Monday, January 22

Public Television is airing a 10-part series this month on the history of jazz. The 18-hour documentary was produced by Ken Burns, who is known for his documentaries on the Civil War and baseball. The series follows jazz from its birth at the dawn of the 20th century, incorporating significant historical events that influenced the music. Leigh Kamman hosts Minnesota Public Radio's "The Jazz Image," and he came by the studio to talk about the series. He's been watching, and says jazz is a complicated subject.

The University of Minnesota and three of its unions are heading into contract talks this spring. The Clerical, Technical, and Health Care Workers say their lowest-paid members are overdue for wage hikes. The University has included pay raises in its state budget request, but even if the school falls short at the Legislature, the unions don't plan to back down. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

The bad news just keeps coming for Minnesota's Iron Range. Now, National Steel Pellet, in Keewatin, says it will layoff 10 workers by the end of the week; 15 were laid off earlier this month. In nearby Hoyt Lakes, 1,400 jobs were lost when Ltd Steel closed for good, and in Eveleth, almost 500 jobs could be on the line if Evtac closes because it can't get bank loans or insurance coverage. Minnesota's taconite industry has always run in cycles, but some on the range wonder if this downtown is worse than others. Economics professor Rick Lichty teaches at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and he says a slowing economy is only part of the problem.

Parts of Northern California may be hit with more blackouts this morning as officials scrounge for electricity. Efforts continue to find a long-term solution to the problem. A proposal crafted over the weekend would allow the state to take over hydroelectric facilities, currently owned by cash-strapped utilities. California's energy crisis is the result of both deregulation and an energy shortage. Linda Taylor is the Deputy Commissioner for Energy at the Minnesota Department of Commerce. She says we shouldn't see anything like the California crisis here in Minnesota, but we are facing a shortage of our own.

Governor Jesse Ventura releases his two-year budget this morning at the Science Museum of Minnesota. Ventura has laid out his major priorities over the past few months, and administration officials told House Republicans that the Governor will phase in his proposed income tax cut rather than do it all at once. Lawmakers say they're anxious to see all the details. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

While the governor is preparing his budget, he's also getting ready for another job. Ventura will be the color commentator for the XFL, which gets underway in early February. The Extreme Football League is a new concept in football that is the brainchild of pro-wrestling businessman Vince McMahon. Ventura isn't Minnesota's only connection to the league. Alex Hass is from St. Peter, and went to the University of Minnesota. He's trying out for the Birmingham Bolts as a tight end and he says he was immediately interested when he heard about the XFL.

Mary Jo Copeland will have to keep looking for a place to build the state's largest children's home. Last night the Brooklyn Park City Council voted 5-1 not to rezone a former golf course to build the facility. Copeland is the founder of Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis, and she says the home would be geared for children whose parents are unable or unfit to care for them. The project has been controversial, and encountered a similar obstacle in Brooklyn Center. Grace Arbogast is the mayor of Brooklyn Park, and she's on the line now.

The Caring Sharing hands proposal is actually only one of several plans to open residential facilities for children in Minnesota, but as Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports there is still fierce opposition.

This is a special day for Minnesota stamp collectors. That's because postal service officials are in Minneapolis to issue the Roy Wilkins stamp. Wilkins grew up in St. Paul, and was known as the father of civil rights. He headed the NAACP for over 20 years from the mid '50s to the late '70s. For stamp collectors, it's a rare opportunity to get the stamp on the first day of issuance, which increases the stamp's value. Joining us now is Bill Anderson, president of the Minnesota Federation of Stamp Clubs.

Governor Ventura has released a plan that calls for more than a billion dollars in tax relief and holds spending to about the level of inflation. Ventura's also wants to boost the reserves in case there is an economic slowdown. Right now the state's surplus is projected at three billion dollars over the next two and a half years. Minnesota is just one of many states to have extra money in recent years. The National Conference of State Legislatures conducts an annual survey of year-end balances or surpluses. Corina Eckl is the policy director for fiscal affairs. She says the last survey was done in the year 2000.

When Governor Jesse Ventura took his first stab at the budgeting process two years ago, he acknowledged many of his proposals were based on former-Governor Arne Carlson's work. But Ventura is describing his latest effort as entirely his own. The plan calls for more than a billion dollars in tax relief and holds spending to about the level of inflation. Some lawmakers are applauding the proposal, but others are questioning the governor's priorities. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Governor Ventura's proposed budget for higher education has stunned the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Systems. They say they won't even be able to keep up with inflation, let alone proceed with their plans for vital growth. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

The Commissioner of the State Health Department says Governor Jesse Ventura's budget is the most comprehensive health agenda in years. Ventura has allocated $14 million for eliminating racial health disparities in the state and $22 million to discourage teen pregnancies. But some health advocates are disappointed Ventura didn't go farther in providing greater benefits for long term care and children's health insurance. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

Minnesota's judiciary fared better than many other departments in Governor Jesse Ventura's budget plan. Still, the Governor's budget doesn't fully fund the state court system's major initiative for this legislative session. Crimnet is an integrated computer system that would allow law enforcement and courts from different jurisdictions to easily share information on criminals. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

Later today, the St. Paul City Council will meet with St. Paul police chief William Finney to discuss racial profiling. Two weeks ago, the police department released preliminary data on who officers stop on the streets. The data showed that African-Americans and Latinos were more likely to be stopped, and more likely to be searched, than whites. Joining us on the line is St. Paul City Council member Jerry Blakey, who represents Ward One, just to the west of downtown St. Paul.

Heating bills are not the only place Minnesotans will feel this winter's soaring natural gas prices. Expensive natural gas means expensive fertilizer and an uncertain spring for the regions' farmers. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich has this Mainstreet report.

Police and city staff members in Saint Paul will develop recommendations over the next few weeks as to how the city should analyze racial profiling statistics the police department has been keeping since last spring. The city council met with Police Chief William Finney yesterday and asked him to return in a month with specific suggestions for how the numbers should be analyzed. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is traveling around the state, trying to sell Minnesotans on his proposed budget. Some of the loudest criticism of the budget plan is coming from university and college administrators who say the governor's proposal will make them lose good professors, and raise tuition. Yesterday, Ventura made the first stop on his statewide, budget tour at the University of Minnesota in Duluth. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.

Last summer, Governor Jesse Ventura suggested the State Legislature should limit itself to meeting every other year, and now he's putting his legislation where his mouth is. Since the early 1970's, lawmakers have considered two-year budget proposals one year and a capital improvements bill the next. This week, Ventura proposed doing both in one shot. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports, legislators are skeptical.

The St. Paul Winter Carnival gets underway today. Tomorrow over 100 acts will take part in the King Boreas Grande Day Parade including the traditional bouncing girl on a blanket and Hi-lex gnomes. The winter carnival has been around since 1886. In the early years, people wrote and sang special carnival songs, tunes that extolled the virtures of St. Paul, its citizens, and the carnival itself. Carnival historian Bob Olsen has unearthed some of those songs. He's come by the studio this morning.

Meteorologist Mark Seely talks about what to expect in February.