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.
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 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.
May 21, 2007 - Rochester has one of the largest Somali refugee populations in the state. In the city's public high schools many Somali students struggle to find their way. Refugees arriving in the last five years frequently come with little education. Teachers and the kids try to make it work. But Minnesota Public Radio's Sea Stachura reports the results are mixed.
April 25, 2007 - MPR’s Sea Stachura reports on new poetry collection "Where One Voice Ends Another Begins: 150 Years of Minnesota Poetry." Stachura interviews a poet and editor of collection.
April 2, 2007 - MPR’s Sea Stachura talks with Minnesota poet Leslie Adrienne Miller about her poetry book based on 18th century anatomy drawings.