February 18, 1999 - Rochester officials say the possibility of a University of Minnesota branch campus will increase the ability for the Mayo Clinic and other businesses to attract and retain workers. The Minnesota State College and University Board this week approved a set of principles that opens the door for a U of M branch campus in Rochester. The decision is now in the hands of the University Board of Regents and the legislature.
February 10, 1999 - Muslim leaders in Rochester say cultural insensitivity is prevalent among administration and faculty in the local public school district. A national Islamic group contacted the media after a Rochester Mayo High School teacher who works primarily with immigrants said two traditionally-dressed Muslim students looked like "terrorists".
December 24, 1998 - Foreign medical students in the U-S face a unique visa restriction requiring that they return to their home country for two years after their training. Immigration officials say the restriction helps improve health care around the world by returning highly-skilled physicians to their native countries. But one Rochester woman says the rigid rules will force her family---with two U-S citizens--to live abroad. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 15, 1998 - The opposition to a proposed rail expansion is opening a rift between urban and rural residents of southeastern Minnesota. Rochester officials hold their first public meeting tonight (TUESDAY) since a federal board gave their approval to the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad expansion plan. Rochester has been a hub of opposition to the proposal since it was announced early this year. But now, city officials' insistance on moving the tracks to go around Rochester has angered rural residents, who say the tracks should run through the city as they have for more than a century. Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes reports. When DM&E announced its ambitious redevelopment plan last spring, officials from Rochester and Olmsted County joined forces. Since then they've used their collective political resources against the railroad
December 11, 1998 - A federal panel has given the go-ahead for a major rebuilding and expansion plan for the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad. The approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board is no surprise---the board rarely denies applicants. But the decision is the first major hurdle cleared by D-M and E since the company announced its 1.4-billion dollar plan last spring. Now, both opponants and supporters say they're looking ahead to the next big decision that scrutinizes the proposal's environmental impacts. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports. In keeping with their agressive opposition to the railroad's proposal, Rochester-area officials organized a press conference barely a half-hour after the Surface Transportation Board announced it's decision. Olmstead County board chairman Paul Wilson says the ruling points out the need to ch
November 12, 1998 - Engineers and biologists have known for a long time that changes made to the Mississippi River's natural flow to facilitate barge traffic, are harming its overall health. Since 1986, federal and state agencies have experimented with ways to stem the loss of land formations, plants and other things that wild animals need to thrive. One of the most successful of these efforts is a series of man-made islands. Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes visited the newly-built islands near Stoddard, Wisconsin. boat motor start)
November 10, 1998 - At a time when most cities can boast of a decade or more of prosperity and job growth, Rochester Minnesota is particularly fortunate. The city's economic growth consistantly outpaces the rest of the state. The city's humming economy and family-friendly environment has put it in Money Magazine's top three places to live in the nation for the past six years. The cornerstone of success is the expansive Mayo Clinic which employs nearly a quarter of Rochester's population. But much of the recent growth has been fueled by a network of technology development and manufacturing firms. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports that cut-backs by one of the city's largest empoloyers spurred city and business leaders to cultivate a stronger economic foundation. The shock of downsizing hit Rochester hard five years ago when IBM---the city's second largest employer--layed off some two-thousand people.
September 15, 1998 - As part of a series of stories following the path of the "Father of Waters,” aka the Mississippi River, Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has this Mainstreet report on the he U.S. Army Corps, which vigorously controls the river in the southeastern part of Minnesota. That has come at a environmental cost…a loss of diversity.
September 11, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Art Hughes reports on an annual event in St. Peter area recognizing the 1851 treaty between the U.S. government and the Dakota Nation. The Traverse des Sioux Treaty Encampment started in 1990 to draw attention to the area's historic significance. But this may be the event's last year, in part because of criticism from Native Americans who say the treaty is not something to honor.
June 29, 1998 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on multiple storms causing havoc in southeastern Minnesota. An uncommon weather scenario flooded homes and roads in a weekend filled with heavy rains, high winds and rapid-fire lightning in southeast Minnesota.