August 29, 2000 - Hearings continue today on the Minnesota portion of the proposed power line between Duluth and Wausau Wisconsin. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on last night's opening session. { The evening hearing started noisily. But once those crowd got into the hearing room, the discussion was detailed and wide-ranging. Technically, the question in this week's hearings is, should the short 12 mile section of the project in Minnesota be exempt from the normal environmental revuew? But opponents are discussing much broader questions about how we should power our lives. Speakers last night raisedf concerns about possible health effects of electromagnetic fields, more mercury in the environment, and lower property values. Northern Manitoba's Cross Lake Cree were represented by William Osborne. He said flooding from the massive hydroelectric power plants that the new line will allow to be sold in Wisconsin and throughout the midwest have destroyed his peoples way of life.
September 5, 2000 - An early start to the bear hunting season hasn't done much to thin the state's growing black bear population. A third year of bumper crops of the bear's natural food source of nuts and berries have kept the animals healthy and reproducing at record rates. The Department of Natural Resources was hoping this hunting season would reduce the population by about 6,000 bears, but early numbers suggest hunters will only bring in about two-thirds that number, mainly because the well fed bears are not enticed by hunters bait. David Garshelis is the DNR Bear Project leader based in Grand Rapids. He says bear mortality is also low because North Woods residents are giving pesky bears a little more leeway.
September 6, 2000 - The Nature Conservancy of Minnesota has nearly doubled its holdings with the purchase of 25,000 acres in Northern Minnesota. While it is now prairie, gravel and wetlands, the conservation group's new land once was completely underwater, part of the Lake Aggasiz lakebed. Aggasiz was huge, three times the size of Lake Superior. It covered parts of what is now Minnesota, the Dakotas and Canada. When it drained, the Aggasiz shoreline became wetlands and prairies. "Glacial Ridge," as the Nature Conservancy is calling its new purchase, was part of that former shoreline. Rob McKim, the State Director of the Minnesota Nature Conservancy, says that the area is important because it connects other wildlife management areas, and because Aggasiz left behind a unique topography.
September 7, 2000 - Minnesota is the birthplace of the Mississippi, the proverbial father of all rivers. So it's not surprising that river recreation figures prominently in the lives of many state residents. But Thomas Waters wants us to know more about rivers and streams than just the best place to fish or launch a boat. In his new book "Wildstream: A Natural History of the Free Flowing River," the professor emeritus of stream ecology shares his knowledge of ox bows and eddys in a way most readers without a scientific background can comprehend. I met up with Waters this week at Rice Creek in Roseville, where he used to take his university students on field trips.
September 11, 2000 - Two Republicans are vying for the chance to take on Democratic Congressman Jim Oberstar in Minnesota's 8th district, stretching from the Iron Range down to the northern Twin Cities suburbs. Oberstar has held the seat for 26 years. But so far, much of the Republican attempt to unseat him has centered more on an internal dispute on who should control the party. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The dispute boils down to this. Bob Lemen, a Grand Rapids computer consultant, has the GOP party endorsement. Warren Nelson, an engineering consultant from Chisago County, says the endorsement should have gone to his friend Mike Darling. Darling's candidacy did get a vote of support, but party leaders say it happened at a meeting which was not meant to endorse anyone. Darling is now running as an independent.
September 12, 2000 - A new pest discovered in Minnesota in recent weeks is a significant threat for soybean farmers. An infestation of aphids previously seen only in Asian countries and Austrailia is spreading across the midwest. Farming experts are scrambling to learn what it means for a crop that has so far enjoyed a virtually pest-free existance in the United States. Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes reports. (sound---soybeans, crickets)
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.