August 18, 1999 - Huge white pines once covered the Great Lakes region. But turn of the century logging wiped out almost all the old growth pines and new diseases have taken a toll on the white pine grown in their place. Now foresters with the DNR have stepped up their efforts to replant white pine in large numbers. And as Kathryn Herzog reports, researchers are going to great lengths to ensure the trees will survive for centuries to come.
May 3, 1999 - Midday presents a Mainstreet Radio special report "Hidden Rainbow: The Changing Face of Minnesota." Program presents a series of reports on the state's growing minority population in outstate Minnesota.
April 8, 1999 - A federal judge has blocked Northern States Power Company in a lawsuit seeking financial damages from the federal government, for not taking the utility's nuclear waste. NSP says the government was legally obligated to remove the waste from its Prairie Island nuclear power plant by January 1998. Observers say the judges decision is a major setback for the nuclear industry as Congress debates action on the nuclear waste issue.
February 17, 1999 - MPR's Kathryn Herzog has this Mainstreet report on concerns of nuclear power plants and Y2K. Of all the alarming scenarios related to possible computer failures in the year 2000, perhaps most critical to public health is the safety of America's 103 nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the Y2K computer bug poses little threat to safety systems at nuclear reactors, but some nuclear power opponents say the utilities back-up plans for Y2K are not good enough to ensure the public's safety.
February 9, 1999 - When 911 operators recieved the call last December of a natural gas explosion in St Cloud, they immediatley called the Gold Cross ambulance dispatch in Rochester. Late last year, ambulance dispatch services in St Cloud were closed and operators at the Mayo Emergency Communications Center, which owns Gold Cross, took over. The push to integrate the state's emergency services has gained momentum over the past few years as companies try to consolidate resources and equipment.
February 3, 1999 - There have been many alarming scenarios disscused recently regarding possible computer malfunctions in the year 2000. Perhaps most dramatic is the chance of massive power failures leaving tens of millions of Americans in the dark. Power utilities and rural electric coops in Minnesota have been coordinating their efforts to prepare for possible y2k problems. And power industry analysts say the chances of a widespread power failure due to Y-2-K are remote .
January 1, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio's Kathryn Herzog pays a visit to one small town butcher shop, where business is making for some long days. Business at meat markets and butcher shops across the state is booming during holiday season. With pork prices as low as they've been in more than twenty five years, sales of pork are on the rise.
December 22, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Kathryn Herzog on rural gang activity in Foley, Minnesota. Herzog interviews a school principal, a health consultant, and a group of students about the issue.
December 14, 1998 - Four buildings in Saint Cloud were declared unsafe today after last week's gas explosion. The city's chief building officer says the buildings include two bars, a bail bond's office and a law firm. Investigators are assessing two others including the Stearns County Courts Facility Building this afternoon. It was business as usual in much of downtown Saint Cloud today as people headed back to work for the first time since Friday's natural gas explosion. As work crews continue to clean away debris, the Red Cross and other services are providing counselors for area residents and emergency workers to talk about the tramatic experience. They say the impact of the explosion and loss of life continues to sink in for the Saint Cloud community. Minnesota Public Radio's Kathryn Herzog reports.
November 24, 1998 - MPR’s Kathryn Herzog presents a Mainstreet Radio report on the lack of crop diversity on many modern Minnesota farms. Some farmers and agronomists are looking for ways to bring the diversity back.