Monday, May 1

Last fall, St. Paul Superintendent Patricia Harvey placed 11 schools on academic probation based on low test scores. After months of soul searching, principals, teachers and parents at those schools have now outlined their plans for turning the schools around. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Weather forecasts longer than 3 days away are not credible. That's according to St. Cloud State meteorology professor Bob Weisman who just completed a study of long range forecasts. He says a lot of the problem actually has to do with TV ratings.

Republicans say the changing nature of St. Paul's Fourth District bodes well for their newly endorsed congressional candidate, state senator Linda Runbeck of Circle Pines. They point to the new majority of suburban voters in the historically urban district, and to the success of Republican mayor Norm Coleman in a longtime DFL town. Runbeck has been endorsed to seek the seat vacated by retiring Congressman Bruce Vento, who is leaving Congress after 24 years due to lung cancer. She says she'll focus her campaign on wooing voters in St. Paul proper, while counting on the Republican-leaning suburbs for major support. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

An eighteen month turf war over the last undeveloped block of downtown Rochester returns to its beginning at this evening's city council meeting. Two developers with two different plans for the same site, will once again make bids before the council. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.

It's May first, and the state Legislature is still in session. The House, Senate, and Governor Ventura are still trying to work out a compromise on how much money to allocate to tax cuts and new spending. Meanwhile, they're running out of time to get things done. Joining us from the Capitol is Minnesota Public Radio's political editor Mike Mulcahy.

Mpr's Chris Farrell discusses possible interest rate hikes, hedge funds and Reliastar acquisition.

Minneapolis police say at least two dozen arrests were made at a march and rally Monday afternoon. More than 400 people commemorating May Day - a worldwide observation of the rights of workers - marched from Peavey Park in Downtown Minneapolis to Loring Park. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.

Senator Paul Wellstone is fighting a one-man battle in the U.S. Senate. Wellstone is trying to stall a bill that would make it harder for individuals to file for bankruptcy. He will join union leaders, civil-rights organizations, and consumer groups on Capitol Hill today to denounce the bill. Lawmakers who support it say many Americans are abusing the bankruptcy system. Senator Wellstone says the legislation isn't neccessary because bankrupcies are declining.

This weekend, many high school juniors and seniors will celebrate spring prom. It's also traditionally been a time of heavy alcohol use and nearly every year, somewhere in Minnesota, teenagers die as a result of drinking and driving. Surveys of teens indicate more are drinking and using drugs. Some communities are using shock value to educate students. In Moorhead this week, police and rescue crews, with the help of student actors, staged a dramatic scene. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Highway 23 is a mostly rural road that stretches from I-90 in the southwest across Minnesota to Duluth. Traffic is heavy along portions of the highway, especially in the central part of the state. One of those busy sections is north of Willmar where the Minnesota Department of Transportation proposes a four-lane highway through the community of Spicer. Some Spicer residents welcome the expansion, but others are speaking out against it, saying it will ruin the small town feel of their lake-side community. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has this report.

The Rochester city council contines to wrestle with plans to develop a key piece of property in downtown. Yesterday, local merchants, senior citizens and even a former Minnesota supreme court justice showed up at two sessions of the council to debate two competing plans. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is headed to Chicago later this morning. He'll be promoting Minnesota as a tourist destination for Chicago residents. The governor's itinerary includes a walking tour of the city's downtown to tell people about tourist destinations in Minnesota, and a special broadcast of his weekly radio show. He'll also attend a Chicago Cubs baseball game while he's in town. Ray Van Whye is the Assistant Director of the Minnesota Office of Tourism, which has been working with Ventura to plan his trip. She says Minnesota already gets some tourists from Chicago.

