For decades, Americans have been fleeing the grit of city life for the serenity of suburbia. And while that trend still continues, a new pattern is emerging. The long commutes that are often part of suburban life are driving many people back to the city. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports from Chicago:
Month: June 1998
Midwest Power Shortage
As summer approaches, utility companies are bracing for possible energy shortages throughout the Midwest. And with many of the region’s nuclear power plants shut down, this summer’s energy crunch could be especially severe. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel reports:
Groups Gather to Discuss Alvar Protection
This week (week of June 8th), an international group of scientists, policy-makers, and conservationists will gather in Tobermory (TOE-burr-mor-ee), Ontario to discuss strategies for protecting one of world’s rarest and least publicized habitats—the alvar. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond reports:
Court Decision Gives Renewable Energy a Boost
Coal fired power plants produce two-thirds of the nation’s electricity. In the process, they emit millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other air pollutants. But a recent court decision in Minnesota may provide an incentive to embrace cleaner energy sources. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel has more:
Commentary – The Electric Frontier
De-regulation of the electricity industry is a wave that’s sweeping across North America. As Great Lakes Radio Consortium Commentator Suzanne Elston points out, it presents us with an unprecedented window of opportunity:
Business Waste Exchange
All around the country, efforts are being made to get businesses to take each other’s waste, and turn it into usable materials. In the past four years, material exchange organizations in Illinois, Minnesota, Ohio, and Ontario have aggressively pursued this angle in recycling. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Mieke Tonn visited one of these organizations and has this report:
Greens Enter Race for Minnesota Governor
A member of the Green Party has joined the crowded field of candidates for Governor of Minnesota. Only two other states – California and New Jersey – have Green candidates on the ballot for the top job. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Stephanie Hemphill profiles the Minnesota race:
Guide Educates Consumers on Food Additives
Americans are eating more and more processed foods. And that means that food labels are getting longer, as manufacturers add new ingredients to their products. But labels may not tell consumers much about those additives or how much the food was processed. To help educate themselves, consumers can now turn to a new guide to food ingredients. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Steve Frenkel has more:
Id Cards Track Exotic Fish
As the Great Lakes fishing season gets into full swing, an"exotic" ID card is being distributed to sport anglers all over theRegion. Its part of an research effort to track the spread of twoexotic species—the Round Goby and the Eurasian Ruffe (rough). The GreatLakes Radio Consortium’s David Hammond reports:
Utility Workers Build Osprey Nests
A threatened species of raptor is getting extraordinarycooperation from Wisconsin power companies this year. The Great LakesRadio Consortium’s Mike Simonson reports on how powerline workers arebuilding nests for osprey: