Monday, October 9

People in the 5th Congressional District will have a choice of five candidates in November. Stalwart DFLer Martin Sabo is running again as are four other candidates, who aren't letting Sabo's seeming lock on the seat stop them from making a run for it. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

There was a time when a retiring farmer could count on his children to take over the business and carry on the family tradition. But farming is an unattractive career choice in Minnesota compared to many more urban occupations. A program sponsored by the Land Stewardship Project is making small strides in bringing new farmers to the state. Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes reports.

Researchers at the University of Minnesota are planning to survey the parents of nearly four thousand children adopted from overseas between 1990 and 1998. The researchers hope the International Adoption Project will lead to a better understanding of the health and behavior of children adopted from abroad. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has the first in a three-part series on international adoption.

It was an exciting finish at yesterday's Twin Cities Marathon. Russian Sergei Fedotov broke out of a 10-man lead pack on the 26th mile and outkicked five runners to the finish line in two hours, 12 minutes and 40 seconds. Another Russian won the women's division of the race. Zinaida Semenova's winning time was two hours, 29 minutes and 37 seconds. It was her second Twin Cities Marathon championship. Minnesota Public Radio reporter Tom Scheck ran the marathon as well. He finished in three hours and seven minutes and is with us this morning in the studio.

Katherine Koch-Laveen of Apple Valley High School is Minnesota's Teacher of the Year for 2000. Koch-Laveen has taught chemistry and science at Apple Valley since it opened in 1976. She was selected from 98 finalists and will represent Minnesota in the national competition. Katherine Koch-Laveen joins us now.

Target Market launches an exhibit today intended to educate teens about how Big Tobacco targets them. Target Market is the anti-smoking effort led by teenagers and financed with money from Minnesota's tobacco settlement. The exhibit contains secret tobacco industry documents made public during Minnesota's tobacco trial. There are also kiosks from which students can send email directly to executives of tobacco companies. The exhibit will travel to schools around the state in a 48 foot semi-truck. Matt Novak is a senior at Mounds View High School and one of the teen leaders of Target Market. He's on the line now.

Some entrepreneurs and investors who got in on the ground floor of dot-com initial public offerings, or IPOs, last year rocketed to serious wealth virtually overnight. Another group that's benefited from the booming new economy is attorneys who advised the IPOs, not for typical fees but for company stock. Some law firms made millions. But a number of critics argue these firms are also risking conflicts of interest. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, lawyers could end up defending themselves in court now that high-tech stocks are cooling off.

The old Winona County courthouse is nearly dried out. The courthouse was damaged about a month ago when 4,000 gallons of water from broken water lines flooded the building. City and county leaders plan to repair it, but say it may cost about $1 million. The building is 112 years old and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Charlie Nelson is the state historical architect, and he was down in Winona recently to tour the mostly vacant building.

When families adopt from overseas they often know little about their children. Some have a few lines from a medical report or maybe a postage stamp-sized photograph. Over the past decade videos have become increasingly popular as a way to introduce a child to prospective parents. The videos are sometimes useful in determining a child's health, but some conditions are not visible on tape, leaving many parents unprepared for their child. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has this second part in our series, One Family: Two Countries.

Minneapolis Schools Superintendent Carol Johnson will recommend to the school board tonight that the district stop sponsoring or promoting Boy Scout Troops. That decision is a reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court ruling which allows the Boy Scouts to ban gay troop leaders. Superintendent Johnson says the policies of the Boy Scouts and the school district are now in direct conflict.

Tonight is a night many hockey fans in this part of the country have been anticipating for years. For the first time since 1993, a Minnesota team will host a National Hockey League game. The state's new team, the Minnesota Wild, plays the Philadelphia Flyers in the first regular season game at the Excel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Wild, though, cast themselves as a team not just for the Twin Cities but for the whole state. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on enthusiasm for the Wild in St. Paul and in one of northern Minnesota's hockey hotbeds.

DFL Congressman Bruce Vento died yesterday morning at the age of 60, after battling a rare form of lung cancer for eight months. Vento was first elected to represent Minnesota's Fourth District in 1976. During his 24 years in Washington, Vento became known as an advocate for the environment, homeless people, and refugees. Eighth District DFL Congressman Jim Oberstar served with Vento during his entire tenure. Oberstar presided over a special session of Congress last night where members spoke about Vento. He says Vento represented the people who needed government.

