Monday, February 7

A prominent Twin Cities law firm is now itself being sued, the fallout of enormous theft committed by one of its former attorneys. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

The DFL candiates for U.S. Senate pressed the flesh with party leaders gathered at a St. Louis Park school Saturday for a meeting of the party's "Central Committee." In addition to passing out buttons and bumper stickers, the candidates addressed the delegates. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Also in attendance at the DFL meeting Saturday was Fourth District Congressman Bruce Vento. It was Vento's first public appearance since announcing last week that he would not seek re-election. He is leaving Congress after being diagnosed with lung cancer which he thinks was caused by working with asbestos as a young man. Here's what congressman Vento had to say.

State education commissioner Christine Jax says she'll ask the Legislature to delay final implementation of the state's new graduation standards for two years. She'll get little argument from the class of 2002. Those students, this year's tenth graders, are currently the first required to complete both basic skills tests and the higher standards known as the Profile of Learning. Minnesota Public Radio decided last fall to see how the new system is working for the students, parents and teachers on the front lines of the state's experiment with graduation standards. Much of what they found can be summed up in the phrase `guinea pig kids', three words that turned up over and over through the five-month investigation. The phrase reflects pervasive uncertainty over whether the standards are ready to impose on Minnesota students. We begin our series this morning by looking at the history of the standards movement. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Wareham reports.

MPR's Chris Farrell discusses the soaring NASDAQ and other market-related tidbits.

The Secret Service, which has responsibility for protecting U.S. financial institutions, will examine a computer seized from a 17-year-old Rochester boy who's been charged with credit card fraud. Police believe he illegally obtained 20,000 or more credit card numbers on the Internet. As Minnesota Public Radio's Jon Gordon reports, it's just one of many recent cases where hackers are accused of breaking into corporate computer systems to steal credit cards.

A small charter school in Winona is reviving the all but lost art of original radio drama as a business venture. In addition to writing, producing and marketing regular five-minute features, the students are responsible for sticking to a business plan which requires that the enterprise support itself. Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes reports.

For months now Governor Jesse Ventura has been voicing his support for a unicameral Legislature. Last night, Ventura and key lawmakers presented the case for a one-house state legislature to legislators themselves. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports, the hearing is just the first step in a long and uncertain process.

A Minnesota House panel today will discuss what to do about a question on a statewide writing test that some have complained is too personal. That test is one of three basic skills tests that students will have to pass in order to graduate from high school. The basic skills are part of the state's graduation standards and this week on MPR we are examining the impact of those standards on students. In addition to the basic skills, students must also complete the Profile of Learning. The Profile is not just another test. It is a list of skills and concepts the state has determined students should know before they graduate. These are known as the high standards and students demonstrate they know one by completing a performance package. State education officials created examples of performance packages for each of the 48 high standards. Many schools are using those examples. But local teachers are encouraged to develop and use their own. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports on one teacher's use of an original package.

Northwest Airlines and its flight attendants union yesterday resumed negotiations aimed at ending a more than three-and-a-half-year-old contract dispute. Meanwhile the company suspended the bulk of its ongoing effort to search the home computers of flight attendants. A federal judge in St. Paul authorized the searches in connection with a company lawsuit accusing flight attendants of conducting an illegal sickout. Monday the judge put that lawsuit on hold. But critics say the airline's effort intrudes on first amendment rights and invades employee privacy. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

A traveling bear exhibit owned by the Science Museum of Minnesota goes on the block this month, and competition is intensifying between two Minnesota communities who want to buy it. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji.

This week MPR is airing a series of reports on the impact of Minnesota's new graduation standards. One of the most frequent complaints about the standards is that they are complicated and difficult to understand. Many people get lost in the educational jargon that is used to describe them. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal has put together a guide to the jargon.

Governor Jesse Ventura lobbied southeastern Twin Cities county commissioners yesterday, asking them to call their state lawmakers and urge them to support his transportation plan. The meeting in Hastings was the first of three the Ventura administration has planned with Twin Cities county board members. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

This week we are taking a look at the impact of the state's new graduation standards on the class of 2002, the first class under current law that will have to complete them in order to graduate. Part of the new system is built around 48 standards called the Profile of Learning. Students must demonstrate achievement in 24 of these standards through hands-on assignments called performance packages. The performance packages can take weeks to complete which means teachers often have to skip material they had taught in the past. Such changes concern parents who are worried about how missing lessons will effect their children in the long run. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports.

