Monday, November 3

The St. Paul Mayoral race is nearly over, but some of the issues raised by the candidates will be debated long after tomorrow's election. One such issue involved downtown development projects, including construction of an office tower for a software company and the building of a new arena to house a pro hockey team. To incumbent Norm Coleman, those developements are part of resurgent downtown; challenger Sandy Pappas sees them as financial risks that could wind up hurting the city. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

People who lose part of their face to injury or cancer usually get a patch from their doctor to cover up the wound. Gillian Duncan makes something better than a patch. She's an anoplastologist which means she makes artificial noses, eyes, and ears. She started as a medical illustrator and moved into sculpting facial parts. She refined her art at a hospital in Germany where she worked for 14 years. For today's odd-jobs profile, Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe visited Duncan at her Rochester studio where she described her art while working on a patient.

The Minnesota Vikings have generated their share of headlines in the past couple of weeks, between the release of coach Dennis Green's new book, news the team is for sale and talk of a new stadium. But the controversies don't appear to be affecting fans' loyalty or the team's performance, as Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

There's no reason to believe the turmoil on world financial markets is over at the start of this new week. Here's why Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell thinks it will continue for some time to come.

Kathy Heidel opens up a burdock plant and finds a worm.

Beth Givens, author of The Privacy Rights Handbook discusses how to maintain your privacy.

Jim Mangan of Progressive Minnesota and Stadium referendum opponent Mark Sump debate the merits of the referendum.

Tuesday, November 4

Northern States Power Company is denying claims that it plans to ask the 1998 legislature for permission to seek additional nuclear waste storage at its Prairie Island power plant near Red Wing. Media reports and state lawmakers have said NSP will ask for permission to store an additional 31 dry casks of spent nuclear fuel rods. At a public meeting in Winona last night, an NSP official said the company has no plans to increase storage beyond the 17 casks approved by the legislature in 1994. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports.

Today is election day. There are no statewide races this year, but there are a number of local campaigns that are hotly contested. The city of Minneapolis is voting on a mayor and a couple of refendum issues. In addition there are a couple of close City Council races in that city. We talk to Joyce Swadner, the elections director for the city of Minneapolis, about the expected turnout.

Minnesota is just one of a number of places dealing with the stadium issue. Today voters in the Pitssburgh area will cast their ballots in a referendum that would raise the sales tax to pay for several projects including new football and baseball stadiums. Joe Distio, the morning news anchor for WTAE radio in Pittsburgh, says most voters in the surrounding area oppose paying higher taxes but the project could still go ahead.

Naturalist Kathy Heidel demonstrates a handy use for a common object: the acorn.

On Future Tense: Proponents of the "Long Boom" theory believe the world is at the beginning of a long period of unprecedented economic growth. They say digital technology is fueling the boom. Future Tense news analyst Bill Loving tells Jon Gordon there is some evidence to support the "Long Boom" theory.

Wednesday, November 5

Minneapolis mayor Sharon Sayles Belton, a DFL'er, won re-election yesterday by a margin of ten points over challenger Barbara Carlson. She says her agenda for the next four years includes curbing crime, helping people who are unemployed and lobbying the school board to end social promotion of students not ready to move up a grade. Minneapolis voters also returned a big DFL majority to the city council. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.

Voters in St. Paul have re-elected Mayor Norm Coleman. Coleman won a decisive vicotyr over his challenger, state Senator Sandy Pappas. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Minneapolis voters have limited the amount of money city officials can spend on pro sports facilities. The ballot initiative's supporters say they've struck a blow in their fight against a publicly-subsidized Twins stadium...but critics say the referendum vote might simply end up moving the Twins to St. Paul. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Dennis Schulstad is an independent member of the Minneapolis City Council who is not running for re-election. He thinks the elections will have little effect on the workings of city government...except taxes are more likely to go up under the new council.

St. Paul City Council President Dave Thune is not running for re-election this year. He says the new council will be more independent-minded and could spar with Mayor Norm Coleman on issues like downtown development and city housing.

