March 5, 1998 - FOR AIR THURSDAY AM Late last week the Grand Forks and East Grand Forks City councils officially endorsed a 300-million dollar flood protection plan. The proposed dikes will snake along both sides of the Red River...and if all goes as the Army Corps of Engineers plan it will prevent the re-occurrance of flooding on the scale of 1997. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports in Part 4 of our flood series, the construction of new dikes will come at the cost of more peoples homes and local history. For the people of Greater Grand Forks, the planning see
March 3, 1998 - The cities of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks... at least as the locals knew them... disappeared April 19th, 1997, when the Red River burst the dikes, washing through the streets, destroying houses and businesses. In the days following the flood local officials worried about a mass exodus from the area. Some people predicted as many as 20 percent of the people would leave forever. That didn't happen.... in the end, only three percent moved elsewhere. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports in the second report of our flood series, rebuilding has been a long and frustrating process that is still far from over.... (sound of measuring...work, etc.)
February 12, 1998 - One of the hot issues in the welfare to work debate is the skills gap. Some people argue the idea of requiring people to get on a payroll and off welfare is all very well, but how do people get the skills to find and keep a job that pays well? The cherished part of the American dream of owning and running your own business can seem far out of reach to many welfare recipients. But a program in Fargo is trying to help low-income people do just that. As Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports, the program, now in its sixth year, is being seen as a potential national model.
September 18, 1997 - Just a few months after flooding irreversibly changed thousands of peoples' lives in the Red River Valley...some are telling their stories for posterity. MPR's Hope Deutscher spoke with two people who are gathering individual stories of struggle, despair and recovery...for very different reasons.
September 8, 1997 - The Duluth-Superior Dukes challenge the Winnipeg Goldeyes in the first game for the Northern League championship crown. The Northern League erupted onto the scene four years ago, benefitting in time from fan antipathy towards the major leagues resulting from the baseball strike. The excitement has died down a little but As Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports, fans are still flocking to watch the Northern League play.
June 13, 1997 - If you're looking for something to do on a Friday night how about squaredancing? It's a dance many Midwesterners learned in school but maybe forgot to try again. Fifteen hundred people are expected to attend the Minnesota State Square and Round Dance Convention in Moorhead this weekend. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports they are hoping to entice others into trying the dance again.
June 2, 1997 - (FOR AIR MONDAY, JUNE 2, 1997) Even before the snow melted this spring... the harsh winter was expected to cause problems for farmers in the Red River Valley. Now, following the widespread flooding farmers are getting back into the fields... and many are finding they are actually on schedule. However as Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports... some farmers say they will still take a beating... (sound of tractor tilling away) North of Moorhead, a few miles from the Red River...Curt Brendemuhl is working
May 16, 1997 - Better late than never...that's how some high school students in East Grand Forks are looking at their prom - which was postponed due to spring flooding but now will be held this weekend. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher stopped into the East Grand Forks High School as students prepared the school for the annual dance. Not far from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's temporary center in the East Grand Forks High School....students are busily decorating the schools gym, cafeteria and auditorium. Organizers are expecting more than 100 couples to show up for prom...and hundreds of parents and friends to watch
May 9, 1997 - As the Red River continues to recede, the extent of damage left behind emerges. Hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency Inspectors have surveyed more than 20-thousand homes damaged by the blizzards or the recent Red River flooding. Heidi and Maurice Borud live south of Fargo along the winding Red River. During the flood, the water came over their earthen dike and permanent floodwall... first filling the backyard swimming pool, then the yard itself... and ultimately both floors of the house. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher spoke with the Boruds and with a FEMA inspector. | D-CART ITEM: 1163 | TIME: 4:03 | OUTCUE: "...soc"
April 18, 1997 - Fargo has two flooding problems: both along the Red River and overland flooding withstanding water. Officials looked at options for dealing with the situation Hope Deutscher reports.