June 7, 2001 - MPR presents a report entitled Postcard From A Lynching, which looks at the history of a 1920 murder of three Black men in Duluth by a local mob. It’s a history that many in Duluth tried to forget… but others fought to bring the horrific lynching to light in the community and bring dignity to the slain men. [Content Warning: some content, language, and statements used in this story may be triggering to listeners]
May 24, 2001 - New census figures show Minnesota is getting older. And some parts are older than others. Aitkin County in the center of the state has the highest median age in the state, 46.5 years. Cook County in far northeastern Minnesota is second with a median age of 44. Main Street Radio's Stephanie Hemphill visited the Arrowhead to see how Cook County is coping with its aging population and preparing for increasing numbers of elderly peoplein the future. {
April 2, 2001 - Duluth's restaurant smoking ban - now three months old - is generating more controversy than ever. A few restaurants are openly defying the ordinance. Supporters of the ban say it just needs more time. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {Duluth's restaurant smoking ban has been complicated and confusing from the time it was first proposed. And oddly enough, both supporters and detractors agree on what's causing the biggest problem - the exemptions built into the law. Bars and bowling alleys are exempt. Restaurants that show a 15% loss of business can also get an exemption. To complicate matters further, after 8:00 at night, restaurants that are also bars CAN allow smoking.
March 14, 2001 -
February 19, 2001 - After Katie Poirier was abducted from a Moose Lake convenience store and murdered in May of 1999, many gas stations around the state upgraded their security systems. Some stores decided to close at night. The federal government doesn't require safety measures to protect convenience store workers, but the Minnesota legislature is considering new requirements. Last year a similar measure stalled, but advocates are trying again. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports a new version will be introduced today. There are lots of "if-onlys" after the death of Katie Poirier. If only she hadn't been alone in the store. If only she had been protected by a bullet-resistent barrier. If only the store had had a window for late-night customers to pass their money through without going inside. These are some of the recommendations the federal government makes to convenience store owners. But it doesn't require any of them. In Minnesota lawmakers are talking about ORDERING stores to use at least one of these safety measures late at night.
February 1, 2001 - Small towns all across Minnesota are trying to attract businesses to provide jobs for workers. In Cook County on the North Shore of Lake Superior, businesses are thriving but there aren't enough places for the workers to live. It's a problem that plagues many resort areas, and people in Cook County are coming up with some innovative solutions. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has the third in a series of reports about growth along the North Shore of Lake Superior.
January 31, 2001 - The North Shore of Lake Superior is one of Minnesota's favorite playgrounds. Just beyond the Lester River northeast of Duluth, it's a drive into wilderness. Small homes on large lots and a few motels dot the rugged rock shoreline, and the generous expanse of the Lake gives a feeling of solitude. But that may change dramatically in the next few years as a planned sewer line is laid down from Duluth to Knife River or even as far as Two Harbors. Advocates say the sewer line is needed because most of the individual septic tanks along the shore are failing, allowing raw effluent to drain into the ground water and the lake. But a sewer would allow more development, which critics say could irrevocably change the character of the North Shore, and actually bring MORE pollution to the area. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has the second in a series of reports about development along the North Shore.
January 10, 2001 - More than a thousand band members gathered at Mille Lacs Tuesday to hear their new chief executive's State of the Band address. Melanie Benjamin defeated former executive Marge Anderson last June. Her campaign stressed accountability and reform. Yesterday's speech amplified those ideas. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has this Mainstreet report. { Benjamin's central theme was courage. She reminded the attentive audience of the courage shown by past generations of Ojibwe. They were warriors in the past and in more recent conflicts ranging from the Great War to the Gulf War, and they defended their language, their religion, and their treaty rights.
December 28, 2000 - Health officials in Wisconsin and Minnesota are re-evaluating the effectiveness of efforts to get the word out about the dangers of mercury in fish. Mercury can cause developmental and neurological problems, especially in fetuses and young children. Most Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes are contaminated with mercury as a result of airborne pollution, and both states publish advisories indicating how much fish people should eat from various lakes. But a recent study showed only about a fourth of Wisconsin women of childbearing age know about the advisories. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. Mercury accumulates in the flesh of fish. The older and larger a fish, the more contanimated it's likely to be. Minnesota's advisories are lake-specific suggesting limits depending on fish size and the age of the consumer. For instance, it tells children - and women who might have children - they should not eat 20-inch or larger walleye from the St. Louis River near Duluth. And they should limit their meals of smaller walleye to one each month. But how are non-angling fish-eaters to know that? For years the advisories have been available with fishing licenses and at bait shops. The Wisconsin DNR's Jim Amrhein (AM-rine) says the word isn't getting from the anglers to their families.
December 20, 2000 -