August 27, 2002 - Foreigners have traveled to the Mayo Clinic for nearly a hundred years. Over time, patients from the Middle East have emerged as some the clinic's most important clientele. Traditionally summer brings visitors from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia to Rochester for treatment. But since September 11th, the number of visitors is down at least 50-percent. That's largely because international visitors face long delays in receiving visas for travel to the U.S. Mayo isn't the only local business missing out. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has this report.
June 4, 2002 -
May 30, 2002 - Plans for a wide scale deer hunt in Southwestern Wisconsin are becoming complicated. Last winter evidence of Chronic Wasting Disease was found for the first time east of the Mississippi River. Portions of three Wisconisn counties are now designated hot spot zones. At this point the plan calls for extermination of about 15-thousand deer. The Wisconsin DNR is bowing to public concern, scaling back plans for a summer hunt. But local residents are still not satisfied. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this update: BACKANNOUNCE: For more on this story, check our website at Minnesota Public Radio dot-org.
May 6, 2002 - This week we have a new Mainstreet Radio series, "Changing Currents." We'll look at a number of rivers and streams in our region. There are issues and challenges facing many of them. Our first few stories focus on the Mississippi. Over the last century the Army Corps of Engineers has transformed the Mississippi River. A series of locks and dams have made a reliable highway for commercial barge traffic. Many of the river's native species have suffered. None more so than the shrinking collection of fresh water mussels. The Army Corps wants to increase commercial river traffic. And the rush is on to save some species. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has the first installment of our series.
April 9, 2002 -
March 14, 2002 - The President of the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad was in Rochester last evening making the case for a 1and half billion dollar expansion. A few hundred people turned out to hear him defend a plan that could bring as many as 3-dozen high-speed coal trains through town. Two months ago a federal regulatory board approved the DME's upgrade. Rochester and the Mayo Clinic responded by filing suit in federal court arguing the ambitious project will hurt the city. Last evening's forum made it clear, this is an issue that will most likely be resolved in court. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports
March 12, 2002 - In the late 1800s, the railroad brought new residents to young cities and towns. Trains hauled carloads of crops to previously inaccessible markets. Soon industry followed lining the tracks like magnets. Now a new ambitious expansion plan from the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern railroad has many communities along the line contemplating their roots. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally continues our series "Tracking the Plains" with this report.
March 6, 2002 - The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees free speech and freedom of expression. Those protections extend to adult businesses. While pornography and strip clubs remain hot button issues, the legal debate has shifted. So has its location. The argument is no longer whether sex oriented businesses can exist. Now the question is how to regulate them legally as strip clubs and adult bookstores move to small cities and towns. Erin Galbally continues our series "Adult Entertainment Targets Main Street" with a report on the newest phase in the legal battle to regulate the sex industry.
January 30, 2002 - Today (WEDNESDAY) a federal board gave a green light to the most ambitious railroad project since the Civil War. The Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad now has official endorsement to proceed with its 1.4 billion-dollar expansion plan. DM&E intends to haul coal from Wyoming through South Dakota and Minnesota. However, before construction even begins, the project's next hurtle is expected to be in the courtroom. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.
January 21, 2002 - RUNNING MONDAY ATC - UPDATE WITH WEEKEND "BLACK HAWK DOWN" PROTEST NEWS AS NEEDED Somalia's former Prime Minister Ali Khalif Galaydh (Alee Ha-LEAF Ga -leye -D) is in Washington this week. There he hopes to meet with Pentagon officials about a potential U.S. led strike on Somalia. The East African country is a likely future battleground for America's War on Terrorism. Galaydh was ousted from Somalia's nascent transitional government more than two months ago. Since then Galaydh's traveled around the world, lobbying for peace and prosperity in his homeland. And he's had time to check in with his wife and three young children who live in Southeastern Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this report.