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March 7 - 11, 2005
[ Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday ]
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Monday, March 7, 2005 |
The highway to hip hop
Hip-hop music was first heard on the radio in the late-'70s, but its roots go back much further. Hip-hop journalist Jeff Chang traces it to poverty and despair left behind in the Bronx after the borough was gutted for construction of the Cross Bronx Expressway. Chang told Minnesota Public Radio's Toni Randolph that the hip-hop generation is the group that follows the baby-boomers.
Casino plan likely to end up in court
Gov. Pawlenty's plan for a new state-tribal casino could spark several legal challenges. Pawlenty and leaders of three northern Minnesota Indian tribes have agreed to build a 4,000-slot-machine casino in the metropolitan area. Other Minnesota tribes that aren't involved in the deal aren't ruling out suing the state.
Minnesota jails bursting at the seams
County jails across Minnesota are overflowing. A surge in methamphetamine related arrests is adding to the problem. At least 36 Minnesota counties are planning new or remodeled jails. Counties expect the demand for jail cells to continue.
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Tuesday, March 8, 2005 |
Race relations in "intimate places"
Twin Cities author Jonathan Odell explores race relations in what he calls "the intimate spaces" of everyday life in his first novel, "The View from Delphi." Odell's book is the March selection of the Talking Volumes book club.
Same-sex marriage ban to be reintroduced
The state senator whose proposed constitutional ban on legal recognition of gay couples said Tuesday that she'd reintroduce it this week. The ban sparked a contentious battle last year, and the Senate Democratic leader responded that if gay marriage goes to a statewide vote, Democrats would insist that voters also weigh in on issues like universal health coverage and the constitutionality of state-sponsored gambling.
White Earth members seek ban on genetically modified wild rice
The lakes and rivers on the White Earth Indian Reservation in northwest Minnesota are an ideal habitat for wild rice. But the tribe is worried that resource could be threatened by the science of genetic engineering.
Spoofed
If you have caller ID, you might want to think twice about trusting the information displayed on your telephone. As more people place phone calls over the Internet instead of the wired telephone network, identifying the person on the other end of the line is getting more difficult.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2005 |
Latest Canterbury casino plan promises more slots, profits
Owners of Shakopee's Canterbury Park horse track trotted out a revised casino proposal Wednesday, hoping to remain a player in a gambling debate that is more charged than ever.
Wisconsin town mourns the death of soldier in Iraq
A 24-year-old Army sergeant from the small Mississippi River community of Fountain City, Wisconsin, was killed in a car bomb explosion in Iraq on Monday. Andrew Bossert is the 35th Wisconsin soldier killed in the U.S.-led war.
Minneapolis police try new strategy to fight violent crime
Last week's brazen double homicide in north Minneapolis has prompted police to start a month early on a new crime fighting strategy. Police Chief William McManus announced Wednesday he's forming a mobile unit of officers to travel to parts of the city where violent crime is on the rise.
Minneapolis recruits familiar face in effort to reduce violent crime
Minneapolis is seeking the help of an old friend in it's efforts to combat violent crime. Chuck Wexler is executive director of the Police Executive Research Forum in Washington, D.C. He'll help coordinate law enforcement, criminal justice, and city and county activities on the North Side.
The future of civil society in Iraq
Bloodshed in Iraq continues unabated as newly elected delegates struggle to create viable governing coalitions. In Baghdad today, suicide truck bombing wounded at least 30 American contractors, and there was an assassination attempt against the Iraqi Finance Minister. British-Iraqi sociologist Sami Zubaida is watching events in Iraq closely. The University of London professor is in the Twin Cities this week talking to college students about the future of civil society in Iraq.
Duluth loses news outlet
Duluth just lost one of its three television newsrooms. KDLH, Channel 3, has been sold. The new owner took over Tuesday, firing dozens of employees. Channel 3 will stay on the air as a CBS affiliate, but another Duluth television station will provide Channel 3's news and sales operations. But the other commercial station in town is crying foul.