Governor Jesse Ventura has joined with Senate DFLers in the debate over what to do with the state budget. Ventura says he is sold on a Senate proposal to split projected future surpluses three ways and let the House, Senate, and governor's office each decide how to spend its share. But House Republicans remain cool to the idea. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

The sale of Reliastar Financial to Dutch financial services giant ING has once again thinned the ranks of Minnesota based Fortune 500 headquarters. Mergers have cost Minnesota several major corporate headquarters in the last few years, most notably Honeywell last year, and Norwest the year before. The trend worries some observers, others predict it will continue. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

The Minnesota Timberwolves' first fifty-win season ended with another first-round playoff loss. The Portland Trail Blazers eliminated the Timberwolves from the NBA playoffs last night 85 - 77. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Today is World Asthma Day, a day when allergists and immunologists try to bring attention to a disease that's on the rise. The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta says nearly one out of every 10 Americans has asthma. Pediatricians are even more concerned, because asthma rates are even higher among school children. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

In a new television campaign ad, DFL Senate candidate Mike Ciresi tries to counter the fat cat attorney image some voters may have of him. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik prepared this report.

Governor Ventura is planning to meet with President Clinton today after Clinton speaks at City Academy in St. Paul. The visit to to St. Paul is part of Clinton's two-day, four-city "school reform tour." City Academy was chosen because it is the nation's first charter school. Minnesota passed its charter school law in 1991 allowing the creation of independent public schools. Thirty-six states and the District of Columbia now have similar laws, and the number of charter schools is growing each year. President Clinton is expected to highlight the charter movement's success and its Minnesota roots. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Not all house republicans are happy with it, but legislative leaders say they've reached a deal on the state budget that will open the way to end the session. They've agreed to split more than $500 million of ongoing budget surplus money three ways; between the House Republicans, Senate Democrats and Governor Ventura. Top lawmakers say the process wasn't pretty, but the results will be good for Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Mike Mulcahy reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is back in the Twin Cities today after leading a delegation of Minnesota tourism officials to Illinois. Ventura was in Chicago to drum up interest in Minnesota as a tourist destination. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports from Chicago.

Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik is outside the St. Paul hotel where President Clinton stayed last night and he joins us now.

St. Paul-based Urometrics has received FDA approval to market a device designed to treat female sexual dysfunction. According to Urometrics, over 40 million American women have the condition because of inadequete blood flow to their genitalia. Drugs like Viagra have helped men with similar problems and Viagra for women is currently in development. But Urometrics says their device, called EROS-CTD, will help women who can't take the drug. Claire Hoveland is the inventor of the EROS-CTD and he joins us now.

Steven Schier, chair of the Carleton College Political Science department discusses the budget deal at the Minnesota Legislature and President Clinton's visits to Minnesota.

At the annual Millard Fillmore dinner at River Center last night, over 1,600 St. Paul leaders heard about new developments in that city including the Lawson building, Science Museum and hockey arena. Those projects are part of a strategy to revitalize the St. Paul riverfront. Planners from St. Paul, Minneapolis, and a dozen other Mississippi River cities are beginning to prepare for a celebration of the river that's still more than four years away. At a conference underway in St. Paul this week officials are planning to re-create the "Grand Excursion of 1854," a steamboat journey that introduced many Americans to the commercial and recreational potential of the upper Mississippi. Organizers hope a modern version of the trip will re-acquaint the country with the northern stretches of the river. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

President Clinton praised a St. Paul charter school yesterday, and the state law that allowed its creation, as national models. He visited City Academy, the nation's first charter school, as part of a four-city tour to highlight school reform issues. Students and teachers at the unique school, as well as charter advocates, say the visit made a big impact. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Wherever the President goes, people hope for a glimpse and maybe even a handshake. And yesterday in St. Paul, to the delight of a group gathered outside the City Academy charter school, President Clinton stopped to say hello. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

There was a time in Minnesota when turkey farmers could barely give away poultry manure. Things have changed. Turkey 'litter' is a hot commodity as fertilizer - and now, a potential power source. Early last week, Governor Jesse Ventura approved poultry litter as a renewable energy source. And, there are tentative plans for a power plant fueled by poultry manure. The proposal is drawing praise as a new entry in alternative energy but also concern from people who fear there may not be enough manure to meet the demand. Mainstreet Radio's Marisa Helms reports.