Monday, October 30

All this week Minnesota Public Radio is taking an in-depth look at the issues in the political campaigns. The men and women elected to the United States House and Senate this year will play a critical role in shaping farm policy. The federal legislation they will pass dictates payments to the nation's two million farmers and outlines loan rates and marketing strategies. Many farmers will say these issues aren't being actively debated in the political arena this year because their power as a voting block has faded. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports.

In his visit to Minneapolis Saturday, Vice President Al Gore described Minnesota as "the heart and soul of the Democratic party." But Minnesota is starting to look more like a battleground state, and therefore grabbing more attention from the presidential candidates. Green Party candidate Ralph Nader will visit the Twin Cities Tuesday, and Wednesday Texas Governor George W. Bush will make a long-awaited appearance. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

On election day this year, voters in Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District will choose between two familiar candidates. Democratic incumbent Congressman Bill Luther and Republican challenger John Kline squared off in 1998 in a race that was decided by four percent of the vote. For this year's rematch, Kline has raised nearly $1 million to help him win the seat. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

A dogfight with a UFO over Fargo, finding the back door to hell, and meeting a ghost named Sophie: clips from Ripleys believe it or not? No, just life in North Dakota as seen through the eyes of William "Jack" Jackson. Minnesota Public Radios Bob Reha reports Jackson says in researching his books on real-life Dakota mysteries and oddities he's literally had chills run up his spine.

As part of our election year coverage Minnesota Public Radio has invited all seven candidates for U.S. Senate to present a four-minute statement about their candidacy. This week, the seven candidates will present their views on each of MPR's News programs. These candidate statements are unfiltered and unedited by MPR. This morning: James Gibson.

The Minnesota Vikings lost their first game of the season yesterday in Tampa Bay and it wasn't even close. The Buccaneers dominated the Vikings 41-13. Tampa Bay quarterback Shaun King threw for four touchdowns and the Vikings were held scoreless in the second half. The Vikings still lead the NFC's Central Division with a record of 7-1. Sean Jensen covers the Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press and he joins us now from Tampa Bay.

MPR's Chris Farrell joins us with an update on the markets.

This week Minnesota Public Radio is taking an in-depth look at the major issues in this year's campaign. Republican Senator Rod Grams and DFL challenger Mark Dayton are in many ways ideological opposites; perhaps the issue they disagree on most is the future of Social Security. Grams says the program is facing certain bankruptcy and proposes privatizing it. Dayton says the dangers are overstated and favors keep Social Security largely as it is. Meanwhile, Independence Party candidate James Gibson is searching for a middle ground. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo takes a step back from the campaign rhetoric and has this report on Social Security.

DFL Senate candidate Mark Dayton maintains his advantage over Republican Senator Rod Grams in the latest poll for Minnesota Public Radio, the Pioneer Press and KARE-TV. The former state Auditor leads Grams by five percentage points, the same margin reported in the last MPR poll in September. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Joining us now is Chris Gilbert, chair of the Political Science department at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.

About 50 supporters and opponents of the Boy Scouts policy barring openly gay leaders faced each other in Minneapolis Monday at a meeting convened by the organization OutFront Minnesota. Representatives of the Boy Scouts didn't defend the national policy, but asked those in attendance to continue to support scout troops in the face of the controversy. While the tone of the meeting was rarely confrontational, many speakers said they're offended by the policy and advocated pressure on the United Way and other organizations to stop funding the scouts until the rule is changed. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Woodbury, just east of St. Paul, is one of Minnesota's fastest growing cities. But residents there have decided to reduce by more than half the number of permits issued for home building. City officials say they are carrying out the wishes of residents who want to slow the city's development. The plan is affecting two groups. Woodbury's decision means many landowners, including one of the city's last remaining farm families, won't be cashing in anytime soon on the city's growth. Holding back land from development is also helping push up the cost of lots for home buyers. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Voters in St. Paul will decide next week whether to pay additional taxes to support public schools. If approved, the school district levy referendum would generate $105 million over the next five years. School board members on opposing sides of the levy spoke last night at a public forum. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Minnesota Public Radio has invited all seven candidates for U.S. Senate to present a four-minute statement about their candidacy. Over the next week, the candidates will present their views on each of MPR's news programs. These candidate statements are unfiltered and unedited by MPR. This morning we hear from Constitution Party candidate David Swan.

The Minnesota Timberwolves open their regular season tonight with a game against the Houston Rockets. Since the end of last season, the Timberwolves have lost guard Malik Sealy who was killed in an automobile accident. They will lose five future first-round draft picks and are likely to lose forward Joe Smith because of an illegal contract he signed with owner Glen Taylor. In addition, Taylor, Vice President Kevin McHale and coach Flip Saunders could be suspended for their roles in the Smith contract. Joining us on the line to talk about the upcoming season is Brit Robson, who covers sports for the City Pages.

