December 21, 1999 - MPR’s Brent Wolfe reports on health experts at the Mayo Clinic embarking on an effort to cutting the fat in Olmsted County. They want to prove they can change the lifestyle of an entire community and decrease the rate of heart disease in the county.
January 4, 2000 - Arthur Caplan, bioethicist and director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania and former director of a similar center at the U of M, talks about key ethical issues in the new millennium. Topics include breakthroughs in genetics, biology and stem cell research. Caplan also answers listener questions.
January 4, 2000 - An attorney for a former employee at the Koch refinery in Rosemount portrayed him as a good worker who was fired because he reported serious environmental violations by the company. Charles Chadwell is suing Koch Petroleum Group under a state law that protects whistleblowers from retailiation.The case went before a 10 person civil jury yesterday in Minneapolis. An attorney for Koch told the jury Chadwell was fired for "legitimate and lawful reasons." Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Charles Chadwell is a former waste water treatment operator at the Koch refinery in Rosemount. He was fired in 1997, eight months after he reported environmental violations to the Minnesota
January 6, 2000 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on Governor Jesse Ventura’s address to a group of employers, doctors, and health insurance administrators meeting in St. Paul to discuss the problem of rising health costs.
January 6, 2000 - Minnesota has one of the lowest percentages of uninsured children in the country. But the Children's Defense Fund estimates 60 to 80-thousand Children in the state still lack coverage. Jim Koppel is the executive director of the Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota. He says providing insurance coverage for every child in the state is a big job: Jim Koppel is the executive director of the Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota. Thu 25-MAY 23:31:29 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
January 20, 2000 - Jeff Kahn, director of the University of Minnesota Center for Bioethics; Dave Somers, professor in the department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics at the University of Minnesota, discuss the question "What are GMO's?" (Genetically Modified Organisms).
January 21, 2000 - George Latimer, former St. Paul Mayor; Dick Goebel, of the Second Harvest St. Paul Food Bank and the Food First Coalition; and Bonnie Becker of the Minnesota Department of Human Services, discuss the topic of hunger in Minnesota.
February 29, 2000 - A Mainstreet Radio special about life and death. Host Rachel Reabe broadcasts from The Waterford, a retirement community in Fargo. In this first hour, Reabe talks about end-of-life issues with medical and religious experts about the concept of death and “dying well.”
February 29, 2000 - A Mainstreet Radio special about life and death. Host Rachel Reabe broadcasts from The Waterford, a retirement community in Fargo. In this second hour, Reabe talks with medical and legal experts about quality end-of-life care, logistics of expenses, and addressing personal affairs.
June 26, 2000 - A common fertilizer is a new target for drug manufacturers in rural counties. Small amounts of anhydrous (ann HIGH druss) ammonia are used to make methamphetamine. The powerful central nervous stimulant with a high potential for abuse and dependence is becoming more available in rural areas. Authorities say they're telling farmers to lock up a chemical that's typically left in the middle of the field over night. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: