July 20, 2000 - An expert in forensic dentistry says the single tooth and parts of a jawbone found in Donald Blom's firepit are those of Katie Poirier. Blom is charged with abducting and killing Poirier last May. The prosecution is trying to build its case against Blom hampered by the fact it has very little physical evidence. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { Testimony in the trial this week is focusing on the tiny bits of evidence found in the firepit on Donald Blom's property just outside Moose Lake. Forensic odontologist Dr. Anne Norlander told the court she believes "to a reasonable degree of medical certainty" the bone fragments and tooth found there belong to Katie Poirier.
July 12, 2000 - The public and the press will be excluded from some proceedings in the Donald Blom kidnapping and murder trial. The jury is due to hear opening statements today. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. { Judge Gary Pagliacetti ruled Tuesday that he will close the trial to the public during certain arguments when the jury is not present. That unusual move was opposed by three newspapers and a television station. Mark Wernick, president of the Minnesota Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, says it's a move to ensure a fair trial, specifically so the jury will base its verdict solely on evidence presented in court and not what they may hear, even inadvertently, in the media or from friends. .
July 5, 2000 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill catches up with a small band of environmental crusaders starting a planned walk around Lake Superior to bring attention to the need to protect the greatest of the Great Lakes. The walk is fulfillment of an the idea from Walter Bresette, a prominent Ojibwe activist.
June 29, 2000 - I {Organizers of the Women's Health Center say, if not for Dr Jane Hodgeson, more women would still be driving from northern Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Canada to the Twin Cities for abortions. Hodgson became a physician in 1939 - one of eight women in a class of 150. As an obstetrician-gynecologist, she says she learned from her patients about the tragedies that sometimes come from unplanned pregnancies.
May 18, 2000 - MPR's Stephanie Hemphill presents a Mainstreet Radio report on how a rural school is keeping local history alive. At North Shore Elementary School, just north of Duluth, the whole community gathers to celebrate their history. They've created a new curriculum for the school, and they're publishing a book.
May 12, 2000 - First there was the fish-cam, then the bear-cam…now visitors to the World Wide Web can see "Lake Superior Cam." A team of inventors have dropped a gadget into 30-feet of Lake Superior water just off Duluth. It will show anyone who's interested what's happening down there, 24 hours a day.