November 20, 2013 - MPR’s Dan Kraker reports that after more than a decade of falling water levels, Lake Superior is on the upswing. For 14 years, water levels in Lake Superior, the world's largest freshwater lake, remained below their long-term average, the longest stretch of below-average levels in recorded history. The big lake reached its all-time low in 2007.
August 17, 2015 - MPR’s Curtis Gilbert reports on Minneapolis city officials efforts to alleviate safety concerns of tap water for many in the Hmong community. Families will spend up to $50 a month buying water, because they don't trust what comes out of the tap in their kitchens.
May 19, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on the history of pollution in the St. Louis river in nortern Minnesota, and efforts now to clean it up.
September 9, 2016 - MPR’s Dan Kraker investigates the warming waters of Lake Superior. In late August 2016, the average surface water temperature for the entire lake hit 68 and a half degrees (the second highest ever recorded). In Lake Superior, researchers at the University of Minnesota Duluth have found that summer surface water temperatures have increased by 5 degrees over the past 30 years.
September 14, 2016 - On this MPR News with Tom Weber program, Ken Merryman discusses hunting for shipwrecks in the Great Lakes. Merryman and others discovered the Antelope, a Great Lakes steamship, that sank in Lake Superior in 1897.
October 30, 2017 - MPR News Host, Tom Crann, presents the Brains On!’s podcast episode about Down syndrome on All Things Considered. Molly Bloom, host of Brain’s On!, interviews 10-year-old Fiona Harris and 12-year-old Ezra Harris from St. Paul on the topic. They are also joined by Brains on! Producer Marc Sanchez who explains the science behind Down syndrome.
October 31, 2017 - MPR’s Dan Kraker looks into the ongoing battle to control sea lamprey in the Great Lakes. It was one of the earliest aquatic nonnative species to invade the U.S., long before zebra mussels and Asian carp garnered headlines. Its also been one of the most destructive, wiping out lake trout populations.
August 14, 2018 - MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on unprecedented algae bloom along the South Shore of Lake Superior. Researchers are trying to figure out the cause. They suspect the bloom may be related to recent historic heavy rains and flooding that washed tons of sediment into the lake. Researchers expect to see more periodic algae blooms in Lake Superior, in part because of that increased water temperature, an effect of climate change.
September 7, 2018 - MPR’s Elizabeth Dunbar reports on the removal of common carp from Stieger Lake in Victoria, Minnesota. The fish have become a nuisance in some lakes because they're so good at moving around and destroying the habitats of more desirable fish species.
September 13, 2018 - An APM Reports documentary, titled “Hard Words: Why aren't our kids being taught to read?,” which looks at the science of teaching children to read, and the disconnect of that science with educators. It’s a battle between phonics and whole language theory…leaving millions of children unable to read.