Monday, November 16

Minnesota House Republicans met over the weekend for the first time since gaining the majority in this month's election. Caucus members selected Steve Sviggum of Kenyon as their candidate for House Speaker, and chose Tim Pawlenty of Eagan as their new Majority Leader. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton will be visiting Honduras and Nicaragua today to get a first-hand look at the devastation from Hurricane Mitch and see how the relief effort is going. A number of businesses, humanitarian organizations, and individuals in Minnesota are already helping out. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports on regional efforts to assist Central American storm victims.

The Minnesota Vikings will bring the best record in the National Football conference to their rematch with the Green Bay Packers this Sunday. The Vikings earned their ninth victory in ten games this season when they defeated the Cincinnati Bengals twenty-four to three yesterday. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this report.

Logging isn't the job it used to be. A century ago, 30,000 loggers were at work in the Minnesota woods. Today there are fewer than a thousand, using high-tech machines to supply the state's multi-billion dollar wood-products industry. And technology is not the only big change in the woods since 1900; the economy and politics of logging are different too. In the first of a week-long series of reports, Leif Enger has the story of one family that's seen those changes firsthand.

The financial markets are on Fed watch this week. The U.S. Central bank meets to decide what to do about short term interest rates. Here's how Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell views the matter.

The Minnesota Vikings are now nine and one, which is the second best record in the National Football League. The Vikings beat Cincinnati 24-3 yesterday at the Metrodome. Now comes the tough part. The Vikings play Green Bay on Sunday and then Dallas five days later on Thanksgiving. Don Banks covers the team for the Star Tribune and he joins us now.

Some Minnesota farmers are putting a few extra dollars in their pocket by selling what they usually plow under. A St. Peter company is making building materials as strong as wood from the straw left after farmers harvest soybeans and wheat. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

It's been nearly six months since a tornado destroyed the town of Spencer, South Dakota. Before the storm Spencer was a town struggling for survival. Now some say the outlook is completely different. New construction will rebuild the town's basics: a watertower, apartments and a community center. There's hope that longtime residents will return and new families will find the town. Spencer residents are hopeful but skeptical. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports.

The Internet's leading book merchant, Amazon.com, is taking its biggest step yet into becoming a leading Web department store in a drive to lure online shoppers and make them repeat customers. The Seattle-based company is now selling movies on videocassette and DVD, and has opened a holiday season gift channel. There, you will be able to buy such diverse products as Barbies and Palm Pilot hand-held computers. Amazon.com also sells audio CDs and cassettes.

Meanwhile, Kmart Corporation is now selling pre-recorded music through its new Internet site. Kmart joins an already crowded field of online music sellers, including Amazon.com and CD Now. Kmart's site is at musicfavorites.com.

Recent studies suggest three times as many people will shop online this holiday season as compared to last year. The November issue of Consumer Reports has some tips for electronic commerce newcomers. Nancy Macagno of Consumer Reports says "start small."

After three lean years, turkey producers in Minnesota are expecting stronger profits this season. Turkey prices have risen from 64 cents a pound last Thanksgiving to 76 cents this year. Minnesota is the country's 2nd largest producer of Turkeys with some 600 farms across the state. Jodi Day is executive director of the Minnesota Turkey Growers Association. She joins me now. Amateur astronomers gathered at the Lowry nature center early this morning hoping to catch a glimpse of the Leonid meteor shower. It was too cloudy to see the spectacular show in our part of the globe, with or without a telescope.

Author Richard Panek has examined the role of the telescope in history. In his book Seeing and Believing, Panek claims Galileo's invention of the telescope was the pivotal event that separated the modern world from that of our ancestors.

For the second time, The Minnesota Environmental Quality board is scheduled to vote today on a new runway for Twin cities international airport. Last month the board decided to put off a decision to give the Metropolitan Airports Commission and the neighboring city of Richfield more time to settle differences. Instead, their dispute over noise from the new airport has escalated. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has more.

The University of Minnesota has reached an out-of-court settlement with the federal government over charges relating to its ALG drug research program. The university has agreed to pay $32 million in damages to resolve the case. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

For the first time in her tenure as the mayor of Minneapolis, Sharon Sayles Belton is proposing a city property-tax hike. Sayles Belton says the city needs the extra funds to make up for reduced income from state taxes, to pay for infrastructure repairs and to avert year 2000 computer problems. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura won cheers and laughs last night during his rounds on the late-night talk shows. On the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Ventura showed off his trademark bravado, delivered a few one-liners and defended his qualifications for holding the state's top office Ventura later appeared for a half-hour on The Late, Late Show with Tom Snyder, where he talked about his former jobs - as Navy SEAL, as mayor of Brooklyn Park and, of course, as professional wrestler.