Funeral services for Representative Bruce Vento will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the Cathedral of St. Paul. Jim Schiebel worked closely with Vento when Schiebel was mayor of St. Paul in the early 1990s. He says he'll remember Vento for his commitment to a number of issues including help for the homeless.

Children adopted from overseas are born into one culture and raised in another. They grow up aware their origins are far different from their parents. "Adoption tours" are gaining popularity for internationally adopted children and their parents. Adoption experts say these are emotional journeys that can fulfill adopted children's desires to learn who they are. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has our final part in our series on international adoption.

A few days ago, President Clinton signed the Inter-country Adoption Act which will make the ground rules for adopting children from other countries much more formal. By signing the law, the president entered the U.S into an international treaty, known as the Hague Convention, that increases regulations on international adoptions. Supporters of the new law say the old system was too susceptible to abuses. Joining us on the line is Sharon Kaufman, executive director of the Joint Council on International Children's Services in Washington D.C.

Sixteen young Minnesotans now have their high school diplomas and more apologies for the test-scoring fiasco that prevented their graduation last spring. Governor Ventura and his education commissioner hosted a special graduation ceremony Wednesday at the State Capitol to honor the students. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The clear blues skies over Snowbank Lake filled with billowing smoke Wednesday, as the Forest Service set a prescribed fire in timber blown down in the July 1999 windstorm. Fire experts consider yesterday's controlled burn just the first of many more to come in and near the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

Minnesota has moved up in the National Hockey League standings for the first time in more than seven years. The state's new team, the Minnesota Wild, skated to a 3-3 tie with the Philadelphia Flyers last night in the first home game of their young history. Hockey fans filled St. Paul's new arena and cheered an NHL team for the first time since Norm Green moved the North Stars south. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on the Wild's home opener.

A bill that would increase protection for women and children who are victims of international sex trafficking is headed to President Clinton after passing in the Senate yesterday. The CIA estimates that as many as 50,000 women and children who enter the United States illegally each year are forced to work as prostitutes, forced laborers, and servants. This legislation has been a priority for Senator Paul Wellstone. He says his wife Shelia deserves credit for getting the bill through Congress.

The banking practice called "microlending" started nearly 30 years ago in Bangladesh as a way to help the poorest people in developing countries find their way out of poverty. Now some Minnesotans are focussing on microlending and how it can help women in the state's minority communities. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

University of Minnesota athletes showed academic improvement last year: good news for an athletic program still awaiting NCAA sanctions for academic fraud in the basketball program. The U of M regents also got a progress report on efforts to improve academic integrity campus-wide. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

Mark Seeley is a meteorologist and climatologist at the the University of Minnesota and he's here for his weekly weather chat.

The funeral service for Congressman Bruce Vento is today at the Cathedral of St. Paul at 11 a.m. Yesterday hundreds attended Vento's visitation to pay last their respects to a man many loved and honored. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman has this report.

It's been four years since U.S. immigration officials began jailing everyone seeking political asylum. Nationwide, thousands of asylum seekers may await a decision on their status from a cell. Because relatively few try to enter the country through Minnesota, the number who end up in our county jails and state lockups is small: only nineteen. But Minnesotans who have worked on the cases say they illustrate the problems with the system. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

The three principle candidates for U.S. Senate were joined last night by four lesser-known contenders in what was the first, and likely the last, forum to feature all seven candidates with ballot access. The debate, held at the University of Minnesota and hosted by Governor Jesse Ventura, was also a chance for the seven to make a pitch to a younger demographic. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Later today, city officials and neighborhood groups will break ground on a project to build wetlands around Lake Nokomis. The water quality of the lake is declining because rain water drains into the lake and brings with it phosphorous from lawn fertilizers and other contaminents from the surrounding area. The new wetlands will filter the water before it drains into the lake. Joining us on the line is Pam Blixt, president of the board of the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District.

The Minnesota Wild opened its season this week and the honeymoon is underway as the National Hockey League is back after a seven-year hiatus. The reception has been gushingly overwhelming. But Minnesota Public Radio sports commentator Jay Weiner says our cheers should be tempered with some harsh reality.

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