Climate change, industry, parks, air and water quality are issues that are debated in congress, compete for funding and enpassion many Minnesotans.
April 12, 2001 - NOTE: Top story with updated flood crest or weather forecast information and add info on red river if you want. Flood preparations in Montevideo 40 families were evacuated from their homes and today, volunteers will continue adding layers of sandbags to existing levees. City officials say while they learned things four years ago when Montevideo was hit with record floods, there hasn't been the time or the money to make many changes. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post reports.
April 13, 2001 - Every day forecasters are recalculating the flood outlook. Yesterday brought good news when they lowered some crest projections by up to a foot and a half. Today's outlook is largely unchanged from yesterday with river projections moving up or down by only a few tenths of an inch. Gary McDevitt is a hydrologist with the National Weather Service.
April 13, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports that Governor Jesse Ventura wrapped up his two-day flood tour in East Grand Forks. The governor says he's pleased with how the flood fight is going all across the state. The lower flood crests predicted at most locations on the Red, and the Minnesota rivers, are allowing many communities a break for the Easter weekend.
April 13, 2001 - About 40 volunteers from other cities came to fill bags for the city works building in Newport. About 40 homes are potentially in harm's way.
April 13, 2001 - There was hardly a cloud over Chippewa and Yellow Medicine counties this morning, and the sun glistened off of farmfields turned into bayous by the rising water. But the western sky showed storms over the Dakotas.
April 13, 2001 - Many Granite Falls residents will take time off from the sandbag lines this weekend to celebrate the Easter holiday. Bruce Kenzel is the Pastor of Granite Falls Lutheran Church. He says his congregation will be ready for the break after a long bittersweet week:
April 16, 2001 - A bitter cold front pouring out of Canada is bringing more wintery weather to the region. High temperatures today hovered in the 20s and 30s across much of the state. Rich Naistat is a forecaster with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen. He says it IS cold for the season, but we have had even colder readings.
April 16, 2001 - The National Weather Service says it appears the Red River has crested at Wahpeton Breckenridge, Fargo/Moorhead and Grand Forks/East Grand Forks. While the Red crested lower than earlier predicted, the river is expected to stay high for the next several days. After a busy week of building levees and filling sandbags, things were quiet yesterday along the Red River. Many people were able to take a break, but some must remain vigilant until the river recedes. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
April 16, 2001 - Stillwater tourists are watching the water rise and the construction workers to put down sandbags along the Saint Croix River.
April 16, 2001 - The focus of flood fighting moved south today as the Mississippi River crests near Wabasha. The rising water forced officials to close the bridge between Wabasha and Nelson, Wisconsin. River watchers in La Crosse saw the Mississippi rise to 16 feet, with predictions it will rise another foot before it crests. It flooded rail lines, forcing Amtrak to bus Chicago to Seattle passengers around the water. Meanwhile Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Albaugh toured the Devil's Lake area, and the Red River Valley. While communities along the Red are cautiously confident they will hold the waters at bay, they are concerned about the cost of the flood prevention effort. Many hope the federal government will come through with disaster aid, and the FEMA director's visit could play a major part in that.