Erasing History

GRAND FORKS, North Dakota: As the Red River continued to rise above its banks in some areas, the White House said President Clinton will tour North Dakota on Tuesday to assess the extent of the flood damage. One of his stops: Grand Forks, which lost several buildings, including the offices and newsroom of the Grand Forks Herald, after a fire raged through the area. The paper lost its entire microfilm collection, which dated back to 1879 and recorded almost all of the city's history. The firefighting effort was crippled by water as high as five feet between the buildings. The river was expected to crest at 54 feet Monday, 26 feet above flood stage. Upriver, the news was better: Fargo is starting to dry out as the Red River has receded more than six inches from last week's high. -- Taran Provost