October 30, 2001 - A new company will bring high-tech science to Sioux Falls. Hematech labs will produce antibodies in cattle aimed at fighting human illnesses. The Connecticut company will employ 20 scientists and technicians beginning early next year. There could be as many as 4-hundred employees within a few years. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports:
October 31, 2001 -
November 2, 2001 - In Duluth, more than three hundred volunteers are visiting an inner-city elementary school every week to read with the students. There's a reading partner for every child in the school. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports the effort grew out of the belief a child has a better chance at success in life with direct adult involvement. {
November 7, 2001 - Unofficial results from Tuesdays election show two-thirds of the school districts asking for money from local residents will get it. But voters did say "no" in Bloomington, Anoka-Hennepin, Duluth, and St. Cloud. 188 school districts -- a record number -- had levy referendums on the ballot. School board officials say there's no definite pattern to explain the "no" votes. They see the largely positive response as a mandate to ask for more money at the legislature next year. We have two reports, starting with Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill. <
November 15, 2001 -
November 19, 2001 - The most ambitious railroad expansion since the Civil War is one step closer to approval. A report thousands of pages long was released today (MONDAY) on the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's one and a half billion-dollar plan. The DM&E hopes to haul coal from Wyoming through Minnesota and South Dakota to eastern power plants. DM&E officials are pleased with the federal report. But Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports not everyone's celebrating.
November 20, 2001 - The future of 80 family farms in southwest Minnesota rest on the fate of a new kind of hog processing plant set to open next month. It is farmer owned and controlled and seen as an alternative to the corporate philosophy dominating the industry. The farmers will soon find out if consumers will pay more for pork raised the old fashioned way. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports:
November 22, 2001 - Henry Bosse was hired by the Army Corps of Engineers to photograph the Upper Mississippi River at the turn of the century. His photographs of the Mississippi from St. Anthony Falls to Grafton, Ilinois show the transformation of the river from an untamed wilderness to the busy commercial corridor of the industrial era. Bosse printed his river photos using iron salts to produce a misty blue image. The photos were first displayed at the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Because they were government property the army sold copies for a mere 40 cents. Today the prints are worth twenty-five thousand dollars. University of St. Thomas Journalism professor Mark Neuzil has compiled Bosse's photos in "Views on the Mississippi: The Photographs of Henry Peter Bosse."
November 22, 2001 - The winding back roads of southeastern Minnesota are home to a growing controversy over an activity known as deer shining. By definition, deer shining is the use of artificial light to locate animals. Throughout the fall and especially during hunting season law enforcement is tough on deer shiners. The Department of Natural Resources can throw violators in jail, impound cars, and take away firearms. But as the rural population grows deer shiners and their late night antics amount to nothing short of harassment. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this Mainstreet report.
November 23, 2001 - In elections around the state earlier this month, a record number of school districts asked voters to approve extra money for school programs. Most of those levy referendums passed. In Cook County in northeastern Minnesota, voters defeated a $300,000 referendum. But some residents aren't giving up. They're not challenging the referendum, but they're still trying to raise money. They've organized a fund drive. They're inviting people to contribute any amount, and they've raised about thirteen thousand dollars in just a couple of weeks. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.