Monday, August 21

Canadian grain farmers may grow the same varieties of wheat and barley as their U.S. neighbors, but the countries market their crop in different ways. Canada's grain growers are required to sell their crop through a government-sponsored Wheat Board, a system that agriculture officials in North Dakota have considered adopting. While North Dakota contemplates a voluntary version of Canada's Wheat Board, farmers across the boarder are itching for its abolishment. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this Mainstreet report.

A plant genetics conference in Minneapolis this week has drawn protesters who oppose the use of genetically modified foods. The conference, sponsored by the Cambridge Healthtech Institute at the Marriott downtown, addresses uses of genetics in crop production. But neither the Minneapolis Police Department nor the protestors are looking to repeat the confrontations that occurred at an animal genetics conference in July. Those face-offs resulted in arrests for demonstrators and criticism of police tactics. Minneapolis Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

The University of Minnesota is launching an effort to commercialize promising University technologies by bridging the gap between entrepreneurs and academia. Amid worries that Minnesota has fallen behind in the high tech, information-based economy, many observers say the University must play a central role in keeping Minnesota competitive. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

In June, State Senator Jerry Janezich survived hours of debate and nine ballots to become the DFL's endorsed candidate for U.S. Senate. With the party's backing, the support of the state's major labor unions, and a strong base on Minnesota's Iron Range, the Chisholm native might seem like a natural choice to challenge incumbent Republican Rod Grams. But Janezich must first fight his way through a hotly-contested primary battle where he faces three well-funded opponents. In the latest in our series of candidate profiles, Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo takes a look at Jerry Janezich.

Over 40 Bosnian Muslims, Croats, and Serbs are spending almost two weeks on an island in northern Minnesota to attend a peace camp. The camp is designed to teach young adults to set aside their ethnic differences and develop strategies to improve their homeland once they return. During the week, participants will attend workshops, take a five-day canoe trip, and even walk across hot coals with bare feet. Minnesota native Dan Whalen, who created and paid for the camp, says he did it to give the young people a chance to taste success.

Members of the Minnesota Women's Political Caucus gathered Monday to discuss strategies for electing more women to higher office this fall. The group has endorsed Rebecca Yanisch for U.S. Senate and Betty McCollum for the Fourth Congressional District. The two candidates have different attitudes about using gender as a campaign issue. Yanisch says her life experience, including her experience as a woman and mother, makes her a better candidate than the men in the field. But McCollum, who faces several other female candidates, says people shouldn't vote for her because she's a woman but because she's a hard worker with a good understanding of the issues. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

U.S. Bank has installed the first ATMs in Minnesota that talk. The machines look and act like regular ATMs, but have a headphone jack on the front. They're designed for customers who are blind or have visual impairments. Customers can plug in their headphones, and hear voice prompts telling them to insert their card, enter their pin, and key in other information. The two ATMs are in the U.S. Bancorp Center in downtown Minneapolis. U.S. Bank plans to install fourteen more this year. Joyce Scanlan is the president of the Minnesota chapter of the National Federation of the Blind. She's joins us now.

The Minnesota Twins may try again next year to gain permission to play a few outdoor baseball games at a temporary ballpark. A proposal to put up a temporary ballpark in Bloomington in time for three games next month was rejected by Major League Baseball officials last week. The commissioners who run the Metrodome also had some reservations about the plan, fearing it could set a precedent that would cause the Dome's other disgruntled tenant - the Vikings - to seek changes in their lease agreement. The situation reflects the tangle of interests intertwined in the Twin Cities stadium landscape. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen offers this overview.

