October 9, 2008 - MPR’s Sea Stachura reports on Democratic Representative Tim Walz facing off against his challenger Republican Dr. Brian Davis in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District race. The two provided a stark contrast in style and approach in their first debate. Walz and Davis disagreed on energy, social security and healthcare.
September 5, 2008 - MPR’s Sea Staura recounts scenes of protest that started on the Minneosta State Capitol lawn and ended with the biggest number of arrests of any day during the Republican National Convention, being hosted at the Xcel Center in St. Paul.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Sea Stachura profiles 1st District Congressman Tim Walz as he prepares to run for re-election. The Republican Party thinks 1st District Congressman Tim Walz is one of the country's vulnerable freshman Democrats. One analyst says Walz has inoculated himself against a Republican challenger. But will it be enough this November?
October 15, 2007 - Three separate investigative teams are looking into the causes of the collapse of the I-35W bridge. Federal investigators aren't saying much about any of the analysis. A National Transportation and Safety Board spokesman says the board is still in the fact finding stage of its work. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports the process can be a long one and sometimes the findings are not as solid as investigators might hope.
August 20, 2007 - MPR’s Sea Stachura reports on more than 10 inches of rain that scoured parts of Olmsted and Houston counties. But the real damage followed the rivers as they gushed through towns like Stockton, Goodview, Minnesota City, Houston, Rushford, and La Crescent.
August 16, 2007 - As Minnesotans have increasingly learned over the last two weeks, a major factor in the deterioration of roads and bridges is vehicle traffic and its weight. One class of vehicles travels most of the state without any weight restrictions: farm vehicles. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports.
August 8, 2007 - A week after the I-35W bridge collapsed, Midday marks the occasion with a special one-hour broadcast featuring the latest on the investigation and the stories of the survivors. MPR’s Lorna Benson provides a remembrance of the 13 victims…Sherry Engebretsen; Artemio Trinidad-Mena; Julia Blackhawk; Patrick Holmes; Peter Hausmann; Paul Eickstadt; Greg Jolstad; Scott Sathers; Christina Sacorafas; Sadiya Sahal and two-year-old daughter Hannah; Vera Peck and her 20-year-old son Richard Chit.
August 8, 2007 - A bridge is thousands of pieces of metal and concrete. It's built to withstand all manner of weather and stress. And most bridges do exactly that. The Brooklyn Bridge has been carrying traffic for over 120 years, the Golden Gate Bridge for 70. So why did this bridge, the 35W collapse? Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura has more.
August 7, 2007 - MnDOT says the 35W bridge was fully capable of carrying the some 140,000 cars and trucks that used it at the time of its collapse last week. Transportation officials won't speculate on whether the amount of traffic somehow contributed to the failure of the bridge. However, the head of the University of Minnesota engineering department says increased traffic on a bridge experiencing fatigue will shorten its life span. When it collapsed, the 35W bridge was 40 years old, but its life span was predicted to be 50 years. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports.
August 6, 2007 - MnDOT says the 35W bridge was totally capable of carrying the some 140,000 a day that used it at the time of its collapse last week. At a briefing today, transportation officials wouldn't speculate on whether the amount of traffic somehow contributed to the failure of the bridge. However, the head of the University of Minnesota engineering department says increased traffic on a bridge experiencing fatigue will shorten its life span. When it collapsed, the 35W bridge was 40 years old, but its life span was predicted to be 50 years. Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports.