January 11, 2002 - A University of Minnesota professor is in Antarctica working to preserve three huts built by the continent's early explorers. Microbiologist Bob Blanchette is studying the slow deterioration of the wooden structures and testing different types of preservatives. The explorers Sir Ernest Shakelton and Robert Scott set up basecamp in the huts in the early part of the 19th century, when they both launched multiple expeditions on the continent. Scott reached the South Pole in 1912, but died on the return trip. Blanchette says the Scott hut is filled with materials his team left behind:
January 9, 2002 - No individuals are more changed, perhaps, then the people who lived through the events of that day. And although most of the state watched the attacks unfold on their television screens, a handful of people with Minnesota connections were caught in the middle of the horror. We asked three of those witnesses to tell their stories. You'll hear from a Minnesota economist who was at World Trade Center for a conference; A Minneapolis woman who was visiting a critically ill friend who lives in a residential building across the street from the World Trade Center Complex; And from a man who grew up in South Minneapolis and now owns an apartment six blocks north of where the Towers used to stand. What follows is their first hand accounts of September 11th and how their lives have changed since.
January 3, 2002 - The mild winter is putting stress on at least a third of Minnesota's lakes. The state's shallow lakes need severe winters to kill their fish populations. Last winter sent lakes into a deep freeze, and DNR officials were hoping for a repeat performance this year. Nicole Hansel-Welch is shallow lakes program coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. She says partial freezes only kill predator fish, which upsets the lakes' delicate balance:
January 2, 2002 - The Minnesota native, along with Norwegian explorer Liv Arneson will begin a kayak trip in mid-May that will take them from the North Shore of Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence Seaway.
January 1, 2002 - R.T. Rybak talks about how St. Paul and Minneapolis needs to come together and put aside the jokes, housing in Minneapolis, and how things need to change at City Hall.
December 31, 2001 - St. John's University in Collegeville is home to the largest woodburning kiln in North America. The kiln holds more than 5,000 pots in its three chambers. A new book called "Body of Clay, Soul of Fire" tells the story of the kiln and Richard Bresnahan, the local potter and teacher who helped build it. Bresnahan grew up in North Dakota and studied ceramics at St. John's in the early 1970s. He earned the title "master potter" during a four-year apprenticeship with a thirteenth-generation potter in Japan. Bresnahan says that in order to understand why the kiln works so well, you have to understand what it DOESN'T do well:
December 28, 2001 - The latest batch of economic data shows a big rebound in consumer confidence AND a surge in new home sales. The jump in consumer confidence surprised analysts who were expecting a slight dip. The index is closely watched because consumer confidence drives consumer spending, which accounts for about two-thirds of the nation's economic activity. Meanwhile, the Commerce Department says new-home sales rose 6.4 percent in November. That's the largest increase in almost a year. Economist Louis Johnston with the College of St. Benedict and St. Johns University says a surprising number of homeowners are taking advantage of the Federal Reserve's 11th interest rate cut.
December 26, 2001 - Shoppers crowded malls today to exchange gifts or look for bargains. The main parking lot at Rosedale Shopping Center was full by 10 o'clock this morning. Retailers are counting on a post Christmas rush to make up for disappointing holiday shopping figures. Steven Roorda (ROAR-dah) is a Senior Equity Analyst with American Express Financial Advisors in Minneapolis. He says overall sales this season are off about four percent from last year:
December 21, 2001 - Two Minnesota Congressmen have heard new details of how terror suspect Zacarias Moussaoui raised suspicions at the Pan Am International flight Academy in Eagan. Congressmen Jim Oberstar and Martin Sabo met with representatives from the flight school in their Washington offices earlier this month. The flight school instructor who first called the FBI said he told agents he was concerned Moussaoui might want to use a jet as a weapon. Congressman Sabo says there were a number of things about Moussaoui that seemed out of the ordinary:
December 18, 2001 - Minnesota will be well-represented on the U-S Women's Olympic hockey team. Five women with local ties have made the final roster. Natalie Darwitz of Eagan, Krissy Wendell of Brooklyn Park and Gopher defender Courtney Kennedy were named to the team. Karyn Bye, of River Falls, Wisconsin and Jenny Potter of Eagan will also play for team U-S-A. Potter is a veteran of the Gold-medal winning 1998 U-S Women's Hockey team. She says she's looking forward to competing on U-S soil: