May 14, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Roberston reports that the floodwaters are starting to recede in the northwestern Minnesota town of Roseau. The Roseau River crested on May 14th at 25.3 feet, but then went down several inches from that level. That's welcome news for a town that was devastated by floodwaters just two years ago. Lessons learned from that flood helped keep the town mostly dry this time around.
May 13, 2004 - All Things Considered’s David Molpus talks with Mainstreet Radio’s Tom Robertson about how the town of Roseau is preparing for a flood event. The Roseau River has risen steadily following heavy rains this week. Governor Pawlenty will visit the Northwestern Minnesota town tonight as residents there fight to hold back floodwaters. Residents are hoping to avoid the disastrous flooding they experienced in 2002.
April 25, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports that about 1500 people gathered at a resort near Nisswa Saturday for the funeral of Dru Sjodin. The 22-year-old University of North Dakota college student was found dead near Crookston last weekend, five months after she was abducted from a Grand Forks, North Dakota parking lot. The funeral service was a chance for mourners to say goodbye to Dru, and to celebrate her life.
March 1, 2004 - 15 years after state officials signed gaming compacts with Minnesota's Indian tribes, 18 casinos have been built. They generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue, far more than anyone imagined they would. The state of Minnesota gets only a small sliver of that money and it's used to regulate the casinos.
February 10, 2004 - There are only a few places in the country considered hotbeds for emerging biotechnology industries and Minnesota isn't one of them. Governor Pawlenty hopes to change that with an initiative to strengthen a biotech corridor in the Twin Cities and Rochester. But some say biotech businesses could also spur economic development in rural Minnesota. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports that leaders in Bemidji are exploring ways to develop a mini biotech cluster of their own.
December 22, 2003 - Thirty years ago, Minnesota's timber industry was booming. But today, the industry is floundering. Recent mill closures and cutbacks in the industry have cost Minnesota more than a thousand jobs. Some say that's partly because prices for Minnesota trees are among the highest in the country. Industry officials say the state could ease the cost crunch. They want Minnesota and the federal government to open up more of their forests to logging. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports.
December 5, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports on the concerns over charter schools outside of the metro. There are 88 charter schools in Minnesota. While about two-thirds of those are in the Twin Cities, a growing number of charter schools are popping up in greater Minnesota. Supporters say starting charter schools in rural Minnesota is tough and they face resistance from school districts afraid of losing students.
November 19, 2003 - The community of Northome (NORTH home) is mourning the loss of one of its native sons. Army Staff Sergeant Dale Panchot (pan-SHAHT) died in Iraq Monday -- becoming the third Minnesotan to be killed in the conflict. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports... {
November 14, 2003 - Some people in northern Minnesota are frustrated over a new law regulating all-terrain vehicles. The law says it's illegal to ride an ATV on certain types of wetlands. But in Koochiching County on the Canadian border, most of the land -- more than a million acres -- is wet. County officials say the law needs to be changed. As Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports, some lawmakers agree...
October 23, 2003 - A recent study shows racial profiling occurs across Minnesota. In Bemidji, the study sparked renewed protests by American Indians. They've complained for years that Indians in the region are unfairly targeted by law enforcement. Now, some are demanding action. But law enforcement officials in Bemidji deny racial profiling exists. They say the study is flawed. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports... {