Monday, February 12

Leaders of the Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association are urging Northwest Airlines mechanics to prepare for a strike in less than a month, even though President Bush says he'll keep the workers on the job past the thirty-day cooling off period if an contract agreement isn't reached. The National Mediation Board released the airline and the union from negotiations over the weekend triggering the count down to a March 12 strike the White House says it will block. Minnesota Pubic Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

A new poll shows most Minnesotans are aware, and concerned, about an electricity shortfall projected for the upper Midwest region over the next several years. The poll, commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, indicates Minnesotans think the state should turn first to renewable sources of energy to fill the gap. Minnesota Public Radio's Helms reports.

Large parts of Minnesota still don't have high-speed Internet access. Rural communities have been waiting for years for telecommunications companies to invest in the necessary infrastructure. But new, wireless Internet technologies will soon be available across the state, allowing thousands of rural residents to get fast connections, not from underground wires, but over radio waves. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports.

MPR's Capitol Bureau Chief Laura McCallum looks ahead at the this week in the Legislature.

There seems to be very little middle ground on snowmobiles in Minnesota: people either love them or hate them. Some people see them as a great way to enjoy the winter outdoors, with major benefits for the tourist economy; others see them as noisy and dangerous. Nineteen people have died in snowmobile accidents this winter already. The debate is about to come to a head in St. Cloud where two major snowmobile trails swoop close. Snowmobilers can enjoy hundreds of miles of trails running across the countryside. But occasionally they come into town and take to a different terrain in town, riding in ditches, across driveways, and front lawns. Every year citizens in St. Cloud complain. And faced with complex snowmobile ordinances they say they can't enforce, this year the city officials are considering banning snowmobiling within the City limits. Jeff Horwich has this Mainstreet report.

Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economic Correspondent Chris Farrell talks about Wall Street's take on tech stocks.

The Centers for Disease Control launched an ambitious campaign to cut the number of people infected by HIV in half by the year 2005. At least one Minnesota AIDS organization claims the state's AIDS and HIV-positive population is on the rise, marking a significant reversal of recent trends. Meanwhile AIDS authorities in Wisconsin say recent numbers including a nine and a half percent jump in new HIV infections and an 11 percent increase in AIDS-related deaths, will make it difficult for the state to meet the new CDC goal. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally has this report.

A new poll shows half of Minnesotans support Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone's decision to seek a third term next year. In the first poll since Wellstone announced his re-election plans, Wellstone's job approval is the highest it's been since he took office, but Republicans say he's still vulnerable. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Former Defense Secretary Robert McNamara is in the Twin Cities talking to students about lessons he's learned in international affairs. Mr. McNamara has had some first-hand lessons: the Cuban missile crisis and the Vietnam War during the Kennedy and Johnson administrations. McNamara, who is now 84 years old, has written a book about the Vietnam War called In Retrospect: The Tragedy and Lessons of Vietnam.

The University of Minnesota is keeping the heat on state lawmakers to spend more money on the school than what the Governor is proposing. Yesterday U of M President Mark Yudof went before the Senate Higher Education Budget Division to press his point. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

Minneapolis City Council members are considering a housing policy change intended to force developers that benefit from city money to provide home-ownership opportunities to low income home buyers. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

A new poll shows most Minnesotans favor using part of the state's projected $3 billion surplus for new spending initiatives. The Minnesota Public Radio-St. Paul Pioneer Press survey finds schools among the top priorities. DFL lawmakers say the results support their call for more spending on K-12 and higher education, but GOP leaders and the Ventura administration say they'll continue to push for tax relief. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

The makeup of the St. Paul Mayoral race continues to change. City Council President Dan Bostrom has dropped out of the mayor's race, less than two weeks after he entered it. Bostrom says he's ending his campaign in order to help his wife battle breast cancer. That leaves six candidates in the race so far, including council member Jerry Blakey, who announced yesterday that he's running. All of the candidates are DFLers. Ray Faricy is not running for mayor, but he knows well the St.Paul political landscape. He is a former State Representative and longtime DFL activist. He's on the line now.

