April 3, 2001 - A lot of the rivers around the state are starting to flow, but the Minnesota River is the closest to cresting.
April 3, 2001 - The Minnesota Department of Agriculture announced today it has formed an inter-agency task force to coordinate state and federal efforts to prevent Mad Cow Disease. The highly contagious disease, which is also called BSE, wastes the brains of cattle and can be transfered to humans. The state agriculture department's Meat Inspection supervisor Kevin Elfering says Minnesota has ALREADY been taking precautions to make sure the disease doesn't infect the state's livestock:
April 4, 2001 - A bill making it a felony to kill or injure pets is getting a better reception from state lawmakers than previous efforts to prevent animal cruelty. This is the fifth time supporters have introduced a felony animal cruelty bill. Opposition from hunting and agricultural interests killed earlier bills, but this year the measure faces little opposition. The Senate version awaits a floor vote, and yesterday Helms reports.
April 4, 2001 - Minnesota's bald eagle population is at its highest level since 1972, when the state first started collecting data on the species. There are now almost 700 nesting pairs in the state. Mark Martel is the coordinator of conservation programs at the University of Minnesota's Raptor Center. He says the birds are nesting in areas that weren't traditionally considered prime habitat:
April 9, 2001 - Coyotes can be found in western Minnesota.
April 9, 2001 - There's a new revolution on the island nation of Cuba --- this time in the production of food. The collapse of the Soviet Union forced Cuba to turn to small-scale organic farming and urban gardens. This dramatic agricultural transformation is unparalleled in the world today. And American agricultural experts, including some Minnesotans, are taking notice. In the first of a series of reports on Cuban agriculture, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky takes a close look at Cuba's new urban gardens.
April 9, 2001 - Like many writers, Australian author Richard Flanagan wanted to write about what he knew and loved. His experiences, though, are a little out of the ordinary. He grew in Tasmania, the island a couple of hundred miles off the Australian coast, and worked as a river guide on the Franklin River which rages through the wilderness. As a result his novel "Death of a River Guide" is a little out of the ordinary too. It tells the story of a man with his head jammed between two rocks underwater who is slowly drowning. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he wasn't sure how to write a book but knew he wanted to...as he puts it... "sing his world into being."
April 9, 2001 - The possibility of getting 3/4 of an inch to 1 1/2 inches of rain could mean higher waters.
April 9, 2001 - A dike is being made on Harriet Island.
April 9, 2001 - The Minnesota River is expected to crest seven-feet above flood stage on Saturday in Granite Falls. The town has constructed an emergency levee across the street from City Hall and is suplementing that with sandbags. Bill Lavin is the city manager of Granite Falls. He says the town needs lots of volunteers to help: