April 11, 1997 - Residents of Breckenridge are preparing for round two of their battle with the Red River. The river is expected to crest again this weekend, as the community is still trying to recover from a mix of floodwater, rain and a blizzard. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat of birds chirping)
April 3, 1997 - The Minnesota Attorney General's office is investigating last week's closure of a Saint Cloud organization serving people with disabilities. Central Minnesota Care Centers, which included one of the state's eight Centers for Independent Living, appears to have been at least half a million dollars in debt. As many question how the financial crisis could have happened, state and county officials and former center staff are moving quickly to provide emergency services to affected clients. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
March 21, 1997 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board this week authorized the state's technical colleges to cut nearly 200 programs and lay off about 90 faculty members this fall. But, MnSCU officials say it's not as bleak as it seems. The board was required to approve tentative layoffs and potential cuts that may not happen. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 19, 1997 - The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is making a concerted effort to increase the number of dairy cows in the state. The Ag Department says Minnesota needs nearly 60,000 more cows for the state's dairy processing plants to run at full capacity. But family farm proponants say encouraging dairy farmers to expand their herds could come at the expense of small farms. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 7, 1997 - A special Midday broadcast from the studios of MPR station KNSR in Collegeville, MN, about the labor and economic outlook for outstate Minnesota. Studio guests are MPR Senior Business & Economics Editor Chris Farrell, and Economist Harold Lofgreen of the Minnesota Economic Development Center.
February 13, 1997 - With this week's legislative agreement to hammer out a plan for statewide testing of students, many Minnesotans are asking what will be done with the test results. One suggestion a conference committee will consider is proposed by a central Minnesota lawmaker. D-F-L'er Joe Opatz wants the tests to be used to gauge whether students' scores improve at each school, reward schools that show improvement, and provide help and possibly punish those that don't. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 7258 | TIME: 3:56 | OUTCUE: s.o.c. --------------------------------------------------------- S
February 10, 1997 - Master potter Richard Bresnahan wages a one-man campaign from his central Minnesota studio to tout the beauty and usefulness of clay pottery. Today in our Odd Jobs segment, we talk to the Collegeville potter who designed and built the nation's largest wood-fired kiln at Saint John's University, and the pottery studio on the edge of campus. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum visited Bresnahan in his earth-toned studio rich with the smell of indiginous clays, where he was starting his day preparing slip, the watery clay mixture vital for throwing good pots.
February 6, 1997 - A debate over a proposed large-scale dairy feedlot west of the Twin Cities moves to the courtroom today. A Wright County environmental group is suing the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, arguing the MPCA should do further study on the potential environmental effects of what could be Minnesota's largest dairy farm. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
February 4, 1997 - Housing officials in Saint Cloud have been searching for three years to find a new site for the community homeless shelter. Few dispute that the current 15-bed shelter is too small for one of Minnesota's fastest-growing areas - it turned away more than a thousand people last year - and its century-old building is deteriorating. Yet each time a site is considered, neighbors say they don't want it located next to them. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
January 29, 1997 - MPR's Laura McCallum reports on the The Minnesota Twins nearing the end of a statewide road trip to more than 70 communities across the state. The Twins' Winter Caravan has been around for years as a way to thank fans and stir up support, but this year it's much larger than in the past…and with it concerns over the possibility of pitching a proposed new Twins stadium to captive student audiences during a school visit.