Monday, May 15

The Annual Minnesota Governor's Fishing Opener was held in Crane Lake this weekend. Organizers are calling this year's opener one of the most successful in years. It was the first time since 1978 that Crane Lake hosted the opener. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports.

Governor Ventura has until midnight tonight to decide whether to veto any bills signed by the Minnesota Legislature last week. The House and Senate passed major bills on transportation, taxes, and education before recessing. They also passed a $583 million bonding bill. Lawmakers will reconvene on Wednesday to consider any vetos and finish their work on the Profile of Learning. Minnesota Public Radio's political editor Mike Mulcahy has been keeping an eye on things up at the capitol and he joins us now.

A science based revolution is changing everything about the food we eat and how it's produced. The revolution goes by a variety of names which sometimes reveal the leanings of the user: genetically modified organisms, genetic engineering, genetic enhancement, biotechnology. Whatever you call it, don't call it simple. Biotechnology brings together the most powerful forces in agriculture: large corporations, cutting edge science, small family farmers, environmental and consumer groups, world politics. The impact of genetically modified crops goes beyond the food we eat. It may also change the way farmers do business. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil launches a new series, Seeding the Future, with this report.

Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell tells us what's happening on Wall street.

John Schumacher is the chef at the New Prague Hotel; he joins us now to talk about his new book Fish Cooking Made Easy. To see some of the recipes John shares with us this morning, visit www.mpr.org.

Governor Ventura made selective use of his veto pen while signing four major spending bills into law Monday. He eliminated funding for about $12 million in projects from the four bills, in contrast to vetoes totalling $140 million worth last year. But legislators are protesting what they say is Ventura's bias against the arts, and rural Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Governor Ventura made selective use of his veto pen while signing four major spending bills into law Monday. He eliminated funding for about $12 million in projects from the four bills, in contrast to vetoes totalling $140 million worth last year. But legislators are protesting what they say is Ventura's bias against the arts, and rural Minnesota. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

By the end of this year, more than 120 people in the Rochester area who couldn't afford, or even find homes to buy, will be moving into newly-built houses. There will be more than 400 new home owners three years from now. Governor Ventura travelled to Rochester to help launch the program in which businesses, the state, and private institutions have chipped in to spur development of more affordable houses. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports that the idea isn't new in the state, but it hasn't been tested on such a large scale before.

Coming soon, perhaps even today, to a supermarket near you: irradiated meat, hamburger exposed to bacteria-killing radiation. It's a controversial process and Minnesota will be the first state in the nation to make irradiated meat widely available. As Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports, consumers must now decide for themselves whether irradiation is a health benefit or a hazard.

After every legislative session, there are winners and losers. Twin Cities Public Television requested $22 million from the state to convert to digital broadcasting, and their request was rejected. That leaves the station in a tough position. A federal mandate requires all stations to begin digital broadcasts by 2003. Jim Pagliarini is the president of Twin Cities Public Television. He's come by the studio this morning.

A pep fest two months ago at Win-E-Mac School in northwestern Minnesota has led to a federal investigation into allegations of racial discrimination. A Native American woman from Erskine alleges a skit performed by teachers during the school event depicted stereotypical cowboys and Indians, and was degrading to her two children. She alleges the incident was a civil rights violition. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson has this Mainstreet report.

Lawmakers return to St. Paul this morning for what will likely be the last meeting of the 81st Minnesota Legislature. Members of the House and Senate scheduled today's session to respond to any last-minute vetoes from Governor Ventura's office, but lingering doubts about the Profile of Learning graduation standards could upstage veto overrides. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

The Minneapolis Public Library Board could vote tonight on new internet guidelines that would forbid patrons from viewing obscene material on library computers. Some of those guidelines have already been implemented on a temporary basis at the central library downtown. The guidelines were developed in response to complaints from librarians and the public about pornogaphy left on computer terminals and printouts. Wendy Adamsen is a librarian at the Minneapolis downtown library. She's one of seven Minneapolis librarians who filed a complaint of discrimination with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over having to work around pornography. She joins us now.

