January 12, 2001 - The Minnesota and Wisconsin transportation departments announced today (friday) plans to suspend construction of a new bridge over the Saint Croix River. The announcement comes just days after MN-DOT commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg failed to find federal funding for the project. Reaction to the decision is mixed. Environmentalists are calling it a victory against urban sprawl while project supporters say traffic problems in the area will remain until there's a new bridge. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.
January 15, 2001 - Two new Giant Pandas at the National Zoo in Washington DC have focused the world's attention on one very high profile endagered species. But countries from India to Brazil are working to save species as diverse as the Giant Grizzeled Squirrel and the Golden Lion Tamarin. An organization based at the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley is facilitating much of this work. The Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, or CBSG, has just a few employees in Minnesota, and relies on a network of over 700 people from 150 countries. CBSG Chairman and Founder Ulysses Seal says his organization is dedicated to protecting the planet's biodiversity:
January 17, 2001 -
January 22, 2001 - The push to use reusable energy is building up at the Capitol.
January 23, 2001 - Parts of Northern California may be hit with more blackouts this morning as officials scrounge for electricity. Efforts continue to find a long-term solution to the problem. A proposal crafted over the weekend would allow the state to take over hydro-electric facilities, currently owned by cash-strapped utilities. California's energy crisis is the result of both deregulation and an energy shortage. Linda Taylor is the Deputy Commissioner for Energy at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She says we shouldn't see anything like the California crisis here in Minnesota-- but we ARE facing a shortage of our own.
January 24, 2001 - Heating bills are not the only place Minnesotans will feel this winter's soaring natural gas prices. Expensive natural gas means expensive fertilizer -- and an uncertain spring for the regions' farmers. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich has this Mainstreet report (There's not much farming to be done in January, so John Wojtanowicz brings his mammoth potato picker in for a tune-up. Before the picker sees any action this spring, his 1200 acres of potatos will need hundreds of pounds of nitrogren. The same goes for his 2000 acres of corn and kidney beans, hungry for anhydrous ammonia and urea -- two popular fertilizers made by mixing raw nitrogen with natural gas.
January 25, 2001 - A team of migrant workers pulled well-formed apples from trees at the Pepin Heights Orchard. They are also working on getting rid of the pests.
January 25, 2001 - MPR’s Annie Feidt reports on The Midwest Food Alliance, a new local organization that is hoping to convince Minnesotans to pay closer attention to the source of their food. The alliance supports and promotes the products of local farmers who practice environmentally sound, sustainable agriculture. The organization hopes consumers will search out its brightly colored stickers on produce and meats, the way some look for the organic label.
January 29, 2001 - America is facing an energy crisis. In Minnesota energy experts say the state needs 5 new power plants. The crisis is making some folk look west to the Dakotas which could produce more wind power than it needs. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports the next problem is getting that energy to where its needed.
January 29, 2001 - The loss of jobs on Minnesota's Iron Range doesn't just affect mining towns, such as Hibbing and Chisholm. In Duluth, the huge ships passing under the aerial bridge are already carrying less iron ore. In fact, last year the port moved more coal than iron ore for the first time since the Great Depression. Last year, ore shipments from the Duluth-Superior port hit their lowest level since the 1980s, when the Iron Range economy took a nose dive and the mines laid off thousands of workers. The mining slump in the '80s hit Duluth hard, too. Businesses closed. People lost jobs. This time, economists are predicting Duluth will withstand the blow somewhat better. But they say the city WILL suffer. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.