Today is Halloween, a day dedicated to ghosts and goblins. Workers at the Fitzgerald Theatre in St. Paul are wondering if they might get a visit from their ghost today. Legend has it the old theatre is haunted by a former stage manager named Ben. Theatre personnel don't know much about the real Ben, though they say his ghost is friendly and fond of muscatel. I visited the theatre and talked to Dick Rewey, a part-time stagehand who's had some encounters with Ben.

Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader continues to wage an unrepentent campaign and says his focus is on building a political movement, not on whether his showing hurts Vice President Al Gore or helps George W. Bush. Nader appeared at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis Tuesday as a guest on ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel and Governor Jesse Ventura. The topic of the show was third parties, and both Nader and Ventura advocated a number of reforms they say would open the political process to third party candidates and galvanize more Americans to vote. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

The Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, by all indications, will reach its capacity in 20 years or sooner. The Metropolitan Airports Commission wants to develop a system of satellite, so-called reliever, airports to help ease the congestion in the Twin Cities. But as Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post tell us, some of Minnesota's regional Airports will need improvements before they can take much more business.

Texas Governor George W. Bush arrives in Minnesota today to try to break a statistical dead heat among likely Minnesota voters. A new poll, conducted for Minnesota Public Radio, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and KARE-11 TV, shows Gore with 44 percent, Bush with 41 percent, and Green Party candidate Ralph Nader with 8 percent. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

The three leading candidates for the U.S. Senate in Minnesota divide sharply over some environmental issues, but sound remarkably similar on others. There are clear divisions on what to do about oil exploration and global warming, but the differences get cloudy over logging, mining, and motorized recreation. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

If you've been paying attention at all to this year's senate campaign, you've been hearing quit a bit of talk about taxes. And much of the discussion has been about what should be done with projected mutli-trillion dollar federal surplus. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports on what the three major party candidates are saying about taxes in general and specifically how their proposing to spend the surplus.

With the presidential race tighter than ever in Minnesota, the Gore and Bush campaigns continue to shower attention on Minnesota, particularly on the northeastern part of the state. Democratic vice presidential candidate Joe Lieberman will be on the Iron Range this afternoon, and Tipper Gore was in the Twin Ports earlier in the week. Republican candidate George W. Bush stopped in the Twin Cities yesterday, and went on to a rally in Duluth. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has more.

A new poll suggests Minnesota will elect a woman to Congress for the first time in more than 40 years. The survey, commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and KARE-11 TV, shows DFLer Betty McCollum leading Republican Linda Runbeck in the Fourth District race. Independence Party candidate Tom Foley is following in third place. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

In this year's tight presidential race, many Democrats say a vote for Green Party candidate Ralph Nader is a vote for George W Bush. For many Democrats, it's a feeling of deja vu that echoes back to 1968 when many in the party supported the insurgent campaign of Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy's better-than-expected showing in the early New Hampshire primary was the beginning of the end for Democrats that year, as Republican Richard Nixon won in November. Some liberals face a similar choice this year: vote for Nader and risk a George W. Bush presidency, or vote for Vice President Al Gore. McCarthy later ran as Independent in 1976. He says the Democrats should do more than just tell people not to vote for Ralph Nader.

As part of our election year coverage, Minnesota Public Radio has invited all seven candidates for U.S. Senate to present a four-minute statement about their candidacy. This week, all seven candidates will present their views on each of MPR's news programs. These candidate statements are unfiltered and unedited by MPR. This morning we hear from Libertarian Party candidate Erik Pakieser.

Some 400,000 hunters are expected to take to the woods tomorrow for opening day of Minnesota's firearms deer season. DNR wildlife experts say the state's deer herd is healthier and larger than it has been in years, and the result could be a near-record harvest. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports.

Minnesota's U.S. Senate campaign has been dominated by talk about Social Security, prescription drugs and health care. There's been little focus on foreign policy, although it accounts for a significant part of a senator's job. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum looks at the candidates' views on trade, foreign intervention and the military.

The presidential candidates are racking up thousands of frequent flier miles, and the Gore campaign was back in Minnesota yesterday. Democratic vice-presidential candidate Joe Lieberman made two stops in northeastern Minnesota just one day after George W. Bush held a rally in Duluth. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin has more.

A U.S. Senate debate last night at the Mall of America raised questions about DFLer Mark Dayton's position on gun control. As Dayton sparred with incumbent Republican Rod Grams and Independence Party candidate James Gibson, he seemed to contradict positions he staked out earlier in the campaign. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

The "Citizens' Ad Police" were on patrol again this week, critiquing some of the campaign ads blanketing the airwaves. MPR ad analyst Dean Alger gathered a group of six Twin Cities residents to watch the latest ads in hotly-contested congressional races, and a few commercials for Independence Party candidates. In the last of our series of Ad Watches for campaign 2000, Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

As part of our election year coverage, Minnesota Public Radio has invited all seven candidates for U.S. Senate to present a statement about their candidacy. These candidate statements are unfiltered and unedited by MPR. This morning we hear from Rebecca Ellis of the Socialist Worker's Party.