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Thursday, March 10, 2005 |
MinnesotaCare's creators say Pawlenty's plan hurts
The lawmakers who created MinnesotaCare in the early 1990s say Gov. Pawlenty's proposal to cut back the program to help balance the budget is the wrong idea. They say it's the only health insurance option that the working poor can afford, and cutting it will increase overall health care costs.
Day pushes plan for cheaper prescription drugs
Republicans in the state Senate want Minnesota to join five other states in offering a way to buy prescription drugs from other countries over the Internet. Senate Minority Leader Dick Day announced a proposal to join the I-SaveRx Web site. MPR's Steven John talked with Day.
Bill to steer support to pregnant women passes House committee
Debate over a bill designed to find common ground on the contentious issue of abortion turned divisive at the Capitol on Thursday. The bill would provide $2 million a year in state grants to nonprofit agencies that promote alternatives to abortion. The bill has broad support, but the debate in a key House committee ended up dividing along traditional lines of abortion politics.
The unhappy life of "Beautiful Inez"
The main character in Minnesota author Bart Schneider's new novel, "Beautiful Inez," seems to have it all. She's a violinist with the San Francisco Symphony in the 1960s. Inez has a flourishing career, two children and a powerful husband. Yet she's unhappy. Schneider told MPR's Greta Cunningham Inez uses music and relationships to try to grasp happiness. He reads from the book March 10 at the Bound to Be Read Bookstore in St. Paul.
"We Need to Talk"
For many people, homosexuality and religion are topics that don't mix. It's an issue that can divide a congregation. An issue that has become headline news for major religious denominations. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America is no exception. But an ELCA congregation in West Fargo is taking a cautious lead in this debate. Members of the Faith Lutheran church helped fund a new documentary made by a Minnesota man. It's title says a lot with just four words.
A reporter's view of war
National Public Radio reporter Deborah Amos speaks at Macalaster College tonight as part of Minnesota Public Radio's broadcast journalist series. Amos covers Iraq for NPR News and is also a correspondent for ABC and American Public Media's American RadioWorks. She joins MPR's Steven John in the studio to share some of her insights into covering the war in Iraq.
Dr. Jon Hallberg: Doing what the doctor ordered
How well to do follow your doctor's instructions? Do you stop taking medication when you don't feel sick anymore? Maybe you've decided that prescription is just too expensive to worry about this month. Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy found that 12 percent of english-speaking patients don't follow medication instructions. But that number jumps to 31 percent when looking at non-english speaking patients. With a growing immigrant population in Minnesota, the study has doctors and pharmacists wondering how to improve adherence to doctor's orders.
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Friday, March 11, 2005 |
Protecting courts from 'troubled people in troubled situations'
A weapons screening program in the Hennepin County Government Center goes into operation on Monday. The system will contain X-ray machines and metal detectors, much like airport security checkpoints. The security measures are a response to a fatal shooting in the building in 2003. Coincidentally, the new security system starts up on the heels of a series of violent court-related incidents around the nation.
Courthouse design impedes security upgrades
Neither of this week's shootings in Chicago and Atlanta would have been prevented by courthouse metal detectors. All the same, Hennepin County Chief Judge Lucy Wieland is glad to finally have the weapon screening equipment in place at her courthouse. Weiland is responsible for the administration of the county's court system. She says the biggest obstacle to improving security at the courthouse building was its design.
U of M, Morris wants government help for tuition waiver
The University of Minnesota, Morris provides free tuition for Native American students. But school officials say they want the federal government to help pay for the program.
Is St. Paul ready for 'The Wild Party?'
The Wild Party has arrived in St. Paul. It's a flashy, Broadway-style show that opens at the Fitzgerald Theater tonight. It's generated a lot of interest, partly because its producer/director is only 24-years-old, and because of the obstacles on its path to success.
Mayo identifies genetic marker for stroke
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic have discovered a genetic marker that can predict how likely someone is to have a stroke due to a ruptured brain aneurysm. Testing patients for the gene variation could help doctors decide whether or not to recommend brain surgery for people with brain aneurysm.
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