Monday, March 13

Beginning this week, the U.S. Census Bureau embarks on a mammoth task: counting the entire population of the United States in a span of about six weeks. In past census years, Minnesotans have responded in greater numbers than residents of other states. But even in Minnesota, communities of color and immigrants were significantly undercounted during the last census. Minnesota Public Radio's Shirley Idelson reports on efforts to reduce the undercount this time around.

Joining us now to talk about the Census in Minnesota is Patricia Waller, manager of the St. Paul Census office.

Attendance was down over past years at this weekend's DFL precinct caucuses, but party officials say the strategy of holding caucuses on weekends is a sound one they'll pursue in future years. They say Bill Bradley's withdrawal from the presidential race last Wednesday was a variable that couldn't have been predicted. To no one's surprise, Al Gore was the big winner in the presidential preference poll, while the party's U.S. Senate contest still appears to be wide open. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Now that the caucuses are out of the way, it's back to lawmaking at the Capitol. Joining us with a preview of what to expect this week is MPR Political Editor Mike Mulcahy.

Lynette Nyman of Minnesota Public Radio reports on programs that create "safe places" for new teen mothers to give up their newborns - a community response to the tragedy of abandoned babies often being found dead in trash bins or public toilets.

MPR's Chris Farrell gives us a preview of what we can expect this week with the markets.

Republicans in the Minnesota House introduced legislation yesterday to kill funding for the Twin Cities' light rail line from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America and the airport. They accuse the state Transportation Department of making misleading cost predictions last year when money was first allocated. But other legislators, say having taken the plunge, they should see the project through, especially considering the Senate and Governor Jesse Ventura both support the project. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

One of the hottest issues in Congress this year deals with the high prices senior citizens are paying for prescription drugs. At a hearing in St Paul yesterday, Democratic Senators Paul Wellstone of Minnesota and Byron Dorgan of North Dakota listened to testimony on whether the federal government should absorb at least some of the costs of prescription drugs. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

If you haven't yet seen the new dollar coin depicting Indian guide Sacagawea and her baby, you should soon. There are now over 250 million of the coins in circulation. They were designed to replace the Susan B. Anthony dollar, which was so unpopular that the government finally stopped making it. U.S. Senator Rod Grams held a press conference yesterday to encourage Minnesotans to use the new dollar. Grams says it wasn't easy to get the new coin in circulation.

For the new coin to really save the government money, it has to catch on with the general public. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal showed the new coin to some people in downtown St. Paul and got their reaction.

Like it or not, one of the most powerful cultural institutions in recent U.S. history is Hollywood. Millions of Americans have spent countless hours sitting in the dark, being thrilled, scared, and amused by the celluloid antics of four generations of actors. Now there is growing concern much of this cultural history is threatened because many of those films are literally falling to pieces. Time has destroyed thousands of early films. Now the Library of Congress is trying to raise public awareness of the problem. This weekend the Library brings its film preservation tour to the historic Fargo theatre. In the first of a two part series Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura heads toward southeast Minnesota today for the third part of his ongoing bus tour of outstate Minnesota. But this time Ventura is venturing into a part of the state where he is considered too preoccupied with the Twin Cities to adequately speak to rural needs. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

The windstorm that swept through the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness last summer was bad news for many but it's an unprecedented opportunity for some scientists. Researchers will be able to study how forests and wildlife respond to a huge natural disturbance. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

As Al Gore and George W. Bush gear up for a showdown in November, political analysts are watching how each candidate tries to put together a winning coalition. Steven Schier in the chair of the Political Science Department at Carleton College. He's written a new book about campaign strategies, called By Invitation Only: The Rise of Exclusive Politics in the United States. He's on the line now.

Governor Ventura is once again warning legislators not to eliminate or scale back the Profile of Learning graduation standards. The House and Senate are expected to take action in the coming days on bills that try to fix some of the problems schools are having with the show-what-you-know system. But Ventura says the House proposal goes too far. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

National Weather Service broadcasts and emergency messages will soon be available to campers in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. A federal Agency has approved funds for two radio transmitters that could warn campers about severe weather or fire danger. The region is considered at high fire risk since a powerful storm downed millions of trees last July. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

Yesterday, we reported on the growing concern about the deterioration of old Hollywood films, but there are other important films that could be lost as well: the so-called "orphan films," that have no commercial interests looking after their preservation. Many are the amateur films which provide unique insights into communities now long gone. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports on Minnesota's participation in a nationwide program to save these orphan films so they'll be available for future generations to enjoy.

Committees in the Minnesota House and Senate are wrapping up work this week on drastically different spending bills for K-12 education. After a late meeting last night The proposals are now more than $200 million apart, and Governor Ventura says he doesn't want any new spending in this non-budget legislative session. But many lawmakers say they don't want to hold off on directing some of the state's budget surplus to schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is pushing hard to keep his unicameral legislature idea alive. On his bus tour of southeastern Minnesota Ventura also hammered home his vision for transportation spending, high-speed Internet access for rural areas, and property tax reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

A new report about welfare reform in Minnesota tries to identify what works and what doesn't. It's from the Wilder Research Center and takes a looks at how communities across the state used $20 million from the McKnight Foundation. The money was provided so small businesses and civic groups could implement local strategies for getting people off welfare and into work. Joining me now is Greg Owen, Research Scientist with the Wilder Research Center which conducted the study.

The malady known as March Madness is tightening its grip on Minneapolis this week. The seasonal sports fever is traditionally spawned by the high school tournaments concentrated in the Twin Cities. This year powerful collegiate strains of the disease are also spreading as NCAA basketball and WCHA hockey come to town. And experts caution that next year's case may be even worse when a seldom-seen variety known as The Final Four hits the Twin Cities. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Wolf advocates won a victory in the Minnesota Senate yesterday, which voted more than 2-1 to pass a bill granting strong protections to wolves statewide. The state legislature must pass a management plan to take effect when wolves are removed from the federal endangered species list and returned to state control. The vote sets the stage for House-Senate negotiations, and creates a wide gulf between the two chambers, since the House passed a bill allowing wolf hunting and trapping. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

A new Congressional mandate changing how transplanted organs are distributed throughout the country is now in effect. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will begin reviewing recommendations from transplant boards and surgeons on how it will work. The department says it wants to get more organs to the sickest patients, but that philosophy is being criticized by some transplant surgeons. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley says St. Patrick's Day is the windiest holiday and other states have the nation's daily low temperature more often than Minnesota.

The Minnesota House is poised to approve legislation to make the Profile of Learning graduation standards optional for local school districts. Under the bill debated, amended, but not voted on last night, districts could continue with the current show-what-you-know system, implement a scaled back version or use a new back-to-basics alternative called the Northstar Standards. The plan, if approved next week, appears to set up another conference committee showdown with the Senate, which passed a much different bill Thursday to fix the Profile. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The Minnesota House of Representatives has unanimously passed a crime package targeted at repeat sexual offenders. The $16 million bill toughens registration requirements for convicted sex offenders and helps integrate criminal justice databases statewide. While the proposal enjoys broad support from legislators, the governor's support is uncertain. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Scientists are reducing the size of machines and computer chips to ever smaller proportions. The science of "nano-technology," is fueling what some are calling a new technological revolution. The University of Minnesota and some local companies want the state to play a leading role in that revolution. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.

Sixteen college basketball tournament games were played yesterday, another 16 are scheduled for today and that's just the men. The NCAA women's basketball tournament also gets underway today. MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner witnessed March madness firsthand yesterday at the Metrodome and he joins us now.

MPR radio artist Chris Roberts presents the Word of Mouth Arts roundup.