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March 14 - 18, 2005
[ Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday ]
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Monday, March 14, 2005 |
Public transit options disappearing in Twin Cities
Metro Transit plans to reduce or cancel service on around 70 percent of its routes each weekday and raise nearly all fares by 25 cents to deal with a budget crunch.
Weapons screening begins at Hennepin County Government Center
Security officers at the Hennepin County Government Center collected a few pocket knives and scissors on the first day of airport-style weapons screening at the building. The X-ray machines and metal detectors come a year and a half after a shooting that killed a woman and wounded another man outside a courtroom in the 24-story building.
When the people speak, it's money that talks
A Minnesota Public Radio analysis of campaign finance records shows that state political party units last year spent close to $3 million to influence the outcome of a handful of targeted legislative races. In almost two dozen cases, the party spending outstripped what the candidates themselves were allowed to spend under voluntary spending restraints.
Lawmakers to consider stronger protection from lead poisoning
Minneapolis DFL Rep. Keith Ellison today introduced legislation that would double the level of protection provided to Minnesota children to prevent lead poisoning. The bill would set a more stringent standard both for the level of lead in a child's blood that is considered to be too high and for the level where government is required to act to remove lead contamination from a child's surroundings.
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Tuesday, March 15, 2005 |
Northern tribal members not convinced about casino
Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan for a state-tribal casino has launched a high-profile debate in the Legislature. But members of the three northern tribes involved in the deal are also raising questions about whether they can trust the state, and whether they'll give up more than they'll gain.
Governor's Chief of Staff Dan McElroy reacts to tribal concerns
Gov. Pawlenty's chief of staff, Dan McElroy, has been at the negotiating table with the tribes interested in a metro casino. He says tribal leaders will take the initiative to allay any concerns among their members.
A child of the '60s rocking at 50
Most 50-something musicians have left their rock and roll past behind them. But Barry Thomas Goldberg is still immersed in it. Goldberg's new CD is called "American Grotesque." It's full of biting social commentary and songs of dissent.
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Wednesday, March 16, 2005 |
Talks reach impasse in teachers strike; teachers union sues over replacements
another failed negotiating session in the Crosby-Ironton teachers' strike, both sides made legal moves Wednesday. The school board declared the strike an impasse and teachers sued the district over what they call illegal tactics.
Ethanol bill nears crucial test
About 200 ethanol supporters rallied at the state Capitol in support of doubling the state's ethanol mandate on Wednesday. Gov. Pawlenty urged the crowd to persuade wavering lawmakers to vote for the plan. The bill has bipartisan support in the Legislature, but it's about to face its toughest test in a key House committee, which holds a hearing on the bill on Thursday.
Minneapolis lawmakers blame state budget cuts for renewed violence
Legislators who represent Minneapolis are calling for the restoration of state aid to cities, saying the funding cuts are one reason violent crime is on the rise in Minneapolis.
Telling Fone Bone's epic story
When Jeff Smith was in kindergarten, he started drawing a character he called Fone Bone. Smith describes it as a bit like Snoopy without the ears and the black nose. Over the years he kept on drawing his cartoon creation, and now he has a 1,300-page comic book telling the Fone Bone story.
Raptor Center treating more owl patients
A rodent shortage in Canada is forcing thousands of owls into Minnesota in search of food this winter. The owls are finding plenty to eat here, but they're also having more run-ins with humans, and suffering more injuries. Some of the birds are being treated at the U of M's Raptor Center.
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Thursday, March 17, 2005 |
NWA mechanics in Twin Cities could see ranks cut 30 percent by year-end
The latest casualties of the faltering U.S. airline industry are 130 Northwest Airlines mechanics in the Twin Cities. By year's end, Northwest says 800 more mechanics jobs at the airport may be gone as well.
Fritz Scholder and the legacy of the New American Indian Art movement
A memorial show celebrating the life of artist Fritz Scholder opens this weekend at the Rourke Gallery in Moorhead.
