Monday, May 31

Lutheran Social Services in Fargo is expecting Kosovo refugees to arrive within a week. Several churches are getting ready to welcome the families - one of them is Good News Lutheran Church, which has worked with both Bosnian and Kenyan refugees in the past. Gary Clark is the church pastor, and he's on the line with us now.

Hundreds of volunteers spent part of their Holiday weekend searching swamps and roadsides near Moose Lake, for evidence into the disappearance of 19-year old Kathryn Poirier. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

Today is the deadline for developers of a long-vacant block in downtown Minneapolis to submit further details of their plans. City leaders have been trying for more than a decade to develop notorious Block E across from the Target Center. The developers, already on their third deadline extension, were still scrambling late last week to line up a crucial tenant for the $100 million retail and entertainment complex they envision. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

In the western United States the lynx, a large cat with big whiskers and snowshoe-like paws has become the latest focus for wilderness disputes, and Minnesota will soon be forced into the fray. This summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service will rule on whether to add the lynx to the federal endangered species list in the entire lower 48 states. While environmental activists in Minnesota are supporting a listing the state DNR is dead set against it. At issue is whether such a listing could alter logging, road-building and other activities in the name of lynx habitat. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Tucked away in a small patch of southwestern Minnesota prairie is one of the state's enduring mysteries. Centuries ago people carved thousands of symbols into rocks near the small town of Jeffers. Who were they, and why did they painstakingly carve petroglyphs of animals and other figures? This summer archeologists will take another crack at answering the questions. But in the meantime, the site is becoming a hot spot for visitors interested in the carvings. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Minnesotans addicted to alcohol or drugs can earn $200 by agreeing to long-term birth control procedures. A California-based nonprofit organization is trying to reduce the number of children born with drug or alcohol related problems by offering an incentive for procedures such as Norplants or vasectomies. Minnesota is the first state outside California where the group is offering the payment. Joining us now to discuss the ethical implications of this effort is Art Caplan is the Director of the Center for Bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.

The members of a 1974 Hopkins high school woodworking class are gathering in Owatonna today to commemorate a special anniversary: 25 years ago an airplane built by students under the guidance of a skilled and visionary teacher made its first flight. The ambitious project remains a highlight in the memories of many of the students; for others, it was a life-changing event. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

For 16 years Sun County Airlines has been flying in and out of the Twin Cities as a "charter" airline. Today Sun Country begins "scheduled service" - with flights to 16 destinations, 11 of them non stops from the Twin Cities. Market watchers say travelers will find bargains galore as Northwest responds to its new competition. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

This summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is expected to decide whether to add the Canadian lynx to the federal endangered species list. The Department of Natural Resources strongly opposes the listing in Minnesota, and says one factor in the disappearance of lynx here could be climate change. Scientists say northern Minnesota is experiencing the strongest warming trend in the state, but they suspect the DNR is getting on the bandwagon for political, not biological, reasons. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.