Monday, October 19

Unless there is a last-minute settlement, attorneys for President Clinton and and for Paula Jones will argue before a U.S. Appeals Court panel in St. Paul Tuesday over whether Jones' sexual harassment lawsuit against Clinton should be reinstated. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

There's no doubt that media coverage plays a significant role in informing the public about medical and scientific breakthroughs. We hear about vaccines for AIDS, new drugs to cure cancer, and devices that can help a heart heal itself. But have the media created an unrealistic appetite for medical breakthroughs on a weekly or even a daily basis? Today at the University of Minnesota, The Medical Technology Leadership Forum held a conference on the media's role in communicating the promise and reality of new medical technology. One of the speakers was National Public Radio science reporter Joe Palca. We invited him to stop by our studios this morning to talk a little bit about how he decides which of the thousands of possible medical stories to cover.

Northwest Airline's dominance at twin cities international airport came under a microscope at a twin cities forum on competition in the airline industry today. An official with the U.S. Department of Transportation said fares are more than one-third higher than the national average. A Northwest official said a more sophisticated analysis shows the airline's market dominance and pricing power is overstated. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

Nitrogen is a big reason behind the bumper harvest just winding up in Minnesota this Fall. But nitrogen washing off Minnesota and other Midwest farm fields, scientists say, threatens the food chain in the Gulf of Mexico. Researchers believe when the fertilizer reaches the Gulf via the Mississippi River it causes oxygen depletion, creating a dead zone. Minnesota farmers have found ways to dramatically reduce the pollution. But scientists say the steps aren't enough to address the problem. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Republican Gubernatorial candidate Norm Coleman says a poll to be released tomorrow shows him trailing Democrat Skip Humphrey by just a single percentage point. The same polling firm showed him trailing by 20 percent a month ago. Assuming the poll is correct, Coleman says the tightening of the race is a result of Humphrey's criticism of his position on the family farm. "Farming" and "taxes" have been the two big themes of the campaign. Today, the candidates combined the two. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Collins has the highlights of today's campaigning.

A former candidate for Minnesota's Supreme Court says he would've won the primary if he'd been allowed to seek the Republican party's endorsement and speak on the issues. Greg Wersal and the State Republican party took that case to the federal appeals court today in St. Paul. At issue is whether Minnesota should retain its rules that bar judicial candidates from seeking party endorsements and from expressing their views on political and legal matters. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

African American history began in this country nearly four centuries ago; The first slave arrived in Jamestown in 1607. A new television documentary focuses on their first 250 years in this country, a period of slavery before the civil war. Public television stations around the country will start airing Africans in America: America's Journey Through Slavery tonight. Producer Orlando Bagwell says his four-part series looked at how the institution of slavery affected all Americans at the time.

A candidate for Minnesota Attorney General told business leaders today he'll shift the culture of the Attorney General's office to one that works with business rather than against it. Anoka Republican representative Charlie Weaver addressed the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce in a debate with former commerce commissioner and DFL Attorney General candidate Mike Hatch. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

The shareholders of Norwest corporation have approved the merger that will cost Minneapolis the headquarters of the nation's seventh largest bank. The approval came at a special shareholders meeting today in Minneapolis. The new company will take the Wells Fargo name and will be headquartered in San Francisco. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

The decision on whether Paula Jones' sexual harassment suit against President Clinton should be heard by a jury now lies with the Eighth Circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals. This afternoon a three judge panel heard from attorneys for Jones and for the President arguing for and against reinstating the lawsuit. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

A new Minnesota Poll published in the Star Tribune newspaper shook up the governor's race today. The poll indicates Norm Coleman and Skip Humphrey are practically tied, despite previous media polls that gave Humphrey a double-digit lead over Coleman. Some political veterans had already considered a Humphrey win a foregone conclusion. Today that's no longer the case, and although many Democrats dismiss the poll as inaccurate, everyone agrees the new numbers have injected some excitement into the race. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more.

Republicans feel their best chance at beating a congressional incumbent in Minnesota may be in the second district, in the southwest part of the state. Voters there generally lean toward the Republicans, but DFL'er David Minge has won the seat three elections in a row. Minge and Republican challenger Craig Duehring debated today in a broadcast by Minnesota Public Radio stations in Worthington and St. Peter. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Children who live with unrelated adults or stepparents are at a much greater risk of fatal child maltreatment than kids who live with one or both biological parents according to a new study by a Minnesota physician. Dr. Michael Stiffman practices family medicine at the HealthPartners clinic in Woodbury. His research analyzed the maltreatment deaths of 175 Missouri children. Stiffman says his findings show maltreatment deaths were six times more likely if there was a stepparent in the home and eight times more likely if there was an unrelated adult in the home.

It's been four months since Hennepin County and eleven other counties statewide opened juvenile court cases to the public. The action was prompted by the death of 3-year old Desi Irving of Minneapolis who died at the hands of her mother last year. Lawmakers wanted to open cases such as Desi's to public scrutiny to see if the system was doing an adequate job protecting vulnerable children. Commentator Jacqueline Hauser is the executive director of the non-profit group WATCH which monitors crimes against women and children in Hennepin County court. WATCH has recently expanded its vigil to include the juvenile cases now coming to light. We asked her to describe what she's seen.

In the mid-nineteenth century the developed world was in love with explorers. There was a special place in the popular imagination for the polar explorers, who went to the frozen wastes in wooden ships. Novelist Andrea Barrett explores such explorers in her new book The Voyage of the Narwhal. It's the story of an expedition told from the view point of Erasmus, the ship's quartermaster and scientist. The Narwhal sets off to try to find another set of adventurers which has disappeared. She says unfortunately for the crew, like everyone who followed in the wake of Sir John Franklin, it was harder and harder to discover something new. Barrett spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr about the curse - and responsibility - of being second.

