Monday, March 20

On March 24, the Mille Lacs Ojibwe Band will observe a tribal holiday celebrating the anniversary of last year's Supreme Court treaty-rights decision. It was a huge victory for the Ojibwe; but even as the tribe celebrates, a legal challenge may be shaping up over the boundaries of the Reservation itself. Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger reports.

Stories of abuse and coercion are emerging in a St. Louis courtroom. Six members of the Minneapolis-based Evans family are on trial there. They were arrested last summer for allegedly running a juvenile prostitution ring that operated in 24 states and Canada. Police say at least fifty girls and women - some as young as the age of 13 - were forced to work in massage parlors or escort services. Many of those girls are from Minnesota. Ruben Rosario has been down in St. Louis covering the trial for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He says teenage prostitution seems to be a bigger problem in Minnesota than in some other states.

High Technology has become a major focus of economic development efforts around the country. Governors and lawmakers across the country are unveiling plans to prevent their states from losing out on the job growth and high wages that characterize successful technology industries. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin went to Pittsburgh, where the state's efforts are helping the region emerge from the ashes of the steel industry as a technology powerhouse.

Momentum appears to be building in the Minnesota Legislature this year not only to boost funding for the Department of Natural Resources, but to create a long-term revenue source for the agency. The DNR says years of budget shortfalls have led to closed campgrounds, substandard facilities and unfilled vacancies. But the Ventura Administration's opposition to spending bills this year prevents DNR officials from lobbying openly for the new funds. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

It looks like a busy week at the Legislature. Joining us now with a preview is MPR Political Editor Mike Mulcahy.

Buddy Ferguson of the Minnesota Department of Health discusses whether Minnesota will launch an investigation based on reports of possible asbestos-related health problems.

Suburban school districts will open their doors to 2,000 Minneapolis students over the next four years. Additional enrollment choices for low-income families are among the key points in an agreement between the Minneapolis NAACP and the state. Details of the agreement, which settles a 5-year-old education adequacy lawsuit scheduled to go to trial in November, were announced yesterday. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

After a marathon 13 hours of debate, the Minnesota House approved a 300-page bill late last night containing a multitude of policy and spending provisions. House leaders say they folded many bills into one to save time, but they concede the bill will be a tough sell in a House-Senate conference committee. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Reports that vermiculite from two Minneapolis factories may contain asbestos have raised the question of what to do if your attic contains vermiculite. The mineral was used mainly in homes built before the 1960s. It doesn't always contain deadly amounts of asbestos, but the two plants in Minneapolis received vermiculite minerals from Libby, Montana - a site which contained large amounts of asbestos. Joining us on the line is Tom Hogan, supervisor of the Asbestos Compliance Unit at the Minnesota Department of Health.

Minnesota has been the launching pad for many leading technology businesses in the past. But some entrepreneurs say the state is no longer a good place for high tech start-ups, and the state's share of the U.S. venture capital pie has gone down. Recently, several local investors have formed new funds to target Minnesota and the Midwest. But many observers say the state needs to do more to promote high technology including starting its own venture capital fund. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

The number of Minnesota children living in poverty fell by almost 20 percent between 1991 and 1996. That's some of the good news in a report released today by the Children's Defense Fund of Minnesota. The fifth annual Kids Count Data Book provides a statistical snapshot of the health and well-being of children across the state. The report also raises some areas of concern. Reports of abuse and neglect remain high, and more kids are living in out-of-home placements. Diane Benjamin is the Kids Count director. She's on the line now.

Later today, the St. Paul city council will debate plans to build more affordable housing. A population boom, combined with the stagnant growth in construction of rental property is causing vacancy rates to drop to less than 2 percent in the metro area. So rents are on the rise and have turned routine apartment searches into exercises in futility for many who are priced out of the market. Joining us on the line is apartment developer Pam George, spokesperson for the Affordable Rental Housing Task Force.

Northwest spokesperson Kathy Peach discusses the problems caused by a communications cable that was cut yesterday.

