Monday, January 24

A federal judge is expected to rule today on a lawsuit filed by Eden Prairie residents trying to stop the widening of Pioneer Trail. Hennepin County engineers say the two-lane road, running between highways 212 and 169, needs to become four lanes to make it safer and to accommodate more traffic. Neighbors don't want to lose yard space to the project, and they object to the noise it would bring. The disagreement might be just another garden variety road spat or it may signal growing sentiment among suburban residents who want to protect their peace and quiet. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

A group of students from the University of Minnesota is in Iowa covering the presidential caucus today. The students are in a political reporting class that has been taught at the University every presidential year since 1980. The class requires students to spend ten days covering a political event. This year students are sending their stories to newspapers everywhere from Syracuse, New York to El Paso, Texas. Tammy Oseid is one of the students covering the caucus. She's on the line now from Des Moines, Iowa.

Eden Prairie isn't the only suburb that's facing the need to expand roads that have become too small to accommodate the number of cars that travel on them every day. Communities around the Twin Cities like Afton, Circle Pines and Lakeville face similar issues. Joining us on the line is Barbara Thoman, executive director of Transit for Livable Communities.

Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economics Commentator Chris Farrell came by the studio for a look at the announcement of a Time Warner/EMI merger, and this week's financial news.

Pioneer Press sportswriter Don Banks joined us for a look at the Vikings, and the report that offensive coordinator Ray Sherman will be demoted.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is concerned thousands of Minnesota families could exhaust their welfare benefits by 2002. Changes to federal law have put a five-year limit on eligibility for federal dollars. In a report to state legislators, the department yesterday said now is the time to address the new realities of welfare. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

The township of Saint Augusta, in central Minnesota, wants to become the city of Ventura. The township filed an incorporation request a year ago. But concern over urban sprawl and desire for an increasing tax base have turned Saint Augusta's incorporation request into a complicated political battle. Mainstreet Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar and several state legislators want tougher laws against repeat drunk drivers. The group is using the case of Sandra Hart to push for the change. Hart has ten drunk driving related offenses. Last month she pleaded guilty to driving without a license and fleeing a police officer. She was sentenced to six months in the workhouse and placed on probation for six years. Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar joins us now.

The University of Minnesota medical school will soon set up a new heart institute thanks to a new 16-million-dollar gift from the widow of C. Walton Lillehei. Dr. Lillehei is considered the "father of open heart surgery," and he pioneered the procedure at University Hospital. Successfully performing open heart surgery was once thought to be impossible. And many patients died in the operating room in the attempt to find the techniques that would someday make it routine. Joining us to talk about Dr. Lillehei is Wayne Miller, the author of King of Hearts: The True Story of the Maverick Who Pioneered Open Heart Surgery.

A report to be released today finds an explosion of special-interest money in Minnesota politics over the past few years. The study gives ammunition to campaign finance reform supporters, who argue the 2000 elections are likely to be the most expensive in Minnesota history. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Here's a story you may not give a hoot about. A family in northern Minnesota is being harassed by an unusual stalker. He's about two-feet tall and has a wingspan of five feet. He's an owl and he's been terrorizing the Corey family in Soudan, Minnesota. The family has seen their dog carried away in the owl's talons. The creature does not seem to be intimidated by human activity. Joining us now is the mother of the household, Kristy Corey.

3M has announced record profits for the fourth quarter and the whole last year. The company's stock soared on the news. The results are the latest good news for a company hit hard by economic turmoil and currency devaluations overseas. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

When people worry about urban sprawl, they often think of development paving over cornfields and green spaces. But subdivisions and shopping malls are spreading over more than open country. They're also threatening to cover up metro area gravel deposits needed to build future roads, houses and shopping malls. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

A taconite pellet plant on Lake Superior's North Shore may be expanded soon to produce pig iron. Northshore Mining Company would become the first in the State to process taconite rock into iron. It could create a new market for Minnesota ore, but, as Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports, it comes with some environmental cost.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is proposing a new wolf management route, a plan it hopes will be well-received by livestock owners and legislators. The agency unveiled a plan allowing landowners to hunt and trap wolves in most of the state, and allowing state-certified trappers to help eliminate so-called nuisance wolves. But the plan is under fire from both environmentalists, who may file suit, and livestock owners, who say they still need more leeway to control wolves in the northern part of the state. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Joining us to talk about the DNR's new wolf management plan is State Senator Bob Lessard, a Democrat from International Falls, and the Chairman of the Senate's Environment and Natural Resources Committee.

President Clinton talked about a wide range of new spending as well as some tax cuts in his final State of the Union message last night in Washington. Joining us now with his take on the President's speech is Congressman James Oberstar, a Democrat from Minnesota's 8th district.

The chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party, Ron Eibensteiner, was in Washington last night to hear the State of the Union speech and he joins us now with his reaction.

The Minneapolis Public Schools are launching an image campaign today. It's called "Expect Great Things." The idea came from a team of ad professionals at Carmichael Lynch. They approached the school district with some ideas to improve the school's image with no cost to the district. The result is a television and print ad campaign. Phil Calvit, now a freelance copywriter, was the lead creative executive on the project. He's also a graduate of the Minneapolis Public Schools, and he joins us now.

The 114th Saint Paul Winter Carnival opens today and continues through February 6. The carnival consists of more than 100 events. One of the most popular and enduring attractions is the collection of ice sculptures taking shape in Rice Park. Judges won't pick a winner of the multi-block carving competition until noon today, but the sculptors have already spent two days and two nights in the park, honing their frozen works of art. Minnesota Pulic Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Non-Indian anglers will face tighter fishing regulations on Lake Mille Lacs this year. After an abundant sportfishing season in 1999, biologists say the fishery, while still healthy, is down. Last night DNR officials met with a citizens advisory group to hammer out more restrictive regulations for the coming season. Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger reports.

Last month, many small rural phone companies cheered when the Federal Communications Commission ruled against a controversial plan by the State of Minnesota to create a fiber optic telecommunications network. The FCC says the state's "Connecting Minnesota" plan could thwart competition in the telecommunications industry. But despite the ruling, state officials say they're moving ahead with implementation. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji.

Now that we've gotten up to Super Bowl number XXXIV, maybe it's time to put the Roman Numerals away. MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner has a simpler title for this year's Super Bowl. He suggests we should call it the Subsidy Bowl.

The Recording Industry of America recently sued two companies over their use of MP3 technology. MP3 is an audio format that makes it easy and fast to download songs over the Internet. Computer columnist Dwight Silverman has been following the lawsuits, the first of which was filed against a Web-based service called "Napster."

Meteorologist Mark Seeley reviews another warm month.

Chris Roberts gives us the lowdown on the local arts scene in his weekly Word of Mouth arts round up.