May 23, 2003 - People living around Shell Lake in northwest Wisconsin are getting frustrated. The town has always been a popular vacation area, and now many people are turning their cabins into year-round homes. But the lake has flooded. Several families have been forced to move. Others are depending on sandbags and pumps to protect them from the high water. A drainage system that's supposed to solve the problem, doesn't work. And there's no solution in sight. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {
May 23, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on birthday celebration for Bob Dylan at Duluth’s Armory building. A teenage Dylan was inspired by a Buddy Holly concert at venue.
May 19, 2003 - A month after the attacks on the World Trade Center, Congress passed the USA PATRIOT Act. It was designed to help federal authorities track down and stop potential terrorists. But librarians around the country are worried about how the PATRIOT Act might affect people who visit the library. Some say it's putting their privacy at risk. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
May 5, 2003 - Lots of people have a compost pile in the back yard. They throw their grass clippings and kitchen scraps in a pile and let it sit. Eventually it turns into rich black stuff that can be spread on the garden. In Duluth, folks have moved beyond the back yard pile. They compost on an industrial scale, using some surprising ingredients. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
April 15, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty took his no-new-taxes message to Duluth today. He spoke to a neighborhood business group. Protesters outside and business leaders inside expressed reservations about the governor's plan, but Pawlenty stuck to his message. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {
April 1, 2003 - Duluth's port director is retiring. Davis Helberg has been in charge of the Duluth Seaway Port Authority for 24 years. That makes him the longest serving port director in the Great Lakes, and second in seniority among all the nation's ports. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill talked with Helberg as he packed up his things, and found he's concerned about the port's future.
March 31, 2003 - Researchers from around the world are gathering in St. Paul this week to talk about the possible dangers in fibers in taconite ore. Those microscopic fibers are a lot like asbestos, and asbestos causes cancer. Some studies show the fibers in taconite cause cancer too. Organizers of this week's conference will try to determine once and for all whether taconite fibers pose a health risk. The answer could have a big impact on future mining projects, and the economy of northeastern Minnesota.
March 6, 2003 - The moose on Lake Superior's Isle Royale are some of the most closely studied animals in the world. Moose on the mainland of Minnesota are not so well known. There's more than 4,000 moose living in Minnesota's Arrowhead. Nobody's studied them at all. But a team of researchers is trying to change that. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill went along last week when the team was hunting moose to fit them with radio collars.
March 3, 2003 - The federal Environmental Protection Agency is getting ready to issue new rules about what taconite plants in Northeastern Minnesota can release into the air. But some environmental activists are upset that the new rules don't say anything about mercury. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
February 27, 2003 - The John Beargrease Sled Dog race starts near Two Harbors Sunday. Organizers had to postpone the race for a month, and move the start 20 miles north because there isn't enough snow. But the thin snow cover won't bother one musher. Dee Morris drove up from St. Petersberg, Florida with her nine huskies. It's her first race. It's also the first time her dogs have seen snow. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {