July 30, 2001 - About two dozen young Japanese business people are spending the summer in Duluth. Every year the University of Minnesota Duluth helps up-and-coming executives adjust to American life before they enroll in top graduate schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 25, 2001 - This week in Duluth, local government officials, university extension agents, and others working on development in rural areas of the world have been meeting and exchanging ideas. This afternoon they heard from Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 23, 2001 - For families struggling to make ends meet, summertime can be a real strain on the food budget. Free lunches and breakfasts offered at many schools can provide more than half of the daily nutrition needs of children, and many children lose access to those meals during the summer. In Duluth's Central Hillside neighborhood, several social service agencies are teaming up to offer children not just meals, but activities and education about food. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 13, 2001 - Ecological economics is a relatively new field combining economics with environmental and social issues. A conference in Duluth this week is bringing together about 200 academics, business people, and government officials. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill visited with some of them to find out what ecological economics is all about.
July 11, 2001 - In Duluth tonight, the Parks and Recreation Commission hears public comment on a controversial proposal to build a golf course and lodge on Spirit Mountain. The Commission approved the $24 million project last month, but people opposing it are still hoping the development can be stopped. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
July 10, 2001 - MPR's Stephanie Hemphill presents a profile of Sam Solon, state senator from Duluth. He has represented the Duluth area in the state Legislature for 30 years, and has been successful in bringing state resources to his district for a variety of economic development projects. He now faces a personal fight…battling cancer.
July 9, 2001 - Where can you hear works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Darius Milhaud, (me-YOH) and Bernstein's (BURN-stine) "West Side Story" performed on the same Wednesday evening? In Duluth, of course. The Lake Superior Chamber Orchestra's adventurous artistic director and conductor Warren Friesen, says he programs concerts the way he fixes dinner -- tossing together a tasty variety of interesting flavors and textures. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill samples a few courses.
June 21, 2001 - Demographers and state planners are worrying about dramatic shifts in Minnesota's population, with younger workers moving to the Twin Cities metro area and older people concentrating in rural areas. Are small towns ready for an aging population? Will there be enough young people to take care of the older people? Scenic Cook County, along the North Shore of Lake Superior, has only about 5000 year-round residents. Nearly a thousand of them are older than 65. And many summer visitors are moving there to retire. As part of our "Aging Gracefully" Series Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill visited Grand Marais recently and found people are coming up with creative ways of meeting the needs of older residents.
June 20, 2001 - The tornado that hit the small Wisconsin town of Siren Monday night demolished the heart of the town's new tourism-oriented business district. Officials are still assessing the damage, but a four-block section of Highway 35 running through the heart of town is flattened. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill found most business owners ready to rebuild.
June 13, 2001 - Smoking in restaurants - and the prospect of outlawing it - is a hot topic in Minnesota. More and more communities are considering measures to ban restaurant smoking. Health advocates seem to be gaining ground, and there has even been a call for a statewide ban. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports, some restaurant owners are gearing up for a fight. {