Monday, June 8

No information available about today's program.

Tuesday, June 9

Norwest Bank announced plans yesterday to merge with Wells Fargo in a deal worth more than 31 billion dollars. The move would create the nation's seventh largest bank and move Norwest's corporate headquarters to San Francisco. The announcement has lots of people wondering if the company's charitable giving in our region will decline. Norwest officials say it will not. The bank's Norwest foundation is one of the area's top charitable contributors. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.

This week on Minnesota Public Radio we are looking at what some are calling the new Midwestern Farm Crisis. Despite almost perfect growing conditions many farmers are facing financial hard times because of changing regulations and economic conditions. In today's Mainstreet Radio report Cara Hetland reports local farmers are selling to a global market where outside pressures such as the Asian and Russian financial crisis can have an impact on how they farm.

U-S Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman visited Minnesota and North Dakota Monday offering emotional support and announcing changes to farm programs in hopes of helping struggling upper Midwestern farmers. Glickman visited individual farms, and then spoke to two thousand farmers at a forum. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports.

Advances in digital technology are bringing big changes to the TV industry. A presidentially appointed committee met in Minneapolis yesterday to make sure the public reaps some of the benefits. The committee will recommend what public services the TV industry should provide in return for free use of the new digital broadcast spectrum. Some ideas so far include: providing free time to political candidates, increasing educational programming and abiding by a professional code of conduct. We talk with political scientist Norman Ornstien, a scholar in residence at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington D.C. who co-chairs the committee.

Nasty campaign ads will be featured at the launch of this year's Minnesota Compact platform. The Compact's last platform promoted standardized good conduct among political candidates...making them promise to avoid negative ads and to take part in organized debates. In the 1996 election season, 283 candidates signed the voluntary pledge, but neither U-S senate candidate Paul Wellstone or Rudy Boschwitz did. Dean Alger, an expert on media and politics, will introduce the negative ads at the launch of the new compact today. He says the last compact focussed attention on negative campaigning.

Future Tense: A new survey finds that the number of Americans reading news on the Internet at least once a week has more than tripled in the past two years. The study from Pew Research says one in five americans get news off the net at least once a week. Greg Flemming is survery director at Pew Research.

Wednesday, June 10

Tribal elections were held on the White Earth Indian Reservation yesterday, despite efforts by a group of band members to stop the voting. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji.

This week on Minnesota Public Radio we are looking at what some are calling the new Midwestern Farm Crisis. Despite almost perfect growing conditions this spring, many farmers are facing financial hard times because of changing regulations and economic conditions. Congress rewrites US farm policy every five years. Supporters of the 1995 farm bill say it opens a global marketplace more in tune with supply and demand. Opponents say the bill marked a critical, destructive change in farm policy. But what is the underlying philosophy that shapes congressional action? Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff asked some Norwest customers in St. Paul what they think about the proposed merger with Wells Fargo.

President Clinton signed a 203-billion dollar transportation bill last night. Most of the money will go for new highway construction. Critics call the legislation pork, but supporters say the bill will create new jobs and may cause a 10 percent reduction in the 40,000 deaths that occur annually on the nation's roads. The bill includes 120 million dollars for a light rail transit line in Minneapolis. But 5th district Congressman Martin Sabo says some strings are attached.

One of the most visible features of the historic Minneapolis riverfront will stay in place. Last night, Pillsbury company officials withdrew a request to tear down the "Pillsbury's Best Flour" sign. The request was being considered at a meeting of the Minneapolis Heritage Preservation Committee. Many people felt the city would be losing part of its past if the giant display were removed. Bill Bertcil is Vice President for governmental affairs for Pillsbury.

Norwest's merger with Wells Fargo announced Monday will create a bank with branches in 21 states and some 20 million customers. What are the benefits and drawbacks of doing business at a big national bank versus a smaller local bank from the customer's point of view? We asked V-V Chari, chair of the Economics Department at the University of Minnesota.

Who could've predicted that the Twin Cities would be hit by two major wind storms in two weeks... causing tens of millions of dollars in damage to private and public property? Your local risk manager, that's who. Risk management is a relatively new field, but some 2 thousand professionals are gathering in Minneapolis today for their annual conference. We talk with Taud Hoopingarner, president of the Minnesota chapter of the Public Risk Management Association and deputy county administrator for Dakota County.

