warned against any outbursts regardless of the verdict. But when the crowd heard the word "guilty," a collective gasp of relief and satisfaction broke out. Defense attorney Rodney Brodin asked for a poll of the jury, and as each juror was called by name, they said yes, that is my verdict. Throughout Donald Blom was still, his hands clasped on the table in front of him, no emotion on his face. Katie Poirier's mother, Pam Poirier, sobbed silently and curled against her son Patrick. Outside, there were tears, grins and hugs, and people applauded as the Poirier family walked out of the courthouse for the last time.
August 17, 2000 - The Sierra Club, the Humane Society of the United States, and other groups have filed a lawsuit to try to overturn Minnesota's wolf management plan. The groups say the plan will open the way for widespread killing of wolves across the state. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.