Minnesota farmers faced with their worst financial outlook in a decade received some good news the past month. Congress approved emergency federal aid for agriculture and farmers finished harvesting a record corn and soybean crop. The extra dollars from the government and the extra bushels in the bins helps improve the economic outlook but falls far short of returning profit to agriculture for most farmers. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Some well-known political figures signed up as volunteer advisers to Governor-elect Jesse Ventura on Tuesday. The eight-person advisory committee includes outgoing Lieutenant Governor Joanne Benson, Republican State Representative Charlie Weaver and former Congressman Tim Penny. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has this report.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra has named Steven Copes as its new concertmaster. Copes began playing with the SPCO in September as acting concertmaster while a committee continued the search for candidates to replace Romuald Tecco, who retired last June. Copes remained the first choice for the job and yesterday the Orchestra made his title official. The 27-year-old Copes previously worked two years as concertmaster for the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. Tonight he'll debut as a concerto soloist with the SPCO in a performance of Mozart's Fourth Violin Concerto. Copes told MPR's John Bischoff a concertmaster needs to play several roles, not only as a musician but as a leader and mediator in the orchestra:

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura has named an eight-member bipartisan panel to advise him as he makes his transition to office. The panel, which will be headed by Ventura's former campaign chairman, Dean Barkley, includes former 1st District Representative Tim Penny, Lt. Governor Joanne Benson and General Mills Foundation president Reatha Clark King. Republican activist Peter Bell is also on the panel. Earlier this week Bell announced he is leaving his position as a vice-president for TCF Financial Corporation to pursue a job in politics. He joins us now by phone.

The interim chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system is getting a big raise and some added job security. The MnSCU board voted today to offer a new contract to Morrie Anderson, who's served as chancellor for 15 months. MnSCU officials hope the move pays off in the legislature as they seek a big funding increase. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Cyrano de Bergerac is the story of a big-nosed poet who is devastated when his object of desire swoons over the dashing looks and borrowed words of a young cadet. Tonight, Theater de la Jeune Lune in Minneapolis opens its two-and-half month run of Cyrano de Bergerac, and attempts to show the age-old tale is still relevant. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has this report.

The Metropolitan Council is soliciting public comment on the design of light-rail transit stations planned for Minneapolis. Proponents of the rail line argue that the system can do more than just move people: it can spur development. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

Schools in the Red River Valley are trying to make the best of a bad business. After a year and a half of rebuilding and repairing the damage of 1997's spring flooding, teachers and students now have some of the newest, and best equipped schools in the upper Midwest. Mainstreet Radio's Hope Deutscher reports.

Delegates to this weekend's Minnesota Taxpayer's Party state convention in St. Augusta are excited about Governor-elect Jesse Ventura's election victory. It's not that they have a lot in common with him or the Reform Party. They see it as a sign that voters are ready for fresh voices from third parties,including Theirs. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen Louise Boothe reports.

Bob Potter speaks with Ken Plummer at Metro Transit about the slow traffic and road closings due to snow flurries.

Later today the National Mediation Board will announce the results a the vote that will determine whether Northwest Airline's mechanics and aircraft cleaners will leave the International Association of Machinists for a rival union. If the mechanics decide on representation by the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association, labor relations with Northwest could change significantly. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

At a time when many Minnesota grain farmers are hurting from record low crop prices, the state's dairy farmers are enjoying the highest milk prices they've ever seen. But farmers say they're not taking the good prices for granted. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann has this Mainstreet report.

Lieutenant Governor-elect Mae Schunk made one of her first public appearances since the election last night, at the Minnesota Rural Education Association conference in Alexandria. Since election day, Schunk has maintained a focus on her classroom teaching, but she's beginning to outline some of the priorities she and Governor-elect Jesse Ventura will bring to their administration. Minnesota Public Radio's Kathryn Herzog reports.

A group charged by the Legislature to analyze the "Profile of Learning" appears ready to recommend that lawmakers pull back parts of the new graduation standards. The standards, which were put into effect this fall, list specific things that students must accomplish before getting a diploma. Several members of the panel have suggested that some or all of the regimen be optional for districts.

Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life is holding a conference in St. Louis Park today and tomorrow to mark its 30th anniversary. MCCL is one of the state's most prominent anti-abortion lobbying groups, and Executive Director Jackie Schweitz says the organization has had a national impact on abortion law.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley discusses this week's storms and a whopper storm that occurred a hundred years ago.