September 11, 2000 - In many northern Minnesota counties the state and federal governments own large amounts of land, and keep acquiring more. Its's done for the best of reasons, often to create parks or conservation and wildlife management areas. But the land acquisitions also create problems for county governments, by taking large areas off the local tax rolls. Counties have unsuccessfully tried to get the state legislature to limit public land holdings. The simmering dispute is coming to a boil in Roseau county.
September 7, 2000 - Thirty two year old Kevin Shores leaves Moorhead Saturday morning in his wheelchair, headed for the state capitol in St. Paul. He's making the 250 mile trek at four miles an hour, to draw attention to the so called Gulf War Syndrome. An estimated 200- thousand Gulf War vets are afflicted by a variety of mysterious debilitating maladies. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
August 21, 2000 - Agriculture changed forever in 1946 when the first herbicide, 2-4D, was introduced. Easy weed control meant higher yielding crops and less work for farmers. Many thought the endless battle against weeds was over. But in a growing number of cases, *54 years later* the weeds are winning. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
August 18, 2000 - About 75 people from a variety of backgrounds gathered in Moorhead today to get a taste of poverty. The poverty simulation, sponsored by the University of Minnesota Extension Service, ran people through a gauntlet of real life situations. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
August 9, 2000 - Grassland songbird populations are declining more rapidly than any other North American species, mainly because most prairie grasslands have been turned into farmland. Some of the prime nesting sites for the remaining birds are in eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota. Researchers there are combining old fashioned legwork and high tech equipment in hopes of learning ways to stabilize the population of prairie songbirds. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
August 1, 2000 - Explosives experts and federal officials are in Agency Village South Dakota this week, trying to dispose of thousands of pounds of dynamite buried near the village more than 60 years ago. Agency Village is located on the Sisseton Wahpeton reservation about 100 miles south of Fargo Moorhead. After one day of painstaking excavation at the site, and anxious waiting by evacuated residents, officials found no dynamite. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
July 26, 2000 - Some residents and business owners in Detroit Lakes are angry about increased water patrols this summer. They say D-N-R enforcement officers are harassing boaters in the area and scaring away tourists. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
July 21, 2000 - Federal, state and county officials, mining companies, and environmental groups are wrestling with a question, what's more important: rare native prairie, or the rich gravel deposits that lie beneath. Less than one half of one percent of native prairie remains in Minnesota, and some of the best is in Clay county. Growing demand for gravel used in the booming construction industry poses an unprecedented threat to the prairie. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.
July 13, 2000 - For several years farmers have been planting herbicide-tolerant soybeans and corn. The bio-engineered plants allow farmers to spray a herbicide that kills all but the tolerant plant. Now a seed company says it's developed the first strain of herbicide resistant wheat, and is also creating disease resistant wheat. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports
June 28, 2000 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the second day of Governor Jesse Ventura’s bus tour through northwest Minnesota. The Governor has been drawing big, enthusiastic crowds at every stop. His focus has been partly on recent flooding in the Red River Valley, but he's also been outlining his vision for the future of rural Minnesota.