My main challenge with this story was getting an interview with Senator Dibble. We played phone tag for a while, which was frusterating because I wasn't really sure what direction the story would take until I spoke with him. Once I was able to get a hold of Dibble, I was able to get a better grasp on what his motivation was with the bill. He was very informative and dumbed down some of the technical stuff for me - which I appreciated.

I also had trouble thinking of other people who might want to comment on a possible light pollution restriction. An astronomer from the University of Minnesota astronomy department was able to give me some good insight and background on light pollution and its drawbacks.

Even though my interviewees dumbed down the technical stuff for me, writing the story was difficult because I found it difficult to then put these ideas in my own words. It was very difficult to explain the different types of lights, and how the light would be directed in a different direction under the possible new restriction.

I think this would have made an interesting visual story, but also a challenging one. Taking pictures of the different types of lights would have made the story easier to understand. Although, considering this is a story about light pollution (at night) it would have been difficult to get pictures (well, at least for someone like me, who isn't particularly good at night pictures). I would definately have liked to get Dibble on tape. He was a good speaker and I think would have provided some nice sound bites. Getting audio would be difficult for me, unless I interviewed him in person, but it would have added to the story.

I think the only ethical concerns I would have with using audio and pictures with this story would be if I didn't warn Dibble ahead of time that I was recording him and then posting the audio online. I think a reporter should always be upfront with his or her interviewee.

Dibble, a Democrat from District 60, introduced a bill on March 8 that would restrict outdoor light pollution in Minnesota.

The legislation would place light pollution standards on the installation and replacement of publicly funded outdoor lights.

If passed, the bill would require that new or replacement fixtures emit no more than 2.5 percent of the lamp’s light above the horizontal plane from the lamp’s lowest part. According to Dibble, in laymen’s terms this means that publicly funded light fixtures would direct the light downwards rather up into the sky.

The restriction would apply to several types of outdoor light fixtures including billboards, streetlights and searchlights. The limits would not be applied to motor vehicles or lighting for operating airplanes.

According to Dibble, his reason for wanting to reduce light pollution is twofold. “I want to reduce light pollution so folks can enjoy the night sky, but also because it saves energy,� Dibble said. He also said that if the bill passes, the state could save money because it wouldn’t be wasting energy lighting the night sky.

According to the International Dark-Sky Association, light pollution wastes energy and is harmful to nocturnal wildlife and ecosystems.

In the bill, Dibble defines light pollution as “the night sky glow caused by the scattering of artificial light in the atmosphere.

The glow caused by light pollution is the bane of astronomers and backyard stargazers alike. Liliya Williams, an associate professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota, says that light pollution makes observing the stars very difficult in the Metropolitan area.

“Even on a clear night in the Twin Cities, you can only see a few stars, whereas in the countryside you can see thousands,� Williams said.

Dibble said that restricting light pollution is not a new idea, and that Canada and several states in the southwestern part of the United States already have light pollution restrictions in place.

“If we pass this, we won’t be at the forefront, we will be joining part of a growing movement,� Dibble said.

According to Williams, Arizona in particular has been very successful at reducing light pollution. “In Arizona, where there are large telescopes, municipal authorities are very aware of light pollution, and all of their street lights are directed downwards,� Williams said.

According to Benjamin Braus, Dribble’s legislative assistant, the bill has met little opposition since it isn’t requiring the state to build something new – just replace its current light fixtures with more efficient ones.

An editorial in the Minnesota Daily states that the findings will give Minnesota Democrats the ammunition they need to demand tax reforms.

Pawlenty’s people say that they think very few people would argue that Minnesota’s taxes are too low. The Minnesota Daily editorial states that according to the US Census Bureau, Minnesota is ranked fourth nationally as having the highest state and local taxes per capita.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/20/taxstudy/
http://www.mndaily.com/articles/2007/03/22/71210

According to Minnesota Public Radio, opponents of the bill say that it is wrong to ban foreign made flags. They contend that foreign flag-makers might ponder American ideals as they sew the star spangled banner.

