Monday, September 18

Nearly every prominent DFLer in the state appeared at a "unity" party in Hugo, Minnesota this weekend, as party officials rallied the troops and former adversaries, after the latest fractious DFL primary season. Mark Dayton's opponents in the U.S. Senate primary came together to sing his praises after the party's central committee endorsed him. Party officials also tried to smooth things over in the race for Bruce Vento's congressional seat, after a primary campaign that left harder feelings behind. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

It's late Monday evening in Sydney, Australia right now and the day's competition at the Summer Olympics is over. It was another big night for the U.S. swimming team. Lenny Krayzelburg and Megan Quann each won gold medals. And Tom Malchow of Mendota Heights, Minnesota set an Olympic record in a qualifying heat in the men's 200 meter butterfly. The United States finished fifth in the team gymnastics competition. MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner is in Sydney. He says the gymnastics team was disappointed by their performance.

The three candidates for U.S. Senate square off today in a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Debate. Business organizations say on issues important to them Rod Grams stands out the best choice. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Chris Farrell with Monday Markets.

A record number of students is riding city buses to the University of Minnesota in Duluth this fall. That shouldn't be a surprise, since bus rides are free to all students and employees at UMD. Administrators decided to pick up the tab for mass transit to keep down crowds in campus parking lots. From Duluth, Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.

Anthrax has now claimed 30 animals in northern Minnesota. About the same number of animals have died in Manitoba, and there have been nearly 200 anthrax related animal deaths in North Dakota this year. As state officials work to control the anthrax outbreak, they also find themselves trying to control the rumors and fear caused by the relatively rare, and somewhat mysterious bacteria. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Republican U.S. Senator Rod Grams received some celebrity help on the campaign trial Monday, in the form of actor and National Rifle Association president Charlton Heston. The star of The Ten Commandments and Ben Hur visited Fargo and Duluth before appearing with Grams at a campaign fund raiser in Anoka. At the gathering, Grams put forward his views on gun control, which set him apart from his DFL opponent Mark Dayton, but also said polls don't suggest gun control is an essential issue to voters this year. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

A Texas education reform organization is offering Minnesota legislators help in setting up a school accountability system. The House K-12 Finance Committee held a hearing yesterday on the work of the nonprofit foundation Just for the Kids. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The University of Minnesota is sponsoring a summit tomorrow to discuss Minnesota's future in a global, technology-driven economy. The meeting occurs in the midst of a vigorous debate about whether Minnesota is thriving or falling behind. Experts assessing the future of Minnesota's economy disagree over whether there's doom or zoom. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin has the first of our two reports.

A critic of government efforts to control urban sprawl is in Minneapolis today to speak to members of the Twin Cities real estate community. John Charles is the environmental policy director at the Cascade Policy Institute, a think tank in Portland, Oregon. Charles says he's not opposed to all the smart growth ideas proposed by the Metropolitan Council, but he thinks that the market, rather than government, should dictate growth.

The University of Minnesota is sponsoring a summit today to discuss the state's future in a global, technology driven economy. With trade barriers crumbling, Minnesota's businesses are increasingly marketing their products to customers around the world. But just as the number of customers is growing exponentially, so is the number of competitors. Andrew Haeg has the second and final report on what the state must do to ensure its future economic vitality.

At the Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, swimming and gymnastics have been getting most of the headlines so far, but there's a lot more than that going on. MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner spent the day today checking out some lower profile sports. In just a few hours, he watched field hockey, table tennis, tennis, badminton, team handball and volleyball.

A recent case before the Minnesota Court of Appeals suggests one of the state's efforts to crack down on drunk drivers could be in legal jeopardy. A Coon Rapids man challenged a three-year-old law that allows police to pull over people whose license plates indicate a history of drunk driving. The appeals court ruled against the man on other grounds, and declined to consider the law's constitutionality. But in a concurrent opinion, one judge essentially invited another challenge. Jim Randall wrote that whenever a society brands its citizens based on past conduct, we've not only just taken one step down the slippery slope toward a police state, but rather four giant steps toward a mindless rush into fascism. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

About 100 people attended a community meeting last night in northeast Minneapolis to talk about the Environmental Protection Agency's asbestos investigation. The EPA says they've inspected 150 residential properties within a square mile of the former Western Minerals processing plant. The company processed asbestos tainted with vermiculite and the government agency is worried the mineral could be in the yards and driveways of many residents. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

The University of Minnesota summit on Minnesota's economic future served up two dominant messages yesterday. There is peril in assuming Minnesota will remain competitive in a global, technology driven economy. And that state policies must look beyond the question of promoting high -tech growth. Minnesota Pubilc Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

Two hundred fifty people from across the country are in Minneapolis this week talking about the work of architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright fans, ranging from historic preservationists to scholars, are attending the annual conference of the Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy. Conference participants are discussing how to preserve Wright's buildings, right down to proper remodeling of bathrooms in vintage Wright homes. One of those homes is in Minneapolis; it's known as the Willey House. It's now empty, and in need of repair. I met Lynda Waggoner, the head of the Wright conservancy, at the Willey House. She says the house marks a transition period between Wright's early and later styles.

Three-year-old Parker Sebens of Milnor, North Dakota is in critical condition at North Memorial Hospital in the Twin Cities suburb of Robbinsdale. A surgeon for the boy whose arms were severed in a farm accident said the injuries were so traumatic that she simply hopes to save the boy's life, and that restoring the function of his arms is a secondary concern. Harvest time is when most farm accidents occur. Joining us on the line is Marilyn Adams, president and founder of Farm Safety for Just Kids.

The summer tourist season is over, but thousands of visitors will probably stream through Duluth this weekend. They won't stay in motels or spend any money though, because they're birds. Each fall thousands of hawks and eagles pass through the Duluth sky on their way south. And the passing birds draw a good number of humans to a place called Hawk Ridge. Chris Julin has more from Duluth.

Meteorlogist Mark Seeley talks about this week's weather news, and the cold spell.

A group of south Minneapolis lawmakers who live near the airport wants to know why growth predictions for the facility don't match reality. Minneapolis-St. Paul airport landings and takeoffs are already at levels predicted for twenty years from now. In the mid '90's, Lawmakers used those Metropolitan Airports Commission growth predictions as the rationale for expanding the existing airport rather than building a new one at another location. Critics say not having a bigger airport risks putting Minnesota out of the running as a place to do business. Airport officials say the existing facility can handle the growth. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader and his running mate Winona LaDuke will rally supporters tonight at the Target Center in Minneapolis. LaDuke is an author, journalist and Harvard-trained economist who lives on the White Earth Reservation in northwestern Minnesota. The founder of the White Earth Land Recovery Project, LaDuke had long been involved in Native land rights and environmental issues, but became politically active for the first time when she ran with Nader four years ago. She talked with Minnesota Public Radio political reporter Laura McCallum about what she brings to the Green Party ticket.

If you've ever wondered what artwork hides in private collections in the Twin Cities, now's your chance to find out. Nearly 200 pieces of art from local collections will be on display in an exhibit opening at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis this weekend. The show is the result of months of searching by a team of Walker researchers, who asked collectors to temporarily share the contents of their living rooms. They found everything from Picassos and Lichtensteins to interesting works by lesser known artists. As the last pictures were going up, Curator Joan Rothfuss told me about how a collection can tell us about its owner.