August 25, 2000 - They're good for the garden, but in northern Minnesota's hardwood forests, earthworms are a regular menace. That's according to University of Minnesota-Duluth researcher Cynthia Hale. She says earthworms are killing tree seedlings by consuming duff. That's the layer of decaying plant matter on the forest floor, which seedlings prefer to grow in. She says there are two things you can look for in a forest bed to determine whether there is an infestation of worms.
August 24, 2000 - Are you ready to climb aboard something called the Slingshot? How about the Power Surge, Extreme or the Storm? These rides debut as the Minnesota State Fair opens. Such rides are usually safe, but things have been known to go wrong. Last year, almost 10,000 people were injured on amusement park rides. Bob Johnson, executive director of Outdoor Amusement Business Association, says there are plenty protections in place to make sure the rides are safe.
August 24, 2000 - A state study shows that half of Minnesota's low-income children in medical assistance programs aren't recieving primary or preventative care from their H-M-O's. Federal law requires certain developmental checkups for the kids, too, yet only 6-percent of the children and teens in these publicly funded programs are recieving such treatment. Mary Kennedy is assistant commissioner with the Department of Human Services. She says the children enrolled in these programs tend to be the ones who need preventative care most:
August 24, 2000 - The price of gas has gone up 10 cents in the last month and is expected to keep climbing higher. According to the Triple-A in Minneapolis, the average price of unleaded in the Twin Cities is $1.47 a gallon. That's up almost 25 cents from a year ago at this time. Triple-A spokeswoman Dawn Duffy says this latest jump shouldn't come as a complete suprise:
August 23, 2000 - Federal divers have found a large infestation of zebra mussels on the Saint Croix River. The mussels were discovered last week on the lower end of the river, north of Prescott, Wisconsin. It's the first significant foothold by the mussels in the federally protected river. Jay Rendall is the exotic species program coordinator for the D-N-R. He says the Saint Croix has been considered a high risk location because it is so close to the infested Mississippi:
August 17, 2000 - The athletes may get all the attention at the Olympic games. But behind the scenes, a 47-member U-S Olympic medical staff makes sure they are physically up to the challenge. Winning a spot on the medical team is no easy task... applicants must spend years volunteering with the U-S Olympic committee and then go through an intense evaluation process... and they must be willing to work for free. Park Nicollet chiropractor Andrew Klein passed the test and will head to Sydney with the team in mid-September. He says the pressure of preparing Olympic athletes for the biggest competition of their careers doesn't bother him:
August 16, 2000 - The cycle of boom and bust has long been a part of life in the American West. For the tiny town of Mountain City, Nevada it's bust time again. Over the years gold, silver and copper miners have come and gone. These days its the Forest Service that's leaving and that's got the tiny town wondering if it will be around much longer. Gregory Martin spent many summers in Mountain City as a child, visiting his grandparents and aunt and uncle who ran the town's only store. Eventually the aspiring young writer realized he should chronical the story of these real life characters before they and their town disappear. His new book is called "Mountain City."
August 15, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson talks with Ryan Olcott, founder of the rock band 12 Rods, about the group’s album “Separation Anxieties.”
August 10, 2000 - Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton broke ground today (THURSDAY) on the Mill Ruins historical park, a patch of Mississippi riverbank east of the Stone Arch Bridge near downtown. The sandy ground used to be the front line of the city's milling district, which led the world in flour production for 50 years. The tiny patch of riverfront was so valuable that competing mills touched each other and in some cases, shared outer walls. Today, most of the mills are gone. The few that remain are one street over and undergoing major rennovations -- most are being converted into high end lofts and condominiums. But the crumbled remnants of several mills still poke out of the ground below...and are being unearthed a little more each day by a team of archaeologists. Bob Clouse is with the Minnesota Historical Society. He gave me a tour of the park this week.
August 8, 2000 - The second season of W-N-B-A action in Minneapolis is coming to an end this week as the Lynx finish up with two games on the road -- tonight in Charlotte and tomorrow at Houston. In Sunday's final home game, Lynx leading scorer Katie Smith made two 3-pointers against Indianapolis, extending her league-record season total to 85. If she hits a three-pointer tonight, she will also grab the record of making three pointers in the most consecutive games. Smith won't have much time to rest once the season ends. She starts training next week with the U-S women's olympic basketball team, which is preparing for the September Games in Sydney, Australia. Smith says preparing for the Olympics will help soften the dissapointment of missing a trip to the playoffs: