Monday, April 6

A week after tornadoes hit St. Peter, many victims are looking ahead toward long term repairs and rebuilding. Hundreds of families will have no choice but to start from scratch if they want to continue living where they lived BEFORE the storm. Many more face extensive repairs to their homes. Finding qualified people to do all of the work is expected to be a major challenge. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Tobacco attorneys hope the U-S Supreme Court will block the release of nearly 40-thousand secret industry documents today. The tobacco industry will have to release those files to the state by 4 pm unless the high court intervenes. The state of Minnesota and Blue Cross Blue Shield want the files for use in the state's lawsuit against the tobacco industry. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

Many businesses in the tornado battered town of Le Center plan to resume operations this week. Le Center's industrial park south of town and a nearby mobile home park were hardest hit in the storms last Sunday. The town has been successful at luring small manufacturing firms which brought an estimated 400 jobs to Le Center. As Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports, repairing as much as 15 million dollars worth of tornado damage is an added challenge for small companies struggling to expand their businesses.

A week after tornados tore through Southern Minnesota, the mayor who led Grand Forks through last year's flooding offered sympathy and encouragement to tornado victims yesterday in St. Peter. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

Residents of Comfrey began their second week of recovery from the March 29th tornado with a church service. Most of the town packed into St. Paul's Catholic Church yesteday, the only church still usable in the community of about 500 people. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Gustavus Adolphus College alumni and students spent the weekend cleaning up the destruction from last week's tornado. The tornado damaged many of the college's buildings and has forced an extension of the college's spring break. But it didn't keep people from breaking out the "Gustie Spirit" to help the college egin the process of recovery. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has this report.

On Future Tense: Harry Knowles is the Matt Drudge of Hollywood. Like Drudge, Knowles operates a popular news web site assembled with help from a cast of e-mail informers. While Drudge pedals rumors of political scandal, the 26 year old Knowles deals in the big screen. Knowles' web site, "Ain't It Cool News," reports on hush-hush test screenings and productions-in-progress, sometimes generating negative buzz. Warner Brothers is reportedly still furious with Knowles for bad publicity leading up the release of the latest "Batman" film. But Knowles is a big fan of the movies, and critic Roger Ebert says some of the material in Knowles' site may come under cover of pseudonym from the studios, as a form of advance spin control. Knowles says that's partially true.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average broke through the 9000 barrier last week, but couldn't hold there. It opens this morning about 17 points shy of the round number. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell notes that while everybody seems fascinated by the number, it isn't really very signficant.

Six years ago, Reverends David Johnson and Ronald Smith suggested their two St. Paul congregations - one which was mostly black and the other mostly white - begin worshipping together. Their suggestion led to the founding of Unity Baptist Church earlier this year. Co-pastors Johnson and Smith jointly lead each Sunday's service and rotate preaching from week to week. The two churches have combined traditions and music... but each has also had to sacrifice part of its old way of worshipping. The pastors say they've been trying to lead the church - and the broader community - in a difficult process called racial reconciliation. Ron Smith says it all began quite simply.

Legislative leaders are pledging to adjourn and go home this week -- even though two of this year's stickiest issues remain unresolved. House and Senate negotiators met over the weekend to talk about the St Paul hockey arena, and Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste joins us from our capitol bureau to bring us up to speed.

Tuesday, April 7

Tobacco companies have reluctantly turned over a much fought-over cache of documents the State says shows the industry's deepest, darkest secrets. Now the files are in the hands of State and Blue Cross Blue Shield attorneys who plan to use them as ammunition in Minnesota's lawsuit against the tobacco industry.

Light rail transit advocates are closer to winning legislative approval for an LRT line in Minneapolis. Lawmakers trying to iron out Minnesota House and Senate spending differences are being told the operating cost of bus and rail service along Hiawatha Avenue are about the same. Advocates say answering the operating cost question is a big step toward convincing lawmakers and the governor that LRT from downtown Minneapolis to the airport is feasible. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

On Future Tense: Austin, Texas resident Harry Knowles and his Hollywood news and reviews web site have been getting a lot of ink lately. His picture appears in "Vanity Fair's" recent Hollywood issue. In "Yahoo Internet Life" magazine, Roger Ebert calls Knowles "the wizard of Austin." The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal have written about the 26-year-old. Like political rumor-monger Matt Drudge, Knowles runs a popular news web site assembled with help from a cast of e-mail informers. While Drudge pedals rumors of political scandal, the 26 year old Knowles stirs things up in Hollywood. Knowles' web site, "Ain't It Cool News," reports on hush-hush test screenings and productions-in-progress, and reviews movies. Here's what Knowles has to say about his mentor, Matt Drudge of the WWW "Drudge Report."

