Climate change, industry, parks, air and water quality are issues that are debated in congress, compete for funding and enpassion many Minnesotans.
July 23, 2001 - For families struggling to make ends meet, summertime can be a real strain on the food budget. Free lunches and breakfasts offered at many schools can provide more than half of the daily nutrition needs of children, and many children lose access to those meals during the summer. In Duluth's Central Hillside neighborhood, several social service agencies are teaming up to offer children not just meals, but activities and education about food. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 24, 2001 - When Meteorologist Mark Seeley comes by our studio each Friday with details of just how comfortable or uncomfortable the weather has been that week, he brings the neutral perspective of a scientist. But this week Mark has a very personal stake in how nice the weather is. That's because he's spending the week on his bicycle as a participant in the Ride Across Minnesota, a fund raising event for the Minnesota chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society. Mark joins us now by phone.
July 30, 2001 - About two dozen young Japanese business people are spending the summer in Duluth. Every year the University of Minnesota Duluth helps up-and-coming executives adjust to American life before they enroll in top graduate schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
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August 6, 2001 - Off highway vehicle fans say it's time the state created trails for all-terrain-vehicles, dirt-bikes, and 4 x 4 trucks. Critics say the DNR should do more to enforce laws and protect the environment before they spend money on new trails. Now the public is being asked for input. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
August 6, 2001 - Some 500 Red Lake Reservation families are on a waiting list to move into tribal homes. Many have been on the list for years. Now Tribal housing officials are teaming up with the US military to try to solve at least part of the problem, with the help of an organization called Operation Walking Shield. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports...
August 7, 2001 - The demand caused by the hot and sticky weather and problems like Friday's fire at the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant means Xcel needs to buy additional from other places. Steve Paluso is the Vice President for energy markets at Xcel. He says some of the power used to run air conditioners in Minnesota yesterday came from pretty far away. T
August 7, 2001 - Nearly 17 thousand Excel Energy customers in the metro area are without power this morning. Heavy demand caused by the hot weather has resulted in scattered power outages in several areas of the Twin Cities in the past week, leaving people to swelter in the record heat. Ed Legge is a spokesman for Xcel Energy.
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August 10, 2001 - Temperatures around the state have finally dropped to comfortable levels, but the latest heat wave has caused a record number of fatalities in Duluth. Four men and one woman were found dead Wednesday, as a result of heat stroke after the unusally hot weather. Mayor Gary Doty says it's hard to believe that something like this could happen in Duluth: