Monday, October 2

The auction of 40 Snoopy sculptures has raised over $800,000 for charitable causes. At the Mall of America Sunday, bidders paid as much as $35,000 for a five-foot polyurethane likeness of the canine character created by Minnesota native Charles M. Schulz, who died earlier this year. MPR's Brandt Williams has this report.

Ground is broken today in north Minneapolis to build a new neighborhood on land once occupied by public housing. The decision to demolish hundreds of low income units during an affordable housing crisis drew sharp criticism. But supporters say the new development will create a mixed income neighborhood without the concentration of poverty that plagued the public housing projects. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

The three major party candidates for Senate spent a good part of yesterday debating: first before an investors group and then before the North Metro Chamber of Commerce in Ham Lake. Incumbent Republican Rod Grams, Democrat Mark Dayton and Independence Party member James Gibson, talked about issues ranging from the nation's energy policy to defense spending and social security reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

DFL Senate candidate Mark Dayton says he's sold all of his individual stock holdings, a move he says should end any criticisms of his investment decisions. Republican incumbent Rod Grams has accused Dayton of profiting from drug company stocks even while Dayton attacked the pharmaceutical industry for so-called price gouging. Grams now says the stock sale does not put the issue to rest. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

A new poll conducted for MPR, the St. Paul Pioneer Press and KARE-TV finds a mixed reaction to Governor Ventura's proposal to have the state pick up a bigger share of education funding. Voters were divided on the issue, and also split on whether the state should expand the sales tax in order to lower property taxes. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are launching a study that will follow over 3,500 Minnesota teenagers to measure how their tobacco-use patterns and attitudes change over time. The researchers will survey the teens every six months for three years. They have a $3.9 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to conduct the study. Dr. Jean Forster is a professor in the University's School of Public Health and the lead researcher in the study. She says this study is unique in two ways.

David Lillehaug, former Democratic senate candidate and advisor to Vice President Walter Mondale on the 1984 debates, talks to MPR's Cathy Wurzer about the intensive preparation candidates go through before facing off against their opponents.

Five people and a Minnesota company will receive the Twin Cities International Citizen Award tonight in St. Paul. The recipients were selected for their efforts to increase international understanding and cooperation. One of the recipients is only 15 years old. Kasia Paprocki has been working to end child labor since the sixth grade, when she realized that the soccer balls at her school could have been made by children. She eventually convinced the St. Paul school board to ban soccer balls made by child laborers. She says she and her friends were surprised that the board didn't already have such a policy.

Hunters shoot more black bears in Minnesota than in any other state. The Department of Natural Resources relies on hunting to control the bear population, but this year, hunters aren't bagging as many bears as the DNR hoped for. There's plenty of natural food in the woods, and bears aren't coming to the bait hunters set. The number of bears in Minnesota is at an all-time high, and DNR officials say the lack of hunting success could mean more problem bears in years to come. Chris Julin reports from Duluth.

A new report says after two years of work, middle school reforms have begun taking hold in the Minneapolis school district. The Minneapolis chapter of the League of Women Voters recently studied the district's 23 middle schools as a follow up to a study it conducted in 1998. Researchers say this year's results, unlike two years ago, show the schools now have clear, common educational goals. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Third District Republican Congressman Jim Ramstad has held the seat for ten years. But as he pursues his 6th term in office, three other candidates are asking citizens to vote for them instead. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

A St. Paul woman leaves in a few days to take on her duties as unofficial mayor of the South Pole. Katy Jensen's official title is South Pole area manager. The pace of life on Antarctica picks up with the arrival of summer in December. At the South Pole, Jensen's work centers around a big construction project. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.

Another Minnesotan is headed to Antarctica. Explorer Ann Bancroft will make her way there in about a month. She and Norwegian Liv Arnesen will attempt to ski across the entire continent, a total of 2,400 miles. They would be the first women to make it across the land mass. Bancroft was also the first woman to reach both the North and South Poles. Her upcoming trip will require her to pull a 250-pound sled, harnessed to her waist, through temperatures near 30 degrees below zero and winds of up to 100 miles per hour. Ann is to meet with doctors this morning at Hennepin County Medical Center to prepare for her trip.

Minnesota's top African-American law enforcement officials met Wednesday night to discuss racial profiling. The discussion was sponsored by the Minnesota chapter of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. Participants offered various reasons people of color seem to get singled out disproportionately in the criminal justice system and possible solutions to the problem. MPR's Brandt Williams reports.

An out-of-state bank is buying Minneapolis-based US Bancorp for about $21 billion in stock. Officials with Firstar Bank, which is based in Milwaukee, say they made the move because the two banks together could compete better in the marketplace. The combined company will still carry the US Bancorp name, and will be based in Minneapolis. One unusual feature of the deal is the CEOs of the two banks are brothers, Jack and Jerry Grundhofer. Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton is on the line now.

Imation Corporation warned investors yesterday that its third quarter results would fall below expectations. The Twin Cities-based data storage and image management company will eliminate about 10 percent of its total workforce. Imation's poor performance is a big change of fortune for a company that a year ago was enjoying strong growth. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.

A Minneapolis apartment building which has been a magnet for criminal activity is undergoing a facelift. The property at 1818 Park Ave south has new owners and many new tenants. With the help of the city's Weed and Seed program, neighborhood residents are hopeful that the building will no longer be a trouble spot. MPR's Brandt Williams reports.

Research at Minnesota State University-Moorhead could drastically improve the survival rate of walleye stocked in lakes. The project is trying to teach young fish to sniff out predators. Minnesota Public Radios Bob Reha reports.

The news that US Bancorp's headquarters will stay in Minneapolis after the company is bought by Firstar is being met with cheers and sighs of relief. The two firms announced the deal two days ago. Even though US Bancorp is being acquired, the deal will leave Minnesota with a major bank headquarters, after a string of departures. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

People attending a memorial service in Duluth today will celebrate the life of a lost friend, but they are also hoping her story will raise awareness of a health crisis in America. At the age of 27, Heather Henderson had been a writer and a magazine editor; she'd dedicated the last few years to combating dangerous images of women in the media. She was spurred in part by her personal decade-long battle with anorexia and bulimia, a battle she lost last week. Stephanie Hemphill reports.

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