May 3, 2001 - When the Minnesota Peace Prize awards are handed out tomorrow, a 19-year-old victim of a drive-by shooting will be among the recipients. But Bobby Brown does not see himself as a victim even though he is now confined to a wheelchair. He speaks out against gun violence to school groups and he conducts an annual basketball clinic with young kids in his neighborhood to help encourage teamwork. He offers his pointers from a wheelchair. In 1997, Brown was caught in the middle of a drive by shooting in South, Minneapolis:
May 1, 2001 - The Minnesota Department of Health is conducting a survey to locate people who may have been exposed to asbestos-tainted vermiculite in northeast Minneapolis. The search is focusing on people who lived near the W.R. Grace plant that shut down twelve years ago. Grace used vermiculite to manufacture attic insulation. The company disposed of heaps of excess vermiculite by posting a sign offering "free crushed rock." Many nearby residents carried off the pellets to fill their gardens. The Health Department wants to warn people about the possibility of asbestos-related illnesses showing up ten to forty years after exposure. Epidemiologist Jean Small Johnson works for the department and says they plan to contact six thousand residents, but the challenge will be finding people who have since moved away.
April 30, 2001 - The Mississippi River crested today in St. Paul at twenty-three point six feet. It's the third highest on record, and there's no relief in sight. A number of the state's rivers are expected to remain above flood stage for the next few weeks. As a result flood warnings continue in force for towns along the St. Croix. Residents of Afton were busy over the weekend securing levees stressed by excessive saturation. We spoke to Mayor Charlie Devine last Friday about the results of ground water saturation. Today, he said they sand bagged about four to five feet above and below the water in order to protect the levees:
April 30, 2001 - The high Mississippi waters are disrupting towns farther down stream. At Winona, the Mississippi crested for a second time on Sunday at 19-point-five feet -- slightly lower than last week's high. Flood waters are seeping under the city's roadway and creating sinkholes. Keith Nelson is Winona's Assistant City Manager for Public Works. He says the sinkholes are a result of the town's geography: Keith Nelson is Winona's Assistant Manager of Public Works.
April 27, 2001 - Minnesota rivers still face the threat of floods and with rains expected over the weekend, it will be awhile before waters recede. The Minnesota River at Jordan is expected to remain above flood stage for at least three to four weeks. In St. Paul, the Mississippi River could remain at flood stage for the next three weeks. And, the St. Croix crested today in Stillwater at its highest level since the record flood of 1965. The town of Afton is nestled alongside the St. Croix. In the past 24 hours they've stacked 12-thousand sandbags and today, mayor Charlie Devine ordered eight-thousand more. Water is filling basements in homes in the flood plain, and Devine has required the shutoff of septic systems.
April 25, 2001 - The University of Minnesota has hired an international expert in BSE, or what's commonly known as Mad Cow Disease to head its new Center for Animal Health and Food Safety at the College of Veterinary Medicine. As a veterinarian, William Hueston has devoted his career to understanding and tracking animal diseases here and in the United Kingdom. In the early Nineties, he led the charge to discover the risks of BSE affecting animals in the U-S. I asked him about the chances of it showing up in the states:
April 24, 2001 - NASA's mission control responsibilities were transferred briefly today while high school students in Isle, Minnesota simulated a rocket launch to Mars. Junior and senior science students in central Minnesota have spent the past few months learning about space exploration using curriculum designed by NASA. Junior Chris Anderson says the students only experienced a couple of minor computer glitches.
April 24, 2001 - Here in Minnesota, the weekend's heavy rains are adding increasing pressure to the stability of dikes and levees. The National Weather Service has predicted some Minnesota's rivers will crest a second time, although it could take another few days for that to happen. When the St. Croix crested in Stillwater three days ago, the river crept perilously close to the Dock Cafe. Owner Mike McGuire says right now the water is lapping over his restaurant's patio deck:
April 20, 2001 - This weekend, people around the world will ponder the condition of forests, fields, lakes and rivers in observation of Earth Day. Many local Earth Day events will focus on the Mississippi River. Bruce Johnson, executive director of the Rivers Council of Minnesota says the river is cleaner since the Clean Water Act was enacted in 1972, but there is still a lot of waste making its way into the basin.
April 19, 2001 - The Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers have crested in the Twin Cities area -- a bit earlier and lower than had been predicted. The Minnesota River crested southwest of the Twin Cities in Savage this afternoon at seventeen feet above flood stage. The Mississippi River crested in St. Paul this afternoon at 23.45 feet, nearly 9 and a half feet over flood stage. Ted Vanderbeek of the St. Paul Fire Department says the city was well prepared for the high water this year. But he says it will be a while before things return to normal.