November 16, 2005 - Rob Schmitz6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, or 8:00714-514-2840Governor Pawlenty is flying to Hong Kong today (HE'S SCHEDULED TO ARRIVE AT 11:05pm CHINA TIME, THAT'S 9am OUR TIME), the final destination of his trade mission to China. Pawlenty is leading a delegation of more than 200 Minnesotans. He hopes to help Minnesota take advantage of China's fast-growing economy. But Pawlenty is not the only one on a trade mission in China right now. California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger is also there. You may remember Rob Schmitz, who was once a reporter here at Minnesota Public Radio. Now he's in China covering the Schwarzenegger trip, and he joins us now. --where is Schwarzenegger going?
November 18, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio’s Rob Schmitz reports the debate in Rochester over the police department's treatment of minorities.
October 3, 2003 - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is spending four million dollars to remove part of an island in the Mississippi River south of Wabasha. The project has attracted criticism from scientists who say the island is a crucial nesting site for a number of threatened species of turtles. Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz reports. {This sandy, windswept island is a desolate place; nothing about it is eye-catching. It's name, after all, is a number. But that doesn't stop Mike Pappas from nick-naming Island 42 'the Taj Mahal' of turtle nesting.
October 1, 2003 -
September 12, 2003 - Minnesota farmers are paying close attention to a trade dispute spurred by European Union restrictions on genetically modified, or "GM" crops. The EU placed restrictions on GM crops in 1998, citing a need to protect consumers. They've banned certain varieties of GM corn and just this year, required labelling of GM food. US trade officials say the restrictions are illegal protectionism. The US wants the World Trade Organization to intervene. Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz reports.
September 9, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty and State Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson visited the Southeastern Minnesota town of Mazeppa (mah-ZEP-ah) this morning to evaluate crop damage from this summer's drought. Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz reports. {Mazeppa Farmer Dale Stensland says as of the fourth of July weekend, things were looking good this year. Area farmers anticipated another bumper crop. But then, he says, trouble loomed.
August 20, 2003 - Most areas of the state have not received a heavy rain since the July Fourth weekend. The hot and dry weather since then has led to a sharp decline in the state's crop conditions. As Mainstreet Radio's Rob Schmitz reports, farmers are losing money with each day it doesn't rain. {Jeff Redalen and his fellow farmers have their eyes to the sky looking for what he's calling the "million dollar rain." After weeks of clear skies and warm temperatures, they need enough precipitation to prevent what could be a statewide drought. Redalen says a good rain at this stage in the season could save farmers millions of dollars in losses. Redalen's family grows over 500 acres of corn in the southeastern town of Fountain. A portion of the crop is starting to die, its brown color spreading over the fields each day.
August 7, 2003 - As peacekeeping forces enter Liberia, a conflict between Liberians in Minnesota is brewing. Some Liberians here accuse members of their own community of fundraising for rebel groups. These are the same groups partly responsible for the violence there in recent weeks. Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz reports suspicions of rebel ties have divided the Liberian community in the Twin Cities. {In his eighth floor office at the University of Minnesota,
August 1, 2003 - As peacekeeping troops wait to enter Liberia, there's another, less visible group, waiting in the wings in the United States. As MPR’s Rob Schmitz reports, many young Liberians are in school receiving training, and developing skills that they hope they can use to rebuild their homeland.
July 28, 2003 - This weekend marked the 156th anniversary of Liberia's indpendence. Each year, Liberian-Americans celebrate the day with a soccer game that is played at one of the several US cities they call home. This year, the game was held in Minnesota. But, as Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz reports, the escalation of violence this weekend in west African nation left some Liberians questioning the need for the game.