May 15, 1997 - Another milestone in the post-flood recovery of Grand Forks occurred this week with the beginning of summer school at the University of North Dakota. The state's second-largest employer, U-N-D didn't sustain the level of flood damage suffered by the city's downtown, yet university officials say it will take several years for the campus to return to full strength. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat of Bobcat)
May 14, 1997 - As residents of Grand Forks clean up their flooded homes, many are having trouble finding electricians to repair damaged wiring. City officials are encouraging out-of-town contractors to come help meet the demand, but up to five-thousand homes remain without power. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... The level of frustration over Grand Forks' electrician shortage spilled over at this week's city council meeting. As city officials debated whether to waive a 105-dollar licensing fee for contractors from out of town, residents still without power got testy. Todd Nedberg, who owns property in downtown Grand Forks, urged council members to make it easy for electricians to do
May 12, 1997 - St. Cloud has become the first outstate Minnesota community to form a citizens review board to investigate complaints against the police department. The St. Cloud chapter of the NAACP led the call for the board, but it's reserving judgment on whether the board can effectively police the police. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
May 6, 1997 - It's a problem most parents can attest to: how to keep their children active and entertained, without resorting to plopping them in front of the television set. One Minnesota mom not only came up with some good activities for her energetic son, she got them published. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
May 5, 1997 - As part of the “Voices of Minnesota" series, this program features two interviews on personal stories of overcoming life struggles. MPR’s Laura McCallum speaks with Stanley Sahlstrom, retired educator. Sahlstrom focused his adult life in support of agriculture. MPR’s Dan Olson speaks with Giovanna "Mama D" D'Agostino, a philanthropist and restaurateur. Program ends with a call-in segment with Kathleen Maloney, the new executive director of the Minnesota Alliance for Arts in Education.
April 25, 1997 - (to run out of Koenig piece) I'm Laura McCallum in Moorhead. There's an on-going "reunion" of residents of Grand Forks and East Grand Forks taking place in the Moorhead State University ballroom. Evacuees can watch videos of their flooded town, have a cup of coffee, and check a wall covered by hand-written messages with people's whereabouts. A huge map of the community sits on an easel, and people who stop by mark the spot where their home is located. About thirty families from East Grand Forks, and nearly
April 24, 1997 - For families affected by flooding in the Red River Valley, their first stop may be the Salvation Army's disaster headquarters in Fargo. A vacant building near the West Acres shopping center has been converted into a makeshift supermarket with emergency supplies. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat) A f
April 23, 1997 - The first area of Grand Forks to be flooded was the Lincoln Park area bordering the Red River, where floodwater gushed over dikes and literally forced homes off their foundations. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum talked to three people from the Lincoln Park neighborhood, and has their stories... Pat Moen knows her home is ruined - she says she "used to live" at 501 Lincoln Drive. She hasn't been back since she was forced to evacuate last week, bu
April 18, 1997 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on a stressful week for residents of Southwest Fargo, where homes in the 500-year floodplain are threatened by rising water. Most of these homes are far from the Red River, and residents never imagined they'd be scrambling to protect their homes from overland flooding.
April 16, 1997 - There's no rest for the weary in Fargo-Moorhead, where residents are not only fighting the rising Red River, but now have to worry about overland flooding. Homeowners along the river can't stop shoring up dikes, and Fargo Mayor Bruce Furness says overland flooding now threatens homes in the southwest part of the city. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat)