December 4, 1996 - A mediation committee has failed to reach agreement on a plan to revise management of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness. The committee negotiating the best uses for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area struggled to find any consensus after a proposal once considered a possible compromise was rejected by some Ely area residents and those who want to expand the wilderness.
December 6, 1996 - Negotiations in the federal mediation of the Boundary Waters issue are taking some time off after 14 non-consecutive days of negotiations. After months of discussion it seems there are still large disagreements over basic issues. In fact, one of the participants, Bill Hansen, a second generation canoe outfitter, has proposed just sticking with the status quo.
December 16, 1996 - A Texas based company will plead guilty to charges it polluted the Blue Earth River with improperly treated wastewater from a rendering plant. Rendering plants convert dead animal carcasses and byproducts from slaughterhouses into animal feed and other products. The company has also admitted to falsifying water test results so regulators would not learn about the illegal discharges, which took place in 1991 and 1992.
January 27, 1997 - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to increase the cost of a fishing license. The DNR says the quality of fishing in Minnesota is at stake. but the chairman of a key legislative committee and some fishing groups says if the DNR wants to raise fees it must agree to be more accountable. Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports.
January 27, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio's Catherine Winter reports from Embarrass, where several dozen people spend time in sleeping in snow shelters to test everything from sleeping bags to cell phones. Temperatures in northern Minnesota provide perfect weather for camping…if you want to find out how your camping gear performs in the bitter cold.
February 5, 1997 - Some residents in Northeastern Minnesota are fed up with the legislatures's slow movement on deer feeding. They're taking matters into their own hands and launching private deer feeding efforts.
February 5, 1997 - A State Senate panel has approved a bill to allocate 20-million dollars from the General Fund to pay for emergency snow removal. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports: Those who testified before the Transportation Budget Division, didn't even have the LANGUAGE to explain the hardships they're living with...the video and the photographs coming out of the regions hardest hit by winters storms say it best. Senate minority leader Dean Johnson says the constituents in his western minnesota district are living under duress:
February 5, 1997 - A Senate panel today approved money to provide emergency food for the state's snow-bound deer population despite objections from the Department of Natural Resources. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
February 12, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports that there's a chance deep snows of the 96-97’ winter are only "part one" of a weather disaster. The spring flood potential may lie in a secret hidden within the snow…the water amount it contains.
February 17, 1997 - The U-S Department of Agricutlture will save billions of dollars as millions of acres of land return to production. The Freedom to Farm legislation passed last year requires millions of acres to be removed from the Conservation Reserve program. The program was established in the mid-80's to protect land from wind and water erosion and to help farmers through tough times. As ten year contracts begin to expire farmers are forced to decide if they're eligible to renew for another decade of guaranteed payments or if they'll farm the land and take advantage of higher prices for crops. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland talked to two Lincoln county farmers about their plans: Minnesota's Lincoln county has the most Conservation Reserve Program acres per county in the state. 50 thousand acres lie untouched by the farmers who chose to turn it into conservation land in exchan