July 22, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally visits Andrea Een, a hardanger fiddler extraordinaire and a well-known music professor at St. Olaf College. To the untrained eye the Hardanger fiddle, Norway's national instrument, looks much like the violin. But the nine-string fiddle produces its own distinctive sound. That sound and the instrument will be celebrated at St. Olaf College in Northfield, where more than 300 hundred enthusiasts of the violin sibling are expected to attend.
July 16, 2003 - Funding for teen programs around Minnesota is dwindling as a result of the state budget crisis. As youth programs statewide reduce their services for things like housing and employment, there's growing concern no one's left to pick up the slack. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally reports: <
July 8, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio’s Erin Galbally looks into divorce in the Hmong communtity. Some Hmong say it's allowing women in particular to escape difficult marriages. But traditionalists worry about the long-term impact of the new trend on Hmong culture.
July 4, 2003 -
July 3, 2003 - Albert Lea has lost its bid for a 130-million dollar pork processing plant. Instead the facility, and as many as 2-thousand new jobs, will go to St. Joseph, Missouri. The news is the latest blow to Albert Lea's economy, which is has been floundering since a fire destroyed its Farmland Foods plant two years ago. Despite many attempts city officials have had little success luring new employers to town. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally reports: <
June 11, 2003 - The fate of the largest modern railroad expansion is now in the hands of a federal appeals court. A three-judge panel heard arguments today (WED) in St. Paul. The Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's 2-billion dollar expansion requires hundreds of miles of new and rehabilitated track. It's all part of a plan to haul coal from Wyoming through South Dakota and Minnesota. A federal board approved that plan early last year. But it remains highly controversial. And today (WED) opponents challenged the federal approval process. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.
June 11, 2003 - The future of the largest railroad expansion plan since the Civil War goes before a Federal Appeals court today (WED) in St. Paul. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad's 2-billion dollar project includes hundreds of miles of new and rehabilitated track. It's all part of a plan to haul coal from Wyoming's Powder River Basin through South Dakota and Minnesota. The federal government has endorsed the expansion. But that approval faces a challenge from a handful of communities and environmental groups. They argue the project should not proceed in its current form. We have two reports this morning on the legal proceedings and their effect on the railroad. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has the first installment:
May 23, 2003 - For outdoor enthusiasts the month of May holds special meaning. Birds return from their winter migration and wild flowers push up through the muddy ground. And for a two to three week window the Morel mushroom abounds in southeastern Minnesota. The mushroom is so prized by gourmet cooks that it entices hundreds if not thousands of avid morel hunters into the woods. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has this report: <
May 14, 2003 - At the end of the month a record number of Minnesotan's will be able to qualify to carry a concealed weapon. The recently passed law has become a controversial and emotionally charged issue around the state. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally reports on how people in Olmsted County are preparing for when the law goes into effect.
May 9, 2003 - The infection rate of new HIV AIDS cases in Minnesota has stabilized. But there's a troubling exception to that trend. The infection rate is growing among the state's African born immigrants. Between 2001 and 2002 new cases jumped 41-percent. In an effort to combat the rise in new cases, the Minnesota Department of Health has launched a special outreach program aimed at African immigrants. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.