May 15, 2003 - If you want to become a State Patrol trooper in Minnesota, there's only one way. Every recruit goes through intense training at Camp Ripley north of Little Falls. The State Patrol's training academy lasts 16 weeks and is followed by months of extra on the job training. The State Patrol wants to train more recruits to fill open trooper positions. But in these tight budget times, that's not likely to happen. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
May 1, 2003 - Police today (Thursday) said there are connections between two recent brutal crimes in Minnesota. Authorities in Long Prairie say they have two suspects in custody in Monday's killing of a mother and her two teenage children. Meanwhile police in Minneapolis say the same two men are suspects in a double murder two weeks ago in northeast Minneapolis. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post reports.
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April 16, 2003 - State agriculture officials say Minnesota could benefit from a new wave of European immigrants, but isn't. Many European dairy farmers are selling their farms and moving to the United States. Current law however keeps those farmers from buying land in Minnesota. Agriculture officials want to change that. They say European farmers have the desire to buy failing Minnesota dairy farms. But some say the state shouldn't lay out the welcome mat for foreigners, while Minnesota dairy farmers are struggling. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has this report.
February 4, 2003 - Dairy farmers say the past year has been a tough one. Farmers are have been getting paid between 9 and 11 dollars for 100 pounds of milk for over a year. That's less than it costs farmers to to produce the milk. Dairy experts don't think relief will come for months. Analysts say the low prices are caused by a supply and demand problem. There's too much milk on the market, and not enough consumer demand. Whatever the reason, the low prices have forced farmers to become smarter business owners. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
January 6, 2003 - In an age when many patients complain about paying too much money for too little time with their doctors, a Central Minnesota physician is trying something different. Dr. Susan Rutten (RUTTON -- like Button) considers herself an old fashioned country doctor. Rutten makes house calls, and her patients pay her in cash. And even though she doesn't take insurance, she provides affordable healthcare by keeping her costs low.
December 26, 2002 - An anthropologist from Norway is studying the descendents of Norwegian immigrants in west central Minnesota. Sarah Lund wants people in her country to understand why Norwegian immigrants came to America and how they lived. Lund is focusing her research on the Norway Lake community north of Willmar. Sarah Lund grew up in Wisconsin, but she moved to Norway more than 30 years ago. Lund is an anthropology professor at the University of Oslo.
December 19, 2002 - Officials at the St. Cloud Times are suprised at the number of visitors to their Web site. The site gets as many hits as newspapers in larger communities. Part of the popularity is from a part of the site called "Story Chat". It's a special system that lets readers comment on specific stories. The St. Cloud Times is one of a handful of newspapers nationwide using the system. They say it allows readers to closely interact with the newspaper. But the conversations can get heated and sometimes offensive. And that has some questioning the value of "Story Chat". Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
October 1, 2002 - Officials with St. John's Abbey have settled a dozen cases of clergy abuse. The cases from the 1960's, 70's and 80's all involve monks from St Johns. The victims will receive a payment from the Abbey, although the amount isn't being made public. Both sides say the most important part of the settlement is the formation an independent board of review. The board will be appointed by victims and will investigate accusations of abuse. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has more in this story. The leader of St. John's Abbey, Abbot John Klassen, publicly apologized to those abused by monks at St. John's.