August 27, 2003 - The sport known as Geocashing combines high tech gadgetry with the ancient lure of treasure hunting. Geocachers use hand held global positioning satellites, or GPS units, to search for token objects ---toys and other small trinkets --- hidden by other geocachers. In this week's edition of our series, The Enthusiasts, Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure goes geocaching with Pam Combs, a board member of the fast growing Minnesota Geocaching Association, and Pam's husband, Dave Combs.
September 1, 2003 - As summer comes to an end, anglers in Minnesota have plenty of tales about the fish they caught. They probably have many more about the ones they didn't. But for some the memories are not hooking a fish, but how they hooked themselves. Most times getting stuck with a fish hook is a minor nuisance, but it CAN mean a trip to the emergency room. People in Alexandria's ER have a creative way to keep track of fish hook incidents. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has more in this story.
September 5, 2003 - Duluth is home to three growing colleges and universities. More than 10,000 students move to the city every year. And less than half of them live on campus. The rest crowd into residential neighborhoods across the city. That's made for some bad feelings. As Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports, the traditional "town and gown" friction is more complicated than usual in Duluth.
September 5, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty said today FRIDAY the state will seek a federal disaster declaration because of drought conditions. He says it appears about 50 of the state's 87 counties qualify for disaster assistance because of the late-summer drought. Some House Democrats say the governor should also start putting together a state disaster relief package. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
September 9, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty and State Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson visited the Southeastern Minnesota town of Mazeppa (mah-ZEP-ah) this morning to evaluate crop damage from this summer's drought. Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz reports. {Mazeppa Farmer Dale Stensland says as of the fourth of July weekend, things were looking good this year. Area farmers anticipated another bumper crop. But then, he says, trouble loomed.
September 9, 2003 - Today's (Tuesday) rain was a relief to many in Sioux (SOO) Falls. For a few hours in the middle of the day, the skies turned grey and the smell of rain caught everyone's attention. Sioux (SOO) Falls is four and a half inches behind normal rainfall amounts for the summer. But today's precipitation may not be enough to lift lawn watering restriction. That's because the city's main source for drinking water is drying up. Mainstreet Radio's Cara (CARE-uh) Hetland (HET land) reports:
September 11, 2003 - The U.S. Agriculture Department confirmed today what Minnesota farmers already know: drought has damaged their crops. The USDA's latest estimate describes a shrinking soybean crop and smaller corn yields compared to what was expected in August. But even with the gloomy numbers, there was good news this week for some livestock farmers. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.
September 11, 2003 - In a report released this morning, the U-S Agriculture Department is cutting its estimates for the soybean crop by eight percent from last month's projection because of the drought in the Midwest. The projection for the corn harvest has dropped by one percent. Joining us now is Michael Hunst, Minnesota's agricultural statistician. That is Michael Hunst, Minnesota's agricultural statistician.
September 12, 2003 - A dry spell lead people to hope that the dormant mosquito eggs were killed off, but that's not the case. Jim Stark, with the Mosquito Control District talks more on the mosquito hatch and potentials for West Nile Virus.
September 17, 2003 - Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty and North Dakota Governor John Hoeven (HOE-vehn) will meet soon to discuss a dispute over hunting. North Dakota is restricting where and when people from out of state can hunt . And license fees are going up. That's angered many Minnesota hunters. But the changes have also upset a lot of North Dakota business owners. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.