Later today, the University of Minnesota baseball team will host the Big Ten tournament for the first time since 1986. The Gophers won the Big Ten Regular season title over the weekend, and will start the tournament with a game against Northwestern at Siebert Field tonight. Joining us on the line is head coach John Anderson, who's in his 19th season leading the Gophers.

Minnesota-based 3M is phasing out most of its Scotchguard brand products to head off potential complaints over the environmental and health effects of its chemical components. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.

An Army Corps of Engineers study of navigation on the Mississippi River is coming under renewed criticism. The Corps study calls for a billion-dollar expansion of the lock and dam system on the Misissippi, but its been under fire since since February. That's when a whistleblower charged that the Corps manipulated the study's findings in order to justify the massive construction project. Now, an independent panel of economists has taken a look at the study and given it failing grades. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

At North Shore Elementary School, just north of Duluth, tomorrow is a special day. The whole community will gather to celebrate their history. They've created a new curriculum for the school, and they're publishing a book. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill has this Mainstreet report.

The 81st Minnesota legislature stumbled across the finish line less than two hours ago. After several false starts on a Profile of Learning compromise, lawmakers eventually agreed on reforms to the state graduation rule. Missing from the agreement, however, were the alternative North Star standards favored by some House Republicans. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Before debating the Profile of Learning, legislators scrutinized Governor Ventura's vetoes to their spending bills. They successfully overrode four of his eleven line-item vetoes to restore funding for their projects. But the votes weren't without opposition, or last-minute lobbying among legislators. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

It's mid-May and that means mosquitos could arrive any day now. The Metropolitan Mosquito Control District has been hard at work already this spring trying to keep mosquito numbers down in the Twin Cities area. Jim Stark, of Mosquito Control, joins us now.

The Minnesota Legislature finished its business when the House adjourned around 5:30 a.m. Thursday. On the last day, four line-item vetoes were over-riden and a bill modifying the Profile of Learning was passed. Joining us now with his take on the Session is former Republican speaker of the House, David Jennings, who also served as Commerce Commissioner under Governor Ventura.

The impacts of the historic Red River Flood of 1997 are still being documented in pictures, stories and academic studies. Now a new study by two Moorhead State University professors explores the art and writing of kids who lived through the flood. They hope the work will give educators new insights on how to help children cope with future disasters. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports.

Another Friday, another visit with Mark Seeley.

Teachers and school administrators throughout Minnesota are reacting to the state legislature's fix of the Profile of Learning graduation standards. Lawmakers ended the session early yesterday morning by modifying the two-year-old system of demonstrated learning. Some educators are applauding the changes, while others say it's not enough to ease their frustrations or end the political uncertainty. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Dog owners may soon be able to let their pets run free in a few Minneapolis parks. The Park and Recreation Board has approved off-leash areas at Riverside Park, Minnehaha Park, and the area along University Avenue at the city's northern edge. The sites are expected to be open by July. Meanwhile, the St. Paul City Council plans to vote next week on whether to set up off-leash areas of their own. Susan Weaver is on the Board of Directors for the Minneapolis Chapter of ROMP: Responsible Owners of Mannerly Pets. She supports off-leash areas, and she joins us now.

In many rural communities, the goal of moving people off welfare has been challenged by their need for transportation. When the McKnight Foundation gave Minnesota $20 million back in 1997 to help devise successful welfare to work strategies, transportation was at the top of the list. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports that these programs have met with mixed success.

Two newborn arctic wolf pups will soon find a new home at the International Wolf Center in Ely, Minnesota. The pups are less than two weeks old, and haven't even opened their eyes yet. They'll arrive at the wolf center in July, and when they're old enough, they'll join a pack of wolves already at the center. Local naturalist Nancy Gibson has been helping care for the pups. She's on the line now.