The Minnesota House has approved more than $400 million in new spending for state transportation projects. The bill is similar to one passed earlier this week by the Senate. But significant differences remain between the House, the Senate, and the governor - including the issue of light-rail. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

While there is growing concern that the state's dry winter will lead to drought conditions, some northern Minnesotans still haven't recovered from flooding caused by last summer's record rainfalls. Experts say a dry spring could lead to extreme fire danger, but as Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, too much rain could mean more flooded basements and lakeshore erosion.

The Rally for Rural America is wrapping up in Washington D.C. Several hundred Minnesotans made the trip to the nation's capital to get their issues on the public agenda. One of them is Dave Fredrickson, president of the Minnesota Farmer's Union, who joins us now from a bus headed back to the Twin Cities.

Syntegra, the Minneapolis-based company formerly known as Control Data, is introducing a service that will allow companies to track how their employees use e-mail. Keep Tabs Dot Com compiles reports that show where e-mail is being sent, where it's coming from, what the subject line is and other information. In addition, it helps companies form e-mail use policies and provides legal advice through a partnership with the Fredrikson and Byron law firm. Matt Kramer is a vice-president at Syntegra and he joins us now.

Members of the American Physical Society, physicists to the rest of us, gather once a year to discuss new developments in their field. More than 5,000 of them from all over the world have been meeting this week at the Minneapolis convention center. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports on what they've been up to.

Federal transit officials are reportedly raising new questions about Minnesota's Light Rail Transit plans. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports this morning documents released yesterday questions whether the Metropolitan Council has the expertise to oversee the $548 million project. The Star Tribune also reports the Federal Transit Administration has new conflict of interest concerns with a second consultant on the Hiawatha Rail Project. Last night Governor Ventura, his transportation commissioner, and two key legislators engaged in a firey transit debate on public television . Audience members, however, were mostly curious rather than opinionated about light rail and other proposals, and anxious for the state to get going on necessary improvements. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

A former University of Minnesota professor may get some money from the state to work on a new way to move people known as personal rapid-transit. The House transportation bill passed this week contains $500,000 for the project. PRT is the brainchild of J. Edward Anderson, a mechanical engineering professor who came up with the idea over 25 years ago. It uses small cars that ride on tracks 14 feet above the ground. Once the infrastructure is in place, individuals could go wherever they want, whenever they want. Professor Anderson is on the line now.

U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone is warning state lawmakers not to get too creative with their accounting when it comes to federal anti-poverty money. Bills passed in the Minnesota House and Senate would reduce state spending on poor families and replace it with money available from the federal government. The unspent state money, about $192 million over the next four years, would go back to the general fund, where it could be used for tax cuts and new spending. The shift of funds is perfectly legal, but Wellstone says it would break faith with Congress. Senator Wellstone is on the line now.

Republican State Representative Kevin Goodno, chair of the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee, reacts to Wellstone.

When someone is diagnosed with an illness, they can become consumed with their treatment. Life can become a constant stream of surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Doctors say that intensity usually forces patients to search for something to focus on besides their illness. But now healthcare professionals are using art to help patients ease their worries. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

Education, roads and bridges, and crime prevention are a few of the priorities in House and Senate bonding bills passed Thursday. House members voted to authorize the state to bond for $400 million worth of construction projects, a recommendation that matches Governor Ventura's. The Senate has a more expensive bill. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Chris Roberts, with this week's Word of Mouth Arts Roundup.

Two Rochester natives have made it to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Woman's Basketball Tournament. Cocoa and Kelly Miller are juniors who play for the University of Georgia. They'll face North Carolina tomorrow night to determine who makes the elite eight. The Miller twins played for Mayo High School in Rochester before going onto Division One ball. Wendy Parker covers the Georgia team for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She's on the line now.

The Minnesota Agriculture Department may be moving out of St. Paul. The large spending bill approved by the state Senate this week included a call for the Department to move its main offices to Greater Minnesota. Supporters say it's a way to decentralize state government and provide jobs in rural Minnesota. Gene Hugoson is the state commissioner of Agriculture. He's on the line now.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley joins us now for this week's weather commentary.