Newscasts
PNS Daily Newscast - April 7, 2020
Wisconsin holds its presidential primary today, despite late action by the governor to try to postpone it. And public assistance programs are overhauled in response to COVID-19.
2020Talks - April 7, 2020
Today's the Wisconsin primary, although Democratic Gov. Tony Evers tried to delay by executive order. A conservative majority on the state Supreme Court blocked the delay, after the Republican Legislature previously stymied similar efforts.
Public News Service - MN: Rural/Farming
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Starting Wednesday, Minnesota public schools will be closed for several days, and more people will work remotely because of coronavirus concerns. That has renewed calls for more broadband internet access in rural areas. The state recently announced additional investments to esta
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota officials are calling attention to a recent wave of fatal farm incidents -- and they're urging farmers to take safety precautions when working in grain bins. Gov. Tim Walz has declared this week "Grain Bin Safety Week" in light of several fatalities in Minnesota and acr
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Minnesota is seeing an increase in methamphetamine activity, a drug that was viewed as a major problem 20 years ago. A research group says boosting access to mental health care might stop the drug's comeback. The opioid crisis has commanded the attention of law enforcement and
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A federal lawsuit was filed this week over recent changes to how safety inspections are handled at pork processing plants. It follows a separate federal suit filed in Minnesota last fall. In 2019, the U.S. Department of Agriculture revised how inspections are handled at slaugh
ROSEAU, Minn. -- Small towns in Minnesota are scrambling to fill the void left by national chain stores pulling out of rural areas. Unlike in urban areas, there are fewer options for rural consumers when a retailer shuts down. The impact of losing chain stores was especially felt when Shopko, whic
ST. PAUL, Minn. - A new report says local governments in Minnesota and elsewhere should be more proactive in buying up undeveloped flood-prone land. Researchers say that would be more cost effective than spending money on flood recovery. The study was co-authored by The Nature Conservancy in Minne
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Extreme rain events and wide swings in temperatures are just some of the climate-change threats facing Minnesota farmers. And their advocates say federal policymakers need to do more to make sure farmers are protected from crop losses caused by changing weather patterns. Th
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Thanks to renewed funding, Minnesota farmers will continue to see rewards for steps they take to control pollution and minimize runoff from their land into local waterways. A statewide voluntary program that offers landowners financial incentives for reducing pollution has r
