Monday, November 30

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura kicked up some controversy when he said it's time to talk about legalizing marijuana. Behind the discussion over legalizing marijuana is a much more contentious debate. There's a rising tide of voices saying we're not winning the war on drugs, so we should legalize all or most of them. Nowhere is the difference of opinion on the war on drugs more striking than on the front lines. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Perhaps the only thing worse than Monday - is Monday morning after a holiday weekend. But in at least one St. Paul office building, workers have something to take the edge off their Mondays. Live harp music greets them three mornings a week in the World Trade Center lobby. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

The mild weather this fall has given people longer than usual to get their leaf raking done. But for Moorhead resident Orval Hurner, gathering leaves is not a chore. He takes leaves and turns them into art. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports.

The stock market has rebounded and the economy is chugging ahead. Still, Minnesota's largest companies have been announcing a steady stream of layoffs. General Mills says it will cut 200 jobs, Honeywell is shedding 1000, 3M will lose 4500, and the St. Paul Companies about 500. Sung Wohn Sohn, Senior Vice President and Chief Economist for Wells Fargo, says the layoffs are occurring because the companies are unable to raise prices.

Chris Farrell analyzes market trends

A Saint Paul woman has changed her original plea to guilty of six counts of second degree murder. After changing her plea yesterday, Khoa Her now faces a fifty year prison term. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.

A field cloaked in rusty brown grass and scrub trees near the Minnesota river was once the scene of rifle shots, battle yells and death. Now one of the best preserved battle fields from the 1862 Dakota Conflict is being restored to better tell the events of that fateful day. The Minnesota Historical Society plans to install trails and interpretive signs explaining the many perspectives of the war. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports.

In about a year, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service is expected to take gray wolves in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan off the endangered species list. The return of the wolf is seen by some as a high profile success for the Endangered Species Act, at a time when critics say the law isn't working. Congress must decide whether to reauthorize the act, which has been up for renewal since 1992. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

If the great symphonies and orchestras of the world are worried about where their future audience will come from, jazz musicians and aficionados are doubly concerned. Many people don't come in contact with jazz until adulthood, and by that time can easily be intimidated by its complexity and sophistication. Which is why Baby Boom Records in Minneapolis has released a jazz c.d. for kids called Jazz-a-ma-tazz, featuring children's songs interpreted by jazz musicians. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts spoke with the producer of the album and has this report.

This holiday weekend set record minimum and maximum temperatures in the Twin Cities and across Minnesota, with temperatures in the 60s. This weeks' forecast predicts temperatures in the 50s, still unusually warm for the first week of December. While the weather gives Minnesotans time for last-minute golfing and rollerblading, it could damage plants that are growing out of season. Kathy Heidel, naturalist with Hennepin parks, says Minnesota plants and critters are confused by the weather.

Twin Cities residents may need to get used to not just one new area code, but two. Although the 651 area code won't take full effect until January, 1999, the Public Utilities Commission is having an open meeting to assess the need for a third area code this morning. Dianne Wells, telecommunications analyst with the Public Utilities Commission joins us by phone.

Tensions between U.S. and Canadian farmers are rising again, and may erupt this weekend. Plans are being laid to repeat and expand September's border blockade of Canadian agricultural goods to market in the U.S. But Canada is not backing down, saying such protests will do nothing to resolve long-standing conflicts between the U.S. and Canada. Yesterday in Washington, the Canadian minister of Agriculture told farm representatives that the border delays, and indeed much of U.S. farmers' antagonism toward Canada are based on misperceptions. From Washington, Emily Harris reports.

Governor Arne Carlson has a little more than a month left in his term, and already tributes to his 30 years in public office are under way. The first took place in Minneapolis last night as friends, co-workers, and associates attended a dinner in honor of the governor and First Lady Susan Carlson. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments on a Minnesota treaty rights case this week that could have wide-ranging implications for tribal rights throughout the country. The Court will decide whether the Mille Lacs Band of Chippewa has retained rights to spearfish off its reservation free from State regulation. The issue is a contentious one, as Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

A former giant of the exercise equipment industry passed from local control this week. NordicTrack, which sold millions of dollars worth of cross country-ski machines since the mid-1980s, has fallen victim to changes in U.S. exercise habits. Minnesota Public Radio Sports Commentator Jay Weiner has this analysis.