A state Senate committee has struck down an attempt to restrict campaign expenditures by political parties. The plan would have restored a provision limiting so-called independent expenditures by parties on behalf of their candidates. But opponents said the plan would give too much power to special interest groups who would remain unregulated. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

A water company in southwest Minnesota has agreed to cut back its pumping from a shallow aquifer near the South Dakota border to protect a unique system of wetlands. A new permit between the Lincoln Pipestone Rural Water System and the Department of Natural Resources is the latest chapter in a long running dispute over how much water can safely be pumped from the aquifer. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Leaders of the Reform Party of Minnesota say this weekend they will consider breaking from the national party. The regularly scheduled meeting of the Minnesota party's central committee coincides with a meeting of National Reform Party leaders in Tennessee who are expected to consider ousting Party Chairman Jack Gargan. Gargan was elected last summer with the support of Governor Ventura. Local Reform party leaders say the infighting on the national level is hurting their efforts in Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

The St. Paul city government has approved the sale of the Lawson Software building to a private developer. The deal will take the building off the city's hands, and reduce St. Paul's overall debt by more than $50 million. Mayor Norm Coleman says the sale is evidence of growing confidence in the city's business climate. Critics say the city could have done even better. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.

As Minnesota's new graduation rule now stands, the class of 2002 will be the first class required to complete 24 graduation standards in order to graduate from a public high school in Minnesota. These standards are collectively known as the Profile of Learning. Minnesota Public Radio has investigated implementation of the Profile of Learning by spending time in three high schools throughout much of this school year. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal spent his time at North High School in North St. Paul. He reports that while it's still too early to tell whether or not the graduation standards will improve public education in the long term, it's clear that in the short term the task of implementing the standards is creating a lot of difficulties for students, teachers and parents.

Black History Month events continue around the Twin Cities and this weekend, you can catch an event about jazz in Minnesota. Musician Donald Washington will be playing his saxophone at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul at One o'clock on Sunday. He'll also talk about the jazz scene in the Twin Cities, and play some music from Minnesota artists. Washington is also a music teacher in the Minneapolis school system, and he stopped by our studio. He says that he sees lots of jazz fans whenever he plays in the Twin Cities.

The Twenty-first Century Workforce Commission is holding a hearing in St. Paul today. That federal commission is charged with studying what skills are necessary to enter the information technology workforce and how the nation can expand its number of IT workers. The commission is in the Twin Cities to examine how Minnesota has built its IT workforce. Lawrence Perlman is the chairman of the commission and also chairman of Minneapolis-based Ceridian Corporation. He's on the line now.

It's day two of Governor Ventura's tour of central Minnesota. The Governor starts out in Alexandria this morning. The trip is designed to give Ventura a chance to talk to local citizens about his plans for the state. On day one of his tour, Ventura avoided talking about rumors that he might leave the national Reform party. He stuck to issues closer to his heart like a unicameral legislature. Ventura's is using interviews with local newspapers and radio stations to get his message out. Sandy Sandburg of KEYL in Long Prairie spoke with the Governor while he was in town. She says they also talked about some local issues.

On Sunday the University of Minnesota's new $45 million alumni building will be open to the public for the first time. The McNamara Alumni Center, which stands on the site of the old Memorial Stadium, is a distinctive looking building. Thomas Fisher, dean of the University's College of Architecture says it "stands not just as a gateway to the campus, but as a symbol of what really drives the University: experimentation.".... Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley talks of snow past and snow future.

According to sources, Governor Jesse Ventura today will call on Minnesota Reform party members to break away from the national party. The governor will say only that he has called a news conference for 1 o'clock this afternoon to discuss a political matter. As Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports, Ventura is so disheartened by the national reform party, he's decided to declare himself an independent if the state party doesn't distance itself from the national group.

Third parties have a poor track record of longevity in the U.S., and the Reform Party may be falling into some of the same traps as its predecessors. Joining us on the line is Lisa Disch, political science professor at the University of Minnesota who has studied third parties.

This week Minnesota Public Radio has been taking a look at how the state's new graduation standards are working in the classroom. Many teachers say the standards pose an enormous challenge for recent immigrants and special education students. The number of students in these categories is growing, especially in Minneapolis and St. Paul. Minnesota's Graduation Rule allows some accommodations for non-English speakers and students with various disabilities, but teachers say the state's requirements for a high school diploma may still remain out of reach for many students. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

MPR's Chris Roberts brings us up to date on what's going on in the world of art in Minnesota.