Some art historians credit Scholder with bringing American Indian imagery into the 20th century. Scholder spent most of his career in Arizona, but he had roots in the Red River Valley.
Is the "tournament snowstorm" myth fact or fiction?
It could be another snowy tournament weekend in Minnesota. Eight to 12 inches of snow is predicted for the Twin Cities and much of southern Minnesota between tonight and Saturday. In Minneapolis, the Boys' state high school basketball tournament is underway, and another tournament storm seems likely. "Tournament storms" are legendary in Minnesota -- but, it turns out, they aren't much more than that. Only eight boys' tournaments of the past ninety have seen significant snowfall on a game day.
Winter tick outbreak threatens moose on Isle Royale
The moose population on Isle Royale is dwindling. One of the nation's most isolated population of moose is falling prey to an aggressive species of tick that is thriving in the unusually warm winter weather. Researchers have been studying moose and wolf on Isle Royale since the 1950s; this year, the moose population has taken a precipitous dip. John Vucetich is an assistant research professor at Michigan Tech University in Houghten, Mich. He talked to MPR's Steven John about the impact of population loss on an isolated species.
Sainthood for a modern-day Patrick
Today is, of course, the Feast day of St. Patrick. St. Patrick is famous for allegedly driving the snakes out of Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, so the legend seems to have evolved over generations of exaggerated storytelling. That the legend is more grand than fact gives commentator Patrick O'Malley Johnson some hope.
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Friday, March 18, 2005 |
Heavy snow causes road closings in southern Minnesota
MnDot closed Highway I-90 between Luverne and Albert Lea this afternoon as a late winter storm pounded southern Minnesota. Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally has been talking to some of the people affected and joins us from our Rochester Bureau.
NWA mechanics fight back on airport, outsourcing
Northwest is parking planes and expects little growth this year. As a result, the company expects to cut as many as 900 local mechanics jobs in 2005. Today the local mechanics union and an ally in the Legislature attacked the airline on two sensitive topics: the expansion of the Twin Cities airport, and the safety of airplane repairs.
Sports is a family affair
Kelly Roysland is a vital player for the Minnesota Gophers basketball team. Her love of sports is a family affair. Her grandmother Bernice Carlin is a pioneer in women's athletics.
NWA mechanics fight back on airport, outsourcing
Northwest is parking planes and expects little growth this year. As a result, the company expects to cut as many as 900 local mechanics jobs in 2005. Today the local mechanics union and an ally in the Legislature attacked the airline on two sensitive topics: the expansion of the Twin Cities airport, and the safety of airplane repairs.
Same-sex marriage referendum bill passes House committee
The Minnesota House Civil law committee today approved a bill calling for a constitutional ban on same sex marriage. The vote came at an unusual hearing in Grand rapids. It attracted so much attention the committee decided to require tickets to get in. It was also unusual because democratic members of the committee said they'd never heard of taking a vote outside of the capitol.
Taxpayers bring suit against Minnesota's JOBZ program
Minnesota's JOBZ program is facing a constitutional challenge. The economic development program passed by the Legislature in 2003 allows businesses to pay almost no taxes if they locate or expand in certain designated zones. But two Minnesota taxpayers say the state constitution prohibits that kind of tax break. They also say it gives certain companies an unfair edge over competing businesses located outside the zones
Pawlenty administration proposes drug importation from the UK
Minnesotans will be able to import their prescription drugs from Europe under a proposal presented to Gov. Pawlenty today. Human Services Commissioner Kevin Goodno recommended giving Minnesotans access to medications from the United Kingdom through the state's RxConnect Web site.
Luther Seminary sponsors Colombia peace project
Minnesota peace activists will hold vigils this weekend to mark the second anniversary of the war in Iraq. At the same time, a group working for peace in another part of the world is in the Twin Cities to draw attention to their efforts to end an armed conflict that goes back five decades. The Sal y Luz project in Columbia involves a group of churches that are providing sanctuary and hope in a country ravaged by the decades-old guerrilla war. Representatives from the congregations are speaking at Luther Seminary in St. Paul this weekend.
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