The Walker Art Center's annual screening of the British Television Advertising Awards begins tonight at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Peter Bigg, who will introduce the show, told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr that one of the highlights of this year's show is a BBC ad that attempted to persuade people to pay their annual license fees by showing the many different kinds of music available through BBC television and radio. The fee is close to $150, and must be paid by anyone who watches TV. The commercial also tried to raise millions for children's charities.

Phillip Frickey, a law professor at the University of Minnesota, discusses the Supreme Court's decision to hear the Mille Lacs treaty rights case.

One of Minnesota's most divisive disputes now rests with the United States supreme court. The nine justices peppered attorneys with questions yesterday on whether the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe has retained rights to hunt and fish off its reservation free from state regulation. At the heart of the dispute is whether the band has the right to spearfish on the state's premier walleye lake: Lake Mille Lacs. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

NASA Officials say an alarm failure caused by a pressure problem forced the postponement of this morning's planned launch of the space shuttle Endeavor. The launch has been rescheduled for tomorrow. When the Shuttle goes up it will carry a key component of the new International Space Station. Minnesota has some interesting connections to the first of what will be dozens of shuttle flights associated with construction of the space station. Native son Bob Cabana is commanding the shuttle mission, making his fourth trip to space. Minnesota-based Honeywell is helping to build the research facility. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Former White Earth tribal chairman Darrell Chip Wadena returned to Minnesota this week. Wadena was serving time in a federal prison in South Dakota for his 1996 conviction on 15 counts of corruption. Wadena was transferred to a county jail in Crookston this week, where he will serve the final month of his sentence. Wadena will be back at White Earth by Christmas. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson talked with Darrell Wadena about the past and the future, and has this report.

This morning, the state Finance Department will announce the results of the latest budget forecast. It's expected that the forecast will show another surplus, perhaps as high as $2 billion. But in a time of global economic uncertainty, interpreting the forecast may be more difficult than in recent years. Dee Long is the outgoing Chair of the House Tax Committee. She joins us by phone.

Minnesota taxpayers can expect another rebate; the question now is how much and when. Governor Arne Carlson released the final budget forecast of his administration yesterday. It shows a surplus of $1.5 billion for the biennium ending in June and predicts another $1.8 billion surplus in the next budget cycle. Republicans, DFL'ers and Governor-elect Jesse Ventura all support giving some of the surplus back to taxpayers, but Ventura is recommending a cautious approach. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Minnesota charities say Minnesota's unusually warm weather is threatening their bottom lines. Many agencies say most folk don't get into the giving mood until cold and snow let them know the holidays have arrived. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

The hottest toy this Christmas season reflects the old adage - we want what we can't have. In the business of toy marketing, scarcity drives consumer demand. The toy in question is called a Furby, a furry electronic pet On the day after Thanksgiving people lined up at local toy stores at six in the morning; one store at the Mall of America sold out 300 Furbys in just ten minutes. It's another example of how advertising, a limited product supply and the demands of children can create a monster demand. But the Furby may be something new: in an age of global communications there is a worldwide demand and an international shortage. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports.

Farmers are planning a blockade at the Canadian border this weekend. Some of the dozens of border crossings from Minnesota to Seattle will be closed. Loggers in Maine say they will shut down a border crossing in solidarity with Midwestern farmers. Protest organizers say Canadian ag-products are flooding the U.S. market, driving down prices. They want more restrictions on Canadian trade. But some trade experts say farmers are fighting the wrong battle. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.

Richard Pfutzinreuter, the budget co-leader on Ventura's transition team, discusses the budget forecast and why Jesse wants to wait until the money is in the bank before sending checks to taxpayers.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley discusses the obscenely-warm weather and a new winter storm warning system that is being tested this year.