On Future Tense: Al Cooper is a California sex researcher. He's just completed what is perhaps the largest online poll about "online sexual behavior." Cooper says what it most notable about his cyberspace poll is the number of people who responded: more than 13,000.

Thursday, June 11

Minneapolis officials say an environmental impact statement for expansion of the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport is flawed. They'll work today on the city's official response, incorporating comments from a public hearing last night. As Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports, Northwest Airlines' domination of the market was a key topic last night.

Some doctors are using procedures developed to treat infertility in an unexpected way: they're helping gay male couples have children of their own. In many parts of the country, it can be difficult or impossible for gay men to adopt newborns. But with the aid of a surrogate mother and in-vitro fertilization...a baby can be genetically related to at least one of the fathers. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephen Smith prepared this report in our continuing series, "The Fertility Race." Some names have been changed to protect individual privacy.

In the 1940s, 50s and 60s there was a huge migration of blacks from the south to the north, signaling an escape from the country's most virulant racism and a search for jobs. But now, blacks are moving back to the south in record numbers, according to a recent University of Michigan study. Minnesota is ranked 12th for the number of African-Americans moving to the south. As Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports, this demographic shift raises questions about the racial tolerance of northern states, including Minnesota.

The month of June is officially "Picture File" month at the Minneapolis Public Library. The "Picture File" is a sprawling collection of pictures and images dating back to the turn of the century. It's widely used by artists, graphic designers and advertisers but relatively unknown to the general public. The library has launched a campaign to get the word out about what a vast and fascinating resource the "Picture File" is. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.

Future Tense: Digital Equipment stockholders are meeting today to give final approval to a nine billion dollar merger with Compaq Computer of Houston. Dwight Silverman of the Houston Chronicle says a picture is forming of what kind of company will emerge from the deal.

Friday, June 12

The controversy surrounding a bronze plaque hanging in the State Capital rotunda may be one step closer to resolution. The plaque honors Minnesotans who fought in the Spanish American War in the Philippines, but it contains inaccuracies and language offensive to Minnesotans of Filipino descent. This afternoon a new exhibit will go up next to the plaque in an effort to correct the mistakes, but for some, it still doesn't go far enought. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports.

This weekend a music festival touted as the nation's largest outdoor vocal music concert makes its premiere in Central Minnesota. BIG SING U.S.A. is a two-day celebration of a capella music featuring national headliners including "The Bobs" and "Rockapella." Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann talked to two local groups showcasing their talent at the festival.

Fannie Mae is expected to announce an eight billion dollar commitment today to help 80-thousand Minnesota households buy affordable housing. Fannie Mae is the nation's largest source of home-mortgage funding. The new funds will support the growth of Fannie Mae's three-year-old HouseMinnesota initiative. Some 68-thousand Minnesota households have already taken out home mortgages under the program. We talk to Gloria Bostrom, director of the Minnesota Fannie Mae Partnership office.

Use of methamphetamines is increasing among young people in the Twin Cities metro area according to a new report from Hazelden. The report is based on law enforcement statistics, treatment facility admissions and information from school-based chemical health specialists. Methamphetamine is an off-white powder that is snorted, smoked or injected. It is manufactured in Mexico and by small local labs mainly located in rural areas. Hazelden's senior research analyst Carol Falkowski prepared the report.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley talks about the kind of precipitation we had earlier this week - constant drizzle - and why it's significant.

Minnesota Governor Carlson spent the night in the hospital as a precautionary measure after experiencing painful headaches at dinnertime. Doctors at Regions Hospital in St. Paul began examinations around nine last night. The 63-year-old governor was released this morning and is expected to get right back to work. We talk with spokesman Andy Anderson.

The mystery of what happened to a priest, who has been missing in Honduras since 1982, may soon be solved. 98 bodies were found in a mass grave in Honduras last month and American priest turned revolutionary James Carney is believed to be one of them. His brother, John Carney of Golden Valley was in Honduras last week when the grave was discovered.

On Future Tense: Jeff Chester says electronic privacy is starting to catch on as a bread and butter issue for Americans. The Executive Director of the Nonprofit Center for Media Education in Washington says as more people conduct their business online, there's more concern about companies collecting personal information. And Chester says we need to act NOW to safeguard privacy.

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