November 9, 2001 - MPR’s Chris Julin profiles Tasha Turk, a 15-year-old girl that also happens to be the best classical soprano in the town of Two Harbors. Turk got her start singing to livestock. She's come a long way…she'll be in Boston recording for a national radio show.
November 8, 2001 - The smoking ban in Duluth has been kind of like the weather -- just when you get used to it, it changes. The city council passed a ban a year ago, but then kept changing the rules. Now it looks like the debate over smoking in Duluth's restaurants is finally settled. Voters reaffirmed the ban this week, and even made it a little tougher. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.
September 4, 2001 - People in Minnesota know what it means to have a short summer, and they're eager to get outside while the warmth lasts. If you need proof, look at the statistics. Minnesota has more golfers per capita than any other state. And you might be surprised to learn that Minnesota also leads the country in bicycle trails. Wisconsin is a close second. They each have about 13-hundred miles of trail. In fact, one-fourth of the bike trail miles in the country are in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This week, as part of our series, "Pedaling Minnesota," we'll take a closer look at the state's bicycle trails. We'll hear about building them, which is sometimes controversial. We'll hear why the state does so little to market its bike trails. And today, reporter Chris Julin takes us to one of the state's first -- the Munger Trail, which runs from Hinckley to Duluth. BACKANNOUNCE: Tomorrow on All Things Considered, we continue our "Pedaling Minnesota" series with a look at why Minnesota's recreation trails remain one of the state's best kept secrets. And, there's more information on our "Pedaling Minnesota" web page at www.minnesotapublicradio.org.
August 24, 2001 - MPR’s Chris Julin reports on the public premiere of an underwater fishcam placed into the depths of Lake Superior. The camera provides a glimpse into the activity going on beneath the lake surface.
August 13, 2001 - The city of Hibbing has lots of reasons to be proud. It's the site of the world's largest open pit mine, and home town to Bob Dylan, Kevin McHale and Rudy Perpich. But not many people know the town is also the birthplace of Greyhound. The nationwide bus company started in Hibbing with two men and one car. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has more.
August 2, 2001 - Later this month, thousands of bear hunters will take to the woods of northern Minnesota. This is the second year in a row that bear season is opening a week early. Wildlife managers say the longer season is needed to reduce the bear population, but some critics say the extended bear season endangers summer tourists. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has more.
July 26, 2001 - There are lots of bears in Minnesota. The Department of Natural Resources says the number of black bears in the state has quadrupled during the past two decades, and they say that might be too *many* bears. So beginning with next month's hunting season, the D-N-R is allowing hunters to take two bears with each license for the first time ever. Some animals rights groups, and some hunters say the state's estimate of the bear population is inflated. They disagree with the two-bear limit. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports from Duluth.
July 18, 2001 - People who live in Duluth love this time of year. They think it's fun to get outside where they can look at the big lake -- and watch out-of-towners huddle on street corners, shivering in their shorts and sandals. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.
July 16, 2001 - This time of year, biologist Jim Lind looks forward to sleeping in his own bed. Lind has spent two months living in motels, like a musician out on the road. He's been across northern Minnesota, and into Wisconsin. But Lind isn't *making* music -- he's *listening* to it. He's part of a team from the University of Minnesota in Duluth that's tracking songbird populations in the north woods. It's almost impossible to see birds deep in the forest, so these biologists count birds by ear. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.
July 6, 2001 - Nearly a thousand people filled the high school auditorium in the Iron Range town of Virginia yesterday to talk about problems in the nation's steel industry. Mining companies and their workers have banded together, calling on President Bush to use some form of trade sanctions to limit the amount of foreign steel importred to the United States. Federal officials came to Minnesota to gather testimony in their investigation of the industry's troubles. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin was at the hearing, and he has this report.