January 14, 2002 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Jim Nepstad, a member of the National Park Service, about taking public comment on the proposed wilderness designation for the Apostle Islands.
January 15, 2002 - Just a couple of years ago the bison industry was hot. Demand for breeding stock outpaced supply, and prices skyrocketed. Then, a few months ago, the bison market crashed, leaving ranchers with huge investments and little income. But few producers are giving up. They say the bison industry still has a bright future. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
January 15, 2002 - Scientists have successfully used an ice melting robot that could look for space life on Mars and on the moons of Saturn and Jupiter.
January 16, 2002 - If it seems like it's been a particularly warm winter, you're right -- it has. So far, the Twin Cities hasn't recorded a single day below zero all winter long. University of Minnesota meteorologist Mark Seeley says it's been nearly half a century since truly frigid days were so hard to come by in the first half of winter in the Twin Cities. In the winter of 1954-55, the Twin Cities didn't record their first subzero day until Jan. 15. And the area hasn't had a single
January 17, 2002 - A group of North Dakota Ranchers hope to get a better price for their beef by selling it to Muslims in the U-S. A new processing plant in Harvey, North Dakota kills cattle and processes the meat in accordance with Muslim religious rules. The ranchers are also targeting health conscious consumers. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
January 18, 2002 - A Grand Rapids company thinks it has an answer to a predicted power shortage in Minnesota and nearby states. Rapids Energy is planning a new electrical generating plant that would burn wood waste and coal in a relatively efficient, low emission process. Cost efficiencies would come from sharing heat and electrical power with Grand Rapid's Blandin Paper plant. But it's not without concerns, coming from both area residents and regional environmental groups. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Kelleher reports:
January 18, 2002 - Minnesota's climate is nothing if not extreme. The state seems to see it all including blizzards, floods, drought, and tornadoes. The new "Weather Permitting" exhibit at the Minnesota History Center explores how Minnesotans have experienced weather over the past decades. The exhibit is expected to be on display for five years and features artifacts, hands on activities and fun weather facts. I toured "Weather Permitting" with the exhibit's curator--Loris Sofia Gregory. She says the exhibit was a natural given Minnesota's diverse climate:
January 21, 2002 - Devils Lake, in northeast North Dakota is still rising. Its been flooding for nine years. The lake has no natural outlet. Years of wetter than normal weather has flooded 30-thousand acres of land around the lake. Rising water has forced officials to raise road beds, and build dikes. Entire towns have moved. Now plans for an outlet to redirect water into the Sheyenne River may end up in court. Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports.
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February 5, 2002 - The Sierra Club is suing the U.S. Forest Service. It wants the court to block aspen logging on the national forests in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The Sierra Club says the Forest Service allows too much clearcutting of aspen. The suit says that's holding back re-growth of native pine and hardwood forests. The lawsuit is a sign of the times: American forests are in transition. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has the first in a series of three reports on how things are changing in the Northwoods.