Monday, March 12

A state task force has recommended that Minnesota shift its reliance on nursing homes toward less costly assisted-living alternatives. Forty-thousand Minnesotans now live in nursing homes even though state officials say many could be living on their own with some assistance. This legislative session, Governor Ventura and the Legislature are working on ways to prepare the long-term care system for the state's retiring baby-boomers. Over the next three days, we'll examine Minnesota's long-term care system in our series "A Question of Dignity." Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports on the state's existing options.

A gun show held this weekend in a Minnesota school has drawn fire from area residents who protested the event. The show was held on the same weekend two California students were buried; victims of a shooting last week at Santana High School in Santee, California. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley has this report.

The discovery that genetically modified corn was recently found in veggie corn dogs at the supermarket has prompted new questions about how the modified corn made into food products. The corn is known by its brand name Starlink, which the government approved for animals, but not for humans. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently found that 1 percent of the country's corn seed supply has been contaminated with Starlink seeds. The agency says none of those seeds has been sold to farmers yet, and they're ordering the seed to be destroyed or diverted for approved uses. With planting season not far off, many farmers in the region are wondering what precautions to take, to avoid contamination problems between genetically engineered corn, and corn that isn't. Joining us on the line is Seth Naeve), an agronomist with the U of M Extension service.

MPR Capitol Bureau Chief Laura McCallum joins us for a look ahead at this week in the Minnesota Legislature.

Northwest Airlines mechanics remain on the job today under presidential order as a three-member Bush administration appointed panel begins an investigation of airline's labor dispute. Negotiators for the airline and union worked with the National Mediation Board throughout the weekend but failed to reach an agreement on the four-and-a-half-year-old contract dispute. The union is now talking about striking Northwest in 60 days after the emergency board has run its course. The airline says it will accept whatever contract recommendation comes from the independent panel. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports from Arlington Virgina where the final round of contract talks took place.

St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman will give his final State of the City address tonight. Coleman is scheduled to speak at 5:30 p.m. at the old Union Depot in St. Paul. He picked the depot as the setting for his speech to highlight his plan to bring limited train service back to that facility. The mayor would also like to bring major baseball to downtown St. Paul. Even though St. Paul voters rejected a stadium referendum just two years ago, Coleman says it's time to try again.

Minneapolis and St. Paul are both in the middle of snow emergencies this morning. In St. Paul, parking is prohibited on all day plow routes. In Minneapolis, parking is prohibited from 8 a.m. to 8.p.m. today on the even side of non-snow emergency routes and on both sides of the parkways. This is the sixth snow emergency in Minneapolis this winter and some people have complained that the city's system is too confusing. Lisa Goodman is a member of the Minneapolis City Council, and she wants to change the snow emergency system. She's on the line now.

One man who remembers what the Union Depot used to be like in its heyday is Gary Hiebert. He is a retired columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. In his column he was known as Oliver Towne. He says the depot was a place where you would see people from all walks of life.

Every year, Minnesota spends $850 million caring for the state's elderly in nursing homes. As baby-boomers approach retirement, long-term care experts worry that unless changes occur those costs could skyrocket. A tri-partisan task-force studied the issue last summer and wants the state to meet consumer demand by creating a better system of home and community based care. But the transformation will not be cheap. The task-force, the governor and the industry all expect the state to spend over $100 million in the two-year budget to start this system. In the second part in our three-part series on long-term care "A Question of Dignity" Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck examines the legislative proposals.

By 2030, the largest age group in Minnesota is expected to be the over-65 population. But parts of rural Minnesota are there already. Small towns and rural counties struggle to provide services when fewer and fewer young people are there to take care of more and more elders. And health care workers are hard to find for low-paying personal care jobs. In the final part of our series on long-term care, Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports that small towns are developing some creative solutions to the challenge of caring for older people.

Norm Coleman used his final State of the City speech to take an imaginary journey through St. Paul in the year 2004. The technique allowed Coleman, who is not seeking a third term as mayor, to count as successes a number of projects still in the works and some that are not even that far along, including three new pro sports facilities. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

While Coleman has lots of ideas for future development in St. Paul, work officially begins today to preserve an existing city landmark. Renovation of the St. Paul cathedral, which is expected to cost about $35 million, includes replacing the 87-year-old green dome with a new copper roof. Other smaller domes over side chapels will also be replaced and the exterior will be cleaned using a new process called micro-blasting. Tom Nonnemacher is in charge of the work for McGough Construction, which is the general contractor for the project. He says reroofing the dome is definitely the toughest part of the job.