Crime rates in many American cities, including Minneapolis, have dropped. Experts credit better police tactics, more officers on the streets, longer prison terms and less prevalence of crack cocaine. Crime has also dropped as a major issue in this year's election. Voters and politicians alike are seizing on issues such as lower test scores, high taxes, and access to health care. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen Louise Boothe reports.

Candidates for governor in Minnesota are turning to big names to help their campaigns. There are less than two weeks to go before the general election. Minnesota Public Radio's political editor, Bob Collins has details of today's politics in Minnesota.

The race for congress in Minnesota's 7th district has been a quiet affair this year. Incumbent Democrat Collin Peterson is running for a 5th term. His Republican challenger is Aleta Edin, a farmer from Upsala. The candidates debated today on Minnesota Public Radio in Moorhead. Dan Gunderson reports.

All this month fans of the ridiculous have an opportunity to catch up on their Terry Gilliam. Gilliam, who first gained widespread fame as the creator of the twisted animations in the Monty Python's Flying Circus TV show, has since gone on to direct on the big screen. You may know him from Time Bandits,Brazil, Life of Brian, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, or more recently 12 Monkeys and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. But what you may not know, as Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr found out when he recently talked with Gilliam, he's Minnesota born and bred.

A Twin Cities businessman is donating $10 million to the University of Minnesota, the second largest gift ever given by a living alumnus. It's been a record year for donations at the U of M, and plans for a nearly $1 billion fundraising campaign are in the works. University officials say private money is more important than ever at the public institution, but it doesn't lessen the need for taxpayer support. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Candidate Statement from Chris Wright of the Grassroots Party.

Democrat Bill Luther is running for a third term representing Minnesota's 6th congressional district; that's the crescent-shaped district encompassing the Twin Cities' northern, eastern and southern suburbs. Luther's Republican challenger is John Kline, a newcomer to politics and to Minnesota. He's a native Texan who comes to Minnesota by way of the Marine Corps and a stint as a military aide in the Reagan White House. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste profiles the match-up.

Jesse Ventura's political opponents today continued to criticize the Reform Party Candidate's suggestion that Minnesota should consider legalizing prostitution. Ventura claims some news organizations are misquoting him, saying he supports legalized prostitution and drugs. With his candidacy registering 20 plus percentage points in a recent poll, Ventura's comments are being taken more seriously. Some political observers say the more specifics Ventura offers, the more supporters he's likely to lose. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Candidates for Minnesota's first congressional district debated agricultural policy, social security reform, and workforce development on some Minnesota Public Radio stations this afternoon. DFL State Senator Tracy Beckman of Bricelyn is challenging two-term Republican incumbent Gil Gutknecht of Rochester in the southern Minnesota district. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports their most heated exchange was over whether Gutknecht's voting record is too extreme.

Two out of three gubernatorial candidates today held campaign events focusing on agriculture and the rural vote, but the day's real buzz still centered on Jesse Ventura and the comments he made yesterday regarding legalized prostitution. Minnesota Public Radio's politics reporter, Martin Kaste, has this run-down of today's campaign events.

Minnesota environmental groups and the state's timber industry are proposing radically different futures for Minnesota's two national forests. The Sierra Club and National Audubon Society want to see much less logging, while a proposal by Minnesota Forest Industries calls for increasing the timber harvest in the Chippewa National forest, and doubling it in the Superior. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

Minnesota Public Radio has invited all 8 candidates for Governor to present a five-minute statement about their candidacy. Today we hear from Reform party candidate Jesse Ventura.

All three of the major-party candidates for governor are promising to cut your state taxes. After years of consecutive state budget surpluses, it's become almost politically unthinkable for a serious candidate not to promise tax cuts. And polls suggest that's the right political instinct: taxes regularly rank number one or two in voters' list of top priorities, right alongside education. So the question voters are asking is not whether the candidates will cut taxes, but which ones? Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has this report.

Polls show the race for Attorney General has tightened considerably since the primary but still show a large number of voters are undecided. It's an important race because whoever leads the attorney general's office directs 250 attorneys to file lawsuits on the public's behalf. The AG's office is 10-times the size of the governor's and can touch individual lives in profound ways. It's the AG's office that takes on con artists who swindle senior citizens out of their pensions and it's the AG's office that holds entire industries accountable for harming the public health. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki has this report.

The U.S. Department of Justice today sued Northwest and Continental airlines, saying Northwest's plan to buy a controlling stake in Continental would hurt competition. The deal is part of a planned alliance between the nation's fourth and fifth largest carriers. Despite the suit, both airlines say they plan to go ahead with the transaction and plans to market each others flights and link their frequent flyer programs. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has more.

With crime down in Minnesota, other issues - taxes and education - have taken prominence in the gubernatorial campaign. But one crime-related issue has surfaced repeatedly in the campaign: the right to carry concealed handguns. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

Theatergoers willing to endure a little button pushing might want to check out the risqué new play Mr. X-mas opening tomorrow night at the Loring Playhouse. Mr. X-mas is the tale of a young struggling actor in Los Angeles who, frankly, is not very good. Upon realizing this sad truth, he decides he might still have a shot at an acting career in the adult-film industry. Minneapolis playwright Bridget Carpenter says her latest work is fiercely theatrical, a quality she believes has been lacking in plays these days. To add to the spectacle, Carpenter has wrapped her character's story around wild musical Christmas numbers.

Minnesota Public Radio has invited all 8 candidates for governor to present a five minute statement about their candidacy. You can hear the gubernatorial candidates during our news programs from now until the end of the campaign. Tonight we hear from Green Party candidate Ken Pentel.