Much of the discussion about racial profiling has centered around the Twin Cities metro area, but some police officials in outstate Minnesota are also thinking about the issue. Mike Comiskey is the police chief in Worthington, Minnesota, and he's on the line now.

A new poll commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press suggests many Minnesotans would rather hold down tuition at the University of Minnesota than get a tax cut or rebate. The poll says holding down tuition is also more important to Minnesotans than raising faculty salaries, and that University President Mark Yudof's job approval rivals Governor Ventura's. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

Opposition to the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad expansion is mounting as the deadline for public comment draws to a close. Residents in Wyoming, South Dakota and Minnesota have been joined by anthropologists and geologists, worried about whether the development of new rail lines will damage dinosaur bones and ancient Indian settlements along the route. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.

The Minnesota Nurses Association, the state chapter of the American Association of Retired Persons and long-term care facilities want the Legislature to limit how much temporary nurses agencies can charge nursing homes. The groups say the so-called "nursing pools" are taking unfair advantage of the state's worker shortage by charging exorbitant rates for workers. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

Stephen Salters will be the guest soloist at the Plymouth Music Series' Witness Concert on Sunday. The concert is at 4 p.m. at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis. Now, here's a little bit more of Stephen Salters.

A Senate committee has unanimously approved a bill that would continue funding the Displaced Homemaker Program. The 23-year-old program is designed to help stay-at-home moms who are widowed, divorced, or abandoned. Governor Ventura has proposed ending the funding, and several woman's groups rallied at the Capitol yesterday to express their concern. One of the program supporters is DFL State Representative Betty Folliard. She says the program is still necessary.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services is funding a suicide prevention campaign focusing on depression awareness. The Department is working with a Minneapolis-based nonprofit called Suicide Awareness Voices of Education, or SAVE. That group is launching a yearlong attempt to educate the public about the seriousness of depression, and how it can lead to suicide. Dr. Charles Schulz is the head of the department of Psychiatry at the University of Minnesota Medical School and is on the Board of SAVE. He's on the line now.

A new poll finds most Minnesotans support stiffer penalties for drunk drivers. The Minnesota Public Radio/St Paul Pioneer Press Poll finds more than half of respondents want to lower the legal blood alcohol level to 0.08. and also support raising the penalty for multiple DWI's to a felony. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

Rochester's third homeless shelter will open this weekend. Religious leaders in Rochester say many of the people who need shelter are able to find low-paying jobs but no home. In fact, Rochester housing officials say their community has one of the worst affordable housing problems in the state. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report.

The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is celebrating today after announcing Great Britain's Royal National Theater will bring its award-winning Hamlet to Minneapolis in May. Since Sir Laurence Olivier founded the London-based theater in 1962 it has become a major force in world theater, and this production of Hamlet has been the hit of this year's West End season. Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr Guthrie staff began negotiating as soon as it learned the show might be available for Minnesota audiences.

A bill to ban the sale of soft drinks in schools is pitting dentists against school districts and the soft drink industry. The bill is a long shot to pass this session, but is sparking debate about soft drink sales in schools. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is on the road today to shop his legislative agenda. Ventura spent yesterday afternoon in downtown St. Peter meeting with business owners. He brought along his budget proposals and tax reform agenda. And residents brought pointed questions. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports from St. Peter.

On the same day Governor Jesse Ventura travelled to St. Peter to promote his tax reforms, a group of legislators stopped in St. Cloud to gather input from residents on the Governor's plan. Last night, the Senate Property Tax Committee heard central Minnesota residents offer up a mix of praise and criticism on Ventura's ideas. The St. Cloud meeting was one of several held around the state as lawmakers look for comments from residents on the governor's proposed tax reforms. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post has this report.