The bill passed after an anti-flag burning amendment was stricken from the bill.

WCCO reports that Representative Larry Howes, a Republican from Walker, MN, made a speech before the vote in which he said among his ancestors was Betsy Ross, the woman who supposedly sewed the first American flag with stars and stripes.

The bill passed 83-46

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/15/flagbill/
http://wcco.com/politics/local_story_074135003.html

According to CNN, the imams were taken off the flight after passengers thought they were acting suspiciously. The CNN story links to a previous story written around the time of the incident. This story examines the suspicious behavior in more depth. There is also a video that shows the imams arguing with ticket agents at the Minneapolis airport after they were removed from the flight.

A Star Tribune article states that the imams claim they were discriminated against and that the airline violated their civil rights by detaining them without probable cause. In their suit they say that they “incurred emotional and economic distress� from the incident.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/1049823.html
http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/03/13/imam.suit/index.html?eref=rss_topstories
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/11/21/passengers.removed/index.html

Back in December 2006, MPR reported that renewed interest for the line is due to a combination of factors; Duluth is more of a tourist destination today than it was when the line closed in 1985, there is more congestion on I-35, and there wasn’t a casino in Hinkley.

Opponents of the project worry about funding – but according to the MPR article, Northern Minnesota is in a good position to receive transportation funding since the district’s U.S. representative, Jim Oberstar, is the chairman of the House Transportation Committee.

http://wcco.com/politics/local_story_070162057.html
http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/11/duluthrail/

The Lacrosse Tribune reported that of the 32 U.S. governors that have visited Iraq, Pawlenty is the only one to have made the trip three times.

Margaret Anderson Kelliher, the Minnesota House Speaker, said that she didn’t see any problem with Pawlenty’s trip, especially since there isn’t much going on at this point in the legislative session.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/07/pawlentyiraq/
http://www.lacrossetribune.com/articles/2007/03/11/mn/1m.txt

After running several tests, Scott Anfinson, the state's archaeologist, said that none of the stones appear to be man-made.

Anfinson's report states that , Minnesota was a "very uninviting environment" during the Late Glacial age, making it unlikely there was human life present.

http://www.kare11.com/news/ts_article.aspx?storyid=246333
http://wcco.com/local/local_story_064182158.html

On May 11th, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state. Today, there is a planning committee called the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission which has over 40 events planned for the celebration. These will focus on innovation, health and wellness, arts and education.

Several cities across Minnesota will also be celebrating their Sesquicentennial. WCCO reports Fairmont, MN is tidying up the town, with several projects vying for funding.

http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/01/mn150th/
http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_039072410.html

According to the Star Tribune article, "Tough campaigning, and not," Clinton emphasized the fact that she is the only female 2008 presidential contender.

The Pioneer Press article, "Clinton tests Iowa" expanded on Clinton's highlighting of her role as a female candidate.

"Clinton, who is leading her Democratic rivals in national polls but not in Iowa, sought above all to spur excitement over her status as the only major female candidate."

Clinton told the crowd that she hopes people will vote for her based on her entire life and her experience also said that being a woman and a mom is part of who she is. This resonated with one audience member who yelled, "you go, girl!"

Bachmann made headlines when she intercepted President Bush for an autograph as he walked up the aisle after his speech. After getting the autograph, she proceded to grip his shoulder for a full 24 seconds before she reeled him in for a big kiss on the cheek.

The Star Tribune reported that the Bachmann/Bush encounter kept bloggers and radio commentators busy Wednesday. Local TV station KSTP posted a video clip of the kiss on their website and said by the end of the day, it had been viewed over 400,000 times.

In a Pioneer Press article http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/16538801.htm, KSTP news director Chris Berg said the station was surprised at how popular the video was.

"The 'Morning Show' people are the ones who put it in the newscast and did a quick story on it because it was just unusual to see a sitting congresswoman have her hand on a president's shoulder for such a long time," Berg said. "And that just struck a chord with (anchor and reporter) Tom Hauser and our executive producer."