February 24, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from community room at City Hall in Thief River Falls. Mark Steil hosts a discussion on farm crisis and its impact on small towns with guests Howard Pearson, Pennington County Extension Agent; and Bob Bergland, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
February 15, 1999 - It's been nearly two years since the flood of '97 washed through the Red River Valley, chasing thousands of people from Grand Forks and East Grand Forks and causing widespread destruction. For many the flood is quickly sliding into history. The communities are busy rebuilding. but an alarming number of residents are now struggling with financial and emotional debt. Mental health workers say there is an epidemic of depression.
February 11, 1999 - When the Minnesota Timberwolves take on the L.A. Lakers Thursday night, some amazing athletes will take the floor... but they won't be playing the game They'll be the halftime entertainment. The FM Acro Team... that's F.M. as in Fargo-Moorhead regularly draws standing ovations in arenas around the country for its show gyMinnesotaastics performances.
February 9, 1999 - Later this morning Minnesota Public Radio will broadcast a conversation between residents of north Minneapolis and Crookston. You might think a small rural Minnesota community and inner city Minneapolis would be much more different than alike. But folks in the northwestern community of Crookston and people in North Minneapolis say they've found common ground.
February 5, 1999 - Snowmobiling is big business in Minnesota. About 70 percent of the 200-thousand snowmobiles sold last year were made in Minnesota. The sleds are sleek and fast with hi-tech suspension and built in handwarmers. It's a long ways from the humble roots of the snowmobile industry. Thirty years ago snowmobiles were little more than a motorized metal sled. Those early machines are now in great demand. Collecting and restoring antique snowmobiles is becoming an industry all its own.
January 25, 1999 - Farm advocates from around Minnesota will be in St.Paul this week to talk with lawmakers about farm problems. In northwestern Minnesota a new program called Farm Wrap offers legal, and financial advice to farmers on the edge. Perhaps more importantly, the Farm Wrap gives desperate farmers a place to turn.
December 22, 1998 - In the next couple of months farmers around the region will be asking bankers for money to plant next years crop. Nationally, the Farm Credit System reports more than one billion dollars in bad farm loans this year. In Northwestern Minnesota, some experts say 60 percent of farmers may not qualify for financing next year. That's causing sleepless nights for farmers and lenders. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson talked to one lender on the front line.
December 21, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the lefse industry in Minnesota.
December 17, 1998 - The crumbling farm economy in Northwestern Minnesota is starting to erode local government budgets. Polk county commissioners are struggling to balance the county budget. It appears employee layoffs and reduced services for county residents are inevitable. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports. Polk county tax revenue took a big hit when hundreds of East Grand Forks homes were washed off the tax rolls by the flood of 1997. But its budget problems started long before the flood. For the last half dozen years Polk county commissioners took the path of least resistance. They held down tax increases by trimming a l
December 4, 1998 - U-S trade officials say an agreement announced today will mean fairer and more open agricultural trade with Canada. The trade pact will remove many restrictions on U-S farm products going north. But many midwestern farmers are unimpressed. They plan to go ahead with a weekend border blockade. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports. The deal calls for increased monitoring of Canada's wheat sales and fewer restrictions on American grain and livestock moving north. U-S agriculture secretary Dan Glickman says the agreement will help