Climate change, industry, parks, air and water quality are issues that are debated in congress, compete for funding and enpassion many Minnesotans.
May 6, 2002 - This week we have a new Mainstreet Radio series, "Changing Currents." We'll look at a number of rivers and streams in our region. There are issues and challenges facing many of them. Our first few stories focus on the Mississippi. Over the last century the Army Corps of Engineers has transformed the Mississippi River. A series of locks and dams have made a reliable highway for commercial barge traffic. Many of the river's native species have suffered. None more so than the shrinking collection of fresh water mussels. The Army Corps wants to increase commercial river traffic. And the rush is on to save some species. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has the first installment of our series.
May 8, 2002 - As part of MPR’s Changing Current series, reporter Stephanie Hemphill looks at the return of a native species to The French River, which flows into Lake Superior about 15 miles north of Duluth. The coaster brook trout has been struggling to survive in Lake Superior and its tributaries for more than a hundred years. Some people are turning their attention to bringing them back.
May 23, 2002 - A sprawling prairie restoration project is underway in Minnesota and Iowa. The first remnant is near Luverne, the southwestern Minnesota hometown of photographer Jim Brandenburg. Brandenburg is famous for pictures of wolves and other images published on the pages of National Geographic magazine. As often as he can he returns to Luverne where he has a gallery and a pet project. Brandenburg is working with the federal government to help reclaim the first piece of Northern Tallgrass Prairie Project in an area called the Blue Mounds. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
May 27, 2002 - There are 11 trout streams in the city of Duluth. They tumble down the steep hillside into Lake Superior. One of the creeks is threatened because it runs through an area where lots of stores are being built. But there are people in Duluth who won't give up on even one trout stream. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
June 10, 2002 - The Duluth city council is considering making it illegal to stand around in certain parts of the downtown. Some merchants say their customers are being frightened off by people who hang out downtown. The two ordinances are designed to make the city's center more attractive to residents and visitors. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
June 12, 2002 - An unusual house is going up in Duluth. The beams and outside walls were built in a factory, using technology developed in Japan. It's only the second house to be built in North America with the Japanese system. The builders say the idea could be an opportunity for a new industry in Minnesota. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
June 17, 2002 - People in Roseau, near the Canadian border, are beginning the process of cleaning up after the worst flood in that town's history. Water from the rain-swollen Roseau River receded over the weekend, after nearly a full week of devastation. City officials place early damage estimates at more than $120 million dollars as residents are discovering just how much they've lost.
June 19, 2002 - Oral arguments concluded today in a hearing over Donald Blom's request for a new trial. Blom was convicted two years ago of murdering Moose Lake convenience store clerk Katie Poirier. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
June 25, 2002 - The three major party candidates for governor debated in Duluth today. They spoke at the Minnesota Rural Summit, a yearly meeting of rural economic development workers. This year the summit's focus was the link between health care and rural economic development. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
June 25, 2002 - State climatologist Bruce Watson explains the concept of wet-dry cycle and how recent heavy rains are part of a long term weather cycle. 8 inches of rain fell in the metro area on the night of June 24, 2002. Watson says the month ranks among the top ten soggiest on record.