The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission takes to the road today to collect comments on the future of the dome as a home to the Vikings and Twins. Tonight's meeting in Moorhead is the first in a series of town hall meetings the commission will use to report back to the governor and legislators. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports that officials with the Metrodome's primary tenants call the meetings counterproductive.

A bill that would let cities use cameras to catch drivers running red lights has passed the Senate Transportation Committee. The cameras would be mounted at intersections and would most likely snap a picture of the rear license plate of any car that went through a red light. The photo would be considered proof of a violation. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia already have similar camera systems. Republican Senator Roy Terwilliger is sponsoring the bill in the Minnesota Senate, and he's on the line now.

A new bill in the Legislature would end the reciprocity agreements between Minnesota and neighboring states. The agreements allow students from Minnesota, to attend colleges in Wisconsin and the Dakotas and still pay in-state tuition. Students from those states can also come here and pay in-state tuition too. State Senator Joe Opatz, a DFL'er from St. Cloud, says that, despite a labor shortage here, we're sending more students to neighboring states under the agreements. He says that we're also sending more than $10 million a year to those states to subsidize those student's tuition. Joining us on the line is Phil Lewenstein, legislative and outreach director for the Higher Education Services Office that administers the reciprocity agreements.

This week Fargo is host to the largest sugar beet trade show in North America. One hundred and fifty exhibitors are showing off the latest in equipment, seed and agrichemicals. But with sugar prices the lowest in 20 years, Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports that few farmers are interested in buying.

Over-the-road truckers are famous communicators. A couple decades ago they made the C B radio an everyday item. But across the country, thousands of truckers are better known for their letter writing. A group called "Trucker Buddy, International" pairs up drivers and elementary school classes as pen pals. Trucker Buddies send the kids letters and postcards from the road, and the students get an inside view of life in a big rig. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Julin reports.

St. Paul City Council members have approved plans for a development that some officials call the biggest housing project in city history. The deal with a Dallas-based company calls for 600 new units on a 20-acre site along the Mississippi River. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

The St. Paul Area Synod, which oversees Lutheran churches in the St. Paul area, will meet later this afternoon to consider whether to suspend one of its churches. St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church is on the hot seat because it has decided to ordain Anita Hill. Hill is a lesbian woman in a committed relationship. That puts her church out of line with the ELCA, the governing body of about 10,000 Lutheran churches across the country. Hill initially decided not to pursue a divinity degree because of the church's position. Then, in 1983, she joined St. Paul Reformation-- and says she found support for her wish to be ordained.

New reports of foot and mouth disease in the Middle East and South America are raising concerns the illness might spread at some point to U.S. Livestock. It's an issue before Diary farmers gathered in St. Cloud, at the annual meeting of the Minnesota Milk Producers Association. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich has this Mainstreet report.

Mark Seely joins us with a weather update.

A new report says the three-year-old Fairview-University Medical Center has succeeded in some major ways, but still faces many serious challenges. The report also made a point of declaring the importance of state support for the University's medical school. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.

Dr. James Gordon chairs a White House commission on complimentary and alternative medicine. A meeting on that subject gets underway at 8:00 this morning at the University of Minnesota.

Arctic Explorers Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen are back in Minnesota. Bancroft, a Minnesotan, and Arnesen, a Norwegian, made history last month when they became the first women to ski across Antarctica. As they stepped off the plane last night at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, hundreds of fans greeted the women with banners, flowers, and lots of requests for autographs. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura is expected to take his regular spot behind the microphone for the XFL game in Las Vegas tomorrow night. Ventura's future as an XFL color commentator was placed in doubt when league founder Vince McMahon criticized Ventura earlier this week in an interview with the Los Angeles Times. McMahon said he had made mistakes in choosing announcers and that Ventura was on "thin ice." Ventura has not responded to McMahon's comments. Dave Meltzer is editor of The Wrestling Observer. He spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal about why McMahon decided to publicly criticize Ventura.