Experts in historical preservation from the Minnesota Historical Society will be in St. Peter this afternoon to answer questions about restoring the historic buildings that were damaged by last week's tornadoes. Charles Harper, an architect who heads the American institute of Architects' natural disaster committee has visited cities around the country to help get them back on their feet and even lived through a tornado himself. Harper says the greatest need after a disaster is for quick action and accurate information...things that require leadership.

Under terms of a tentative deal reached late last night by D-F-L leaders, Minnesotans would receive about 500 (m) million dollars in property tax rebates. They would get another 400 (m) million dollars in permanent property tax rate reductions. The plan also would have the state pay cash for capital projects rather than borrow since it has a one-point-nine (b) billion dollar surplus. House Speaker Phil Carruthers joins us now.

In sports, the Minnesota Twins play the Toronto Blue Jays tonight at the Metrodome and the Minnesota Timberwolves are at home tonight against the Miami Heat. Starting next summer there might be a new team added to the professional sports schedule in Minnesota. The Timberwolves and the NBA are considering whether to bring a WNBA franchise to town. The WNBA is the women's professional basketball league that started play last summer. Joining me now to discuss that is MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner.

The new movie by director John Sayles is called "Men with Guns." It is set in South America and the dialogue is in Spanish with English subtitles. It tells the story of a man's journey into a country he thought he knew. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis spoke with Sayles about the film.

Wednesday, April 8

Governor Arne Carlson has backed off his threat to veto a billion-dollar tax relief bill... for now. Carlson and legislative leaders reached a tentative deal last night, but the truce is shaky. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Abortion issues are likely to come up in both houses of the state legislature today. A legislative conference committee has passed a Health and Human Services spending bill with money for lots of health and social services programs. But the bill does NOT include two controversial abortion provisions a majority of house members have demanded. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports from the state capitol.

Nearly 30 architects are volunteering to meet with homeowners in tornado-ravaged St. Peter. Organizers of the ad-hoc program hope to save some of the historical buildings damaged in the storm. Most of the homeowners are covered by insurance and can also get some state and federal help. But in many cases, that still isn't enough to save the original craftmanship and architectural detail in buildings a century or more old. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

On Future Tense: Sherry Graner-Ray believes more girls should be using computers more often. Grayner-Ray produces software for girls at a new company called "Sirenia." She says the software hasn't produced a lot of fun games for girls.

Some songs are embedded so deeply in American culture and history that many people don't know just where they came from. So it might come as a suprise to find "We Shall Overcome" and "Turn, Turn, Turn" on a new CD paying tribute to the music of folk musician Pete Seeger. The CD features 37 new recordings by a group of performers as varied as the songs themselves...from Bruce Springsteen to Sweet Honey in the Rock. Jim Musselman is founder of Appleseed Records and executive producer of the album. He spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Perry Finelli about the album and the impact of Seeger's music.

President Clinton led a discussion yesterday in Kansas City on how to fix Social Security. Clinton warned against completely privatizing Social Security although he didn't rule out the idea of allowing some private investment. He also said the program could be saved without increasing payroll taxes. Social Security is expected to come under increasing strain as the baby boom generation retires from the workforce. Yesterday's forum was the first in a series intended to spark a national debate over the program's future. But political science professor Larry Jacobs at the University of Minnesota says that debate is already well underway. He joins me now.

Governor Arne Carlson has vetoed an economic development bill that would have allocated 20 million dollars for low-income housing programs. Carlson said even though the bill included some worthwhile legislation, its total price tag of more than 38 million dollars was excessive. Kiersten Bansen coordinates the Minnesota Right to Housing Campaign. She joins me now.

In 1993, Reno Air began offering low-cost flights from the Twin Cities to Reno Nevada. Northwest Airlines quickly responded by introducing cheaper fares on overlapping routes. Within months, Reno Air pulled out of the Twin Cities...and Northwest hiked its fares once again. Small airlines say that's an example of predatory pricing that Northwest and other large airlines use to stifle competition at their hub airports. The US Department of Transportation this week proposed a set of new rules that would penalize airlines for doing that. Mike Boyd is an airline industry analyst and head of the Boyd Group based in Colorado. He doesn't think the rules will make it any easier for small airlines to gain a toehold in markets like the Twin Cities.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing that states have more freedom in killing Canada geese to keep the birds' growing population in check. About 25 thousand Canada geese are on their way back to the Twin Cities for the summer. Thanks to the early spring, many have already arrived. Goose hunting is not allowed in the metro area, so the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources has to intervene to control the population. Last year more than five thousand geese were captured and either relocated out of state or processed for local foodshelves. Still, urban geese are numerous and they can get on the nerves of homeowners. Tom Landwehr is the DNR's wetland wildlife program leader.