On Future Tense: Competing software companies are joining forces in an attempt to promote computer programs written for girls. Eleven companies have formed a coaltion called The GIRLS INTERACTIVE RESOURCE LIBRARY. The group has a new web site, where you can learn about girls software from the participating companies, and order programs online. Laura Groppe is president and founder of GIRL GAMES, a Texas company that makes the program LET'S TALK ABOUT ME. She says the coaltion will help define a new category of software.

Thursday, November 6

Minnesota grain elevator managers will be among those testifying in Washington today about poor railroad service. The House Agriculture Subcommittee hearing organized by Minnesota second district congressman David Minge follows complaints that major railroads are not moving newly harvested grain fast enough. With most of the Minnesota harvest now in, many elevators are storing unshipped grain on the ground. The problems are part of a rapid change in how grain is moved...and the changes are hitting small elevators especially hard. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

The United States and Japan will resume talks next week on commercial air traffic. So far, the countries have been unable to agree on changes to a 45-year-old aviation treaty. Northwest Airlines is keenly interested in getting an open skies agreement allowing airplanes to fly freely between the two countries. Japan has balked at that idea, and other American airlines with fewer flights to Asia are willing to settle for just a few new routes. Gary Hufbauer is director of studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. He explains why it's taking so long to reach an agreement.

The Minnesota House Government Operations Committee will hear testimony today from Indiana University Economist Mark Rosentraub. Rosentraub is the author of a book about the economics of professional sports and a critic of publicly financed stadiums. Committee Chair Phyllis Kahn is also planning to reveal the name of a new prominent supporter of her plan for community ownership of the Twins. She says she expects a community ownership bill to pass...but she isn't so sure about plans to build a stadium.

Kathy Heidel leads exploration walks at the Carver Park Reserve. On a recent visit she taught Bob Potter a lesson about eating berries...beware of sour buckthorns.

On Future Tense: A report in the New York Times says Microsoft may invest one billion dollars in the cable television arm of US West. Some analysts have cast doubt on that report, saying Microsoft is more likely to invest in the cable company TCI. Analyst David Card with International Data Corporation says Microsoft wants to speed the development of high speed data and video connections into the home, for such things as interactive tv and video-on-demand.

Friday, November 7

A 3rd grade classroom in the central Minnesota town of Sauk Rapids has been getting a great deal of attention over the last few months. Three national TV crews and several newspaper reporters have visited the class to report on the life of teacher Dennis Frederick who's been battling cancer for the last two years. Doctors predict he has only a month or two left to live. As Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports, Dennis Frederick's decision to stay in the classroom and teach has affected more than just his class...it has touched his entire community.

The Duluth-Superior Symphony Orchestra travels to the Twin Cities this weekend to perform a concert of classical music from Europe and China. Each of the Chinese musicians featured in the program came of age in the 1960's during China's Cultural Revolution...a decade of extreme hostility to anything western. Nevertheless, they've all gone on to develop successful careers in the West. It's been conductor Yong-Yan Hu's long-time goal to bring their music together in one concert - as Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff reports.

Lawmakers will have a new stadium plan to hash over when they reconvene in special session next Thursday. Twins owner Carl Pohlad would donate the team to a charitable foundation and taxpayers would build a new 250 million dollar roofless stadium for the team under the proposal announced yesteray. Governor Arne Carlson called it the "last-best hope for keeping the Twins in Minnesota." We discuss it with MPR sports commentator and Star Tribune reporter Jay Weiner.

Mark Seeley describes heat flow, snow melt and explains how to conduct a do-it-yourself weather forecast.

On Future Tense: Computers are rapidly changing how cars are manufactured. One exapmple is computer-controlled robots. Jon Gordon talks with Joghen Shaw, Information Management director at New United Motors, or NUMMI, in Fremont, California. His plant assmebles Toyota Corrolas and Chevy Prizms.

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