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Minnesota History

Preston, Minnesota: At a fork in the river

Preston, Minn. Population 1,460. It's a small town in Fillmore County in southeastern Minnesota. And it's facing some difficult decisions as it looks to the future -- balancing the need for economic development with the desire to protect its environment and its small-town way of life.

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Sioux Falls students finally get Joe Foss's message

Over the next few weeks, some of America's war heros will return home. The B-52 bomber crews from Minot, N.D., will be back at their home base. And B-1B bomber crews from South Dakota's Ellsworth Air Force Base will come back from Iraq. Heroes from past wars are launching a national program to talk to school kids. The program was founded by former South Dakota Gov. Joe Foss. The inaugural presentation was in Sioux Falls.

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No, No, Willmar!

We hear every day about how liberal American society has become. But not too long ago, parts of Minnesota were known for their hardline efforts to stop behavior now considered harmless. The Kandiyohi County Historical Society is hosting a display that looks back on that time. "No, No Willmar" profiles activities and items that were considered immoral and sometimes illegal. But some old-timers in Willmar say despite the community's efforts to appear straight-laced, they remember plenty of mischievous behavior going on.

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Freeman remembered at Capitol service

Former Minnesota Gov. Orville Freeman was remembered Thursday night at a memorial at the state Capitol in St. Paul. Freeman died from Alzheimer's disease. He was 84.

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The Homeland Project

St. Paul has the largest urban Hmong population in the world. They traveled thousands of difficult miles to get here. Now, the children of these immigrants, many born in the United States, are learning about the homeland of their parents. Recently, five Hmong high school students from St. Paul embarked on a two-week trip to Thailand and Laos. They called the trip the Homeland project. The students hoped seeing their parents' homeland would help them understand the deep cultural gap that separates them from their parents.

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Remembering Orville Freeman

Former Minnesota Gov. Orville Freeman, who served as agriculture secretary under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, has died. He was 84. His family says Freeman died last night of complications from Alzheimer's disease. He had been living at Walker Methodist Health Center in south Minneapolis. Minnesota's 29th governor was a Minneapolis native. He was a University of Minnesota football star, a Marine during World War II and a close friend of Hubert Humphrey.

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A look at the Minnesota hockey tradition

Mainstreet radio travels to Roseau, Minnesota for a live broadcast from the Roseau Memorial Arena. Host Rachel Reabe talks with four of Roseau's hockey legends: Brian "Butsy" Erickson, Don Ross, Aaron Broten, and Earl Anderson, and takes listener calls.

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Mendota Heights weighs the future of Pilot Knob

Mendota Heights is considering a developer's proposal to build town homes on a hill with a commanding view of the Twin Cities. Critics say the construction would alter the historic, sacred character of Pilot Knob.

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Author researches the history of black baseball in Minnesota

Baseball has a long history in Minnesota. The Twins have played professional baseball in the state for more than 40 years. Names like Kirby Puckett, Jacque Jones and Torii Hunter are familiar to most fans. But what about "Rat" Johnson, Bobby Marshall and Ted "Double Duty" Radcliffe? They've been forgotten. Now a new book documents the contributions of the men who helped open the door to America's pastime.

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A Mighty Fine Road

On October 15, 1852, the first train of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad traveled from Chicago to Joliet, Illinois. Two years later it would bring a delegation of East Coast journalists and dignitaries to the Mississippi River as part of the Grand Excursion to Minnesota. Over the next 50 years, as the Rock Island Line grew, it carried passengers and freight through 14 states and became part of the story of the American west. Then it inspired a song that has been passed from generation to generation. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal has traced the stories of the song and the railroad and discovered that together they tell quite a tale.

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