April 22, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports that some citizens in southeast Minnesota are upset the Department of Natural Resources has spent a million dollars to buy a farm bordering the Mississippi River. DNR officials counter the land is worth protecting, calling it a scenic treasure state residents will be able to enjoy forever.
April 15, 1996 - Many people say small government is better because its more accessible and can act quickly to solve problems, but local government has its own problems. Mark Steil of Mainstreet Radio highlights an example of that in the southern Minnesota town of Kasota, where quarrels with the city council and mayor might be every bit as nasty as those found in Washington D.C., turning neighbor against neighbor and leaving scars which can last years.
February 23, 1996 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports on new prison in Waseca, Minnesota. The former college campus has been developed into a low security federal correctional institution, but not without concerns from some local residents who see it as detrimental to community and property values.
February 1, 1996 -
November 10, 1995 - Midday presents a Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from Starbuck, Minnesota. Host Mark Steil looks back at the farm crisis of the 1980s. Program includes a chronology of the crisis, commentary from an economist, and various interviews of farmers and officials on the experience.
June 21, 1995 - A special Mainstreet Radio broadcast From the Chuckwagon in Cleveland, Minnesota. Host Mark Steil presents a report and panel discussion about controversy over large hog production. It’s a battle between efficiency and economical supply vs. concerns over environmental impact to rural residents and economic hardships to small farms.
March 27, 1995 - With Governor Arne Carlson’s desire to reduce state aid to local governments, Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports that small towns like Winona are being put in a bind. Local officials feel that state government should make staff and program cuts, rather than cutting municipal funds. They also recommend reducing waste, something cities feel they have already addressed.
September 8, 1994 -
August 15, 1994 -
June 23, 1994 -