November 23, 2000 - Barge shipping on the Mississippi River is winding down for the season. Typically 400 or so towboats ply the upper Mississippi River moving barges loaded with grain and other products headed to markets around the world. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano spent some time aboard a towboat earlier this fall and found, there's no such thing as "stopping for the night."
November 24, 2000 - At a time where farmers are being urged to diversify their income one Minnesota dairy farmer is doing just that by making celebrities of his cows. David Lill recently published a book of whimsical photos featuring his cows in human poses, and there are plans for a calendar, t-shirts, coffee mugs and posters. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
December 4, 2000 - Bird-watching is the fastest growing outdoor activity in the United States, according to Minnesota tourism officials. They say bird watchers outnumber hunters in Minnesota -- and outspend them too. The Office of Toursim and the Department of Natural Resources are urging resort owners to cash in, saying a little bit of preparation could fill hundreds of cabins and hotel rooms. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.
December 4, 2000 - A public hearing in Superior Wisconsin today (Mon Dec 4) will give people a chance to sound off on a controversial powerline proposed between Duluth and Wausau. Its the latest in a series of hearings begun last week along the line's proposed route. Opponents of the project say they're encouraged by a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources report saying no one has shown a need for the line. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { The two companies proposing the line - Minnesota Power and Wisconsin Public Service - say Wisconsin's power grid desperately needs new high voltage lines to bring power into the state. Right now, only four lines import power, three of them from the south. When demand is high, or when a storm knocks out one of the lines, the system could fail and the entire region could be blacked out. Minnesota Power's Jim Roberts says it's part of a nationwide problem.
December 7, 2000 - American chestnut trees, once wide-spread and widely used for food and timber, are all but gone due to a devastating fungus brought to this country in the late 1800s on mail-ordered Japanese chestnut trees. But scientists believe in another year or two they may begin reversing that trend, when they complete the final hybrid crosses of disease-resistant chestnuts. Agricultural scientist Sandra Anagnostakis (Ahnahg-nose-tahKEES) is with the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station where the chestnut breeding program has been underway since 1930.
December 7, 2000 - L-T-V Corporation is closing a Minnesota iron mining operation earlier than expected. The Cleveland-based company says its L-T-V Steel Mining Company located in Hoyt Lakes, Minnesota will close February 24th. L-T-V had planned to keep it open through the middle of next year. L-T-V says the mine can no longer provide it with taconite pellets of competitive quality and cost. This is the latest in a series of recent setbacks to Minnesota's iron mining industry. Ann Glumac is the President of the Minnesota Iron Mining Association. She says the health of the industry in Minnesota is directly tied to the health of the U-S steel industry.
December 8, 2000 -
December 8, 2000 -
December 8, 2000 - Environmental groups are calling on Congress to reform the Army Corps of Engineers in the wake of a Pentagon report confirming the Corps doctored numbers in a feasibility study of expanded locks on the Mississippi River. Critics say the Corps of Engineers is too quick to back massive engineering projects. But farm groups say they NEED bigger locks on the Mississippi to reduce their shipping costs. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. For more information about the controversy over expansion of locks and dams on the Mississippi go to minnesotapublicradio.org to see our series called "Changing Course: The Future of the Mississippi." {
December 12, 2000 - The State Department of Commerce predicts demand for electricity in Minnesota will outstrip supply in five years. Now business leaders and others are urging state regulators to prevent a shortfall ... without permitting big price hikes. The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce held a forum today to examine the choices Minnesota faces in deciding how to restructure its power sector. The chamber also brought in officials from other states to relate their triumphs, and failures. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.