Thursday, April 9>

America is in the midst of an explosion of matters spiritual -- with best selling books on the care of the soul, the growth of non-demonimational megachurches, psychics on the television and Asian and Middle Eastern religions gaining American converts. All this month, in a series of reports and commentaries, Minnesota Public Radio will explore relgious issues in everyday life. Today, in the first report in our series, Reporter Mary Stucky says today's search for spiritual meaning reflects the nature of American life in the 1990s.

The Governor and top legislators have a hand-shake agreement to resolve the impasse over the St Paul hockey arena. The all-encompassing, late-night deal also settles how much tax relief Minnesotans can expect, and it guarantees extra financial help for the state's schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Minnesota's House of Representatives has rejected a health and human services spending bill because it doesn't include a ban on a prodedure sometimes referred to as a "partial birth" abortion. The issue could be one of the last resolved on what's supposed to be the last day of the state legislature. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

State's attorneys in Minnesota's tobacco trial say they'll introduce evidence gleened from the latest cache of industry internal documents with the next witness today or Friday. Some analysts say documents in Minnesota's case helped scuttle the latest proposed national legislation. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

On Future Tense: There are now dozens of computer games designed for girls, from Barbie games to those based on the book series "American Girls." Sheri Graner Ray designed a new game based on Nancy Drew books for the company "Her Interactive." She says girls' games would be even more popular if there were a better way to distribute them.

Governor Arne Carlson says he will sign a tornado relief package passed by the Lesgislature. It provides 27.6 million dollars in state aid to help southern Minnesota recover from the tornadoes that hit March 29th. The bulk of the money will help communities qualify for matching federal disaster funds. It will also go towards loans for rebuilding homes, farms, businesses, and pay to restore public infrastructure. Harry Jennis is disaster recovery coordinator for a nine-county region of southern Minnesotan affected by the tornadoes.

One of the people keeping a close eye on how things shake out at the Capitol is former State Senator Kevin Chandler. Chandler is now a lobbyist and President of the Minnesota Credit Union Network. He disagrees with the speculation that Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe was holding out on the hockey deal as a way to damage the gubernatorial ambitions of St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman.

Friday, April 10

It's been a quiet week for weather in Saint Peter as residents continue to clean up tornado debris and rebuild their flattened community. But spring in Minnesota means storm season...and that could be a frightening experience, especially for children who recently lived through a tornado. Saint Peter schools are trying to plan for the next severe weather and how to keep kids from panicking. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The Minnesota Legislature wrapped things up late last night in a spirit of cordiality -- at least between DFLers and Republican Governor Arne Carlson. House Republicans were less pleased with the session's outcome, and they're promising to take their complaints to the voters this fall. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

State lawmakers passed a health and human services spending bill early this morning after a compromise on abortion. The bill funds millions of dollars worth of health care and social service programs. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports from the capitol.

Students and faculty from the University of Minnesota's Chinese Language Program will meet with President Mark Yudof this morning to disucss the program's future. More than 20 students are in the third day of a hunger strike to protest understaffing of the program. University officials say a new professor will be hired next fall... but so far, that assurance hasn't been enough to end the strike. Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff reports.

On Future Tense: A Minneapolis record store is using the Internet to auction off a collection of 250-thousand vintage platters, mainly 78's, including rare jazz and blues recordings. Many of the discs have never been played. Ryan Cameron, owner of Let It Be Records, says an Internet auction might be the best way to sell such a collection.

Governor Arne Carlson signed a bill this week to allow citizens, doctors, social workers, and law enforcement officials to report pregnant women who abuse alcohol. The purpose of the new law is to reduce the number of cases in which babies are born with brain damage or birth defects caused by excessive drinking of alcohol, a condition known as fetal alcohol syndrome. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports on the new law.

It will take months... and probably years for St. Peter, Comfrey and other towns to rebuild following last week's tornadoes. It's likely to take just as long for residents to recover psychologically from the blow. Dr. Gerard Jacobs is Director of the Disaster Mental Health Institute at the University of South Dakota. He says right after a disaster people are running on adrenline, then there is a period of thankfulness that it wasn't worse. After that, the mental stress can take its toll.

Steven Schier, chair of the Carleton College Political Science Department, discusses politics of the Session.

Meteorolgist Mark Seeley discusses the warming temperatures, ice out and other weather information.

U of M Extension Horticulturalist Deb Brown discusses how to get your lawn and garden ready for spring.

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