Mary Jo Copeland's Catholic charity, Sharing and Caring Hands, is known for helping the poor, with a minimum of paperwork. Church groups, volunteers and members of the media tour the facility regularly to admire Copeland's work, and presidential candidate George W. Bush saluted her in his acceptance speech at the Republican national convention. But Copeland's plan to build an orphanage in Brooklyn Center is drawing another kind of national attention. Representatives of a children's advocacy group are travelling to Minnesota today to condemn the proposal. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

With less than three weeks left until the September primary, DFL Senate candidate Rebecca Yanisch is out with a new television ad. She joins DFLers Mike Ciresi and Mark Dayton, whose campaigns have gobbled up huge chunks of television air time over the past few weeks. In the latest in our series of Ad Watches, Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Goodhue County opened the doors of a new, state of the art, jail at the beginning of this year. The county sunk close to $24 million into the sprawling facility, home to the police department, the county court house and the 138-bed jail. After 12 years in the making, the Goodhue County jail isn't proving to be the moneymaker that some predicted. In fact the jail's not breaking even. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this Mainstreet report.

With less than two weeks before the first day of school, Minnesota teachers and school officials are busy getting ready for the new year. Many districts are still handling the fallout from grading mistakes on the basic skills tests, and some are scrambling to hire enough teachers before students return on September 5th. St. Paul Superintendent Pat Harvey joins us now, to discuss preparations in that district.

Minnesota-based motorcycle maker Excelsior-Henderson has a new plan to emerge from bankruptcy. The reorganization plan has received confirmation from a bankruptcy court but has not yet taken effect. The company filed for bankruptcy last winter after defaulting on a $7 million State economic development loan. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

The wealth being harvested around Minnesota these days is filling tables with summer riches. It is peak season for all kinds of delicious items from the garden. At the top of the list, inside a plain green husk with golden yellow nuggets of pleasure inside, is one vegetable above all others: sweet corn. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

A new poll shows Vice President Al Gore has taken the lead among likely Minnesota voters. Over the summer, various polls have shown Gore and Texas Governor George W. Bush in a virtual dead heat to carry the state. But today's survey, conducted for Minnesota Public Radio, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and KARE-11 TV, shows Gore over Bush by 8 percentage points. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

Joining us now is Professor Steven Schier, chair of the Political Science Department at Carleton College.

A swan song of summer gets underway today as the 2000 edition of the Minnesota State Fair opens at the grounds in Falcon Heights. The popularity of the fair can make transportation and parking a challenge in the area for the next 12 days. But some visitors and exhibitors avoid traffic headaches by camping at the fair. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen visited one of the state's most urban campgrounds and filed this report.

The Clinton Administration gave its approval to guidelines that will allow scientists to use Federal money in doing research with stem cells from human embryos. The National Institutes of Health issued the guidelines hoping for breakthroughs in treating diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and diabetes. Opponents say it's ethically wrong to use human embryos for such research. But in making his announcement, President Clinton said there could be "potentially staggering benefits" from stem cell research. Joining us on the line to talk about that potential is Catherine Versaillie, director of the Stem Cell Institute at the University of Minnesota.

The head of Minnesota's most valuable company is leaving the top job. Bill George announced he will step down as the CE0 next May. His successor will be Arthur Collins Jr., the company's Chief Operating Officer. George took over in 1991, when the company had fewer than 7,000 employees; it now has over 25,000. During his tenure, Medtronic's stock has climbed over 1,400 percent. Joining us on the line is the retiring CEO of Medtronic, Bill George.

It's hot and humid, just in time for the Fair. Here's Mark Seeley's with more.

Before the homemade bread-and-butter pickles, patchwork quilts, and gooseberry jams are exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair, some stiff competition has already taken place at the county level. For some county fair exhibitors, like northern Minnesota resident Dorothy Coyle, fair time is the time to harvest blue ribbons. Mainstreet Radio reporter Tom Robertson talked with Coyle, who has earned thousands of awards for her knitting and culinary skills.

DFL Senate candidate Mark Dayton has developed a solid lead over his primary opponents, according to a statewide poll for Minnesota Public Radio, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and KARE TV. Dayton continues to have the highest name recognition of the DFL candidates, and is as well known as Republican Senator Rod Grams. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

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