Monday, April 16, 2001

The rising water, dike building, and sandbagging around the Mississippi, Minnesota and St Croix Rivers has brought the curious out to the riverbanks. They want to see what it looks like and how it compares to past floods. Yesterday, many metro area residents headed out to Stillwater for Easter brunch and a stroll. For many, watching the floodwaters at the Stillwater lift bridge was a bonus, adding excitement to the holiday. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports. Listen online.

Minnesotans trying to keep their cities dry this spring are fighting an old fight. Attempts to control floods are as old as civilization, with mixed results. Floods are a natural part of spring, and some authorities say when left uncontained, they provide a number of environmental benefits. Dan Dieterman is a Mississippi River Biologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Listen online.

The Minnesota River hit its crest at Montevideo and Granite Falls this weekend. After a week or more preparing levees and dikes for the high water mark, city officials in the two towns thought perhaps they could spend the holiday weekend watching the water roll by their flood barriers, but the high water sent flood fighters scurrying again. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post reports. Listen online.

The National Weather Service says it appears the Red River has crested at Wahpeton, Breckenridge, Fargo, Moorhead, Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. While the Red crested lower than earlier predicted, the river is expected to stay high for the next several days. After a busy week of building levees and filling sandbags, things were quiet yesterday along the Red River. Many people were able to take a break, but some must remain vigilant until the river recedes. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson reports. Listen.

The fate of four St. Paul charter schools is now in the hands of the St. Paul school board. All four schools are sponsored by the district and are up for renewal this year. Last night district officials presented to the school board a report that shows management or financial problems at three of the four schools. Becky Montgomery is the chair of the school board, and she's on the line now.

The Minneapolis Foundation has announced a new scholarship program that gives money to students who graduate on time from a handful of schools in both Minneapolis and St. Paul. The seven schools were chosen because they are struggling academically and have a high number of poor students, and those who don't speak english as a first language. A new book by a Minneapolis teacher gives us a glimpse at the challenges and rewards of teaching a diverse group of students. Julie Landsman has been teaching in the Minneapolis public schools for 25 years. Her book, A White Teacher Talks About Race introduces readers to her students and to the questions of racial identity and cultural conflict that come up in her classroom. Landsman talked with Minnesota Public Radio's Julie Siple. She says it's important to know where her students are coming from.

Though some communities in the north are starting to move into the flood recovery phase, people living on the Minnesota, Mississippi and St. Croix Rivers have finished flood preparation and are now monitoring dikes and levees, waiting to see what happens next. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Joe Albaugh spent most of yesterday touring flooded areas in the Red River Valley. Albaugh viewed flooded areas, and several FEMA funded projects that are successfully preventing flooding this year. The FEMA director made no promise of federal aid, but praised Minnesota and North Dakota officials for preventing serious flood damage this year. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Just a few months after the Presidential election was finally decided, a new political season is already beginning. Mayoral campaigns are underway in the Twin Cities and a tough race is taking shape in St. Paul, where incumbent Norm Coleman is not seeking re-election. Six DFLers, no Republicans, and one independent are vying to succeed Coleman. D-Lers began their endorsement process last night with party conventions in three of St. Paul's seven wards. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen visited the 6th Ward convention and has this report.

State safety officials say the worst of the flooding is over. The Red River has already begun receding and even though the lower Mississippi, Minnesota and St Croix rivers are just beginning to reach crest levels, safety officials say revised forecasts, good preparation and coordination around the state will greatly minimize impact on those river communities. Minnesota Public Radio's Helms reports.

The Timberwolves lost to the Rockets by a score of 114-87 last night in Houston. Tonight, the Wolves play their last game of the regular season in Dallas against the Mavericks. They will continue their travels through Texas this weekend when they begin the playoffs in San Antonio against the Spurs. Considering what the Timberwolves have been through this season, just making the playoffs is an impressive accomplishment. After the death of Malik Sealy and the departure of Joe Smith and Bobby Jackson, it looked like this would be a lost season. Brit Robson covers the Timberwolves for City Pages and he joins us now.

New scores are out for the Minnesota basic-skills math and reading tests. The Department of Children, Families, and Learning says eighth-graders did about the same as last year's class on the tests. Seventy-nine percent of eighth-graders passed the reading test on their first try, down from 80 percent last year. The rate of success on the math exam inched up one percentage point to 72 percent. Chuck Johansson is the testing project coordinator for the CFL. He says if parents want to see their kids' tests, they have to contact the CFL.

Minnesota's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate rose to 3.4 percent in March. That's the highest its been in four years. The Minnesota Department of Economic Security says the rate was up from 3.2 percent a month earlier. It is still below the national average. Tom Stinson is the Minnesota state economist and he's on the line now.

With state emergency officials cautiously declaring victory in their fight against rising waters, many communities are thinking about how they'll pay for the flood work this spring. Democrats in the Minnesota House yesterday proposed a $90 million flood relief package. The plan includes money to help local governments pay their share of disaster costs, and build permanent projects to prevent future flooding. But the governor and other legislative leaders say it's too early to put a price tag on the state's portion of disaster costs. In the Red River Valley, Moorhead is one of the communities whose budget took a hit to pay for flood preparations Jim Antonen is the Moorhead city manager.

A bill working its way through the Legislature would make Minnesota the first state to mandate the sale of bio-diesel, an alternative fuel made from vegetable oil or animal fat. The bill, which gets a hearing in the House Transportation Finance committee this morning, pits farmers against the trucking industry. Opponents say there are too many unanswered questions about bio-diesel, while supporters say the proposal is something the state can do to help farmers. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

The senate race for 2002 is still a year and a half away, but the political maneuvering is already hitting full stride, especially on the Republican side. State House majority leader Tim Pawlenty said yesterday that he would not run for Senator Paul Wellstone's seat. It comes just a few days after St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman decided to switch his ambitions from running for governor, to running for senate. Pawlenty's decision also came after a phone call from Vice President Dick Cheney, who didn't want a primary battle among Republicans before facing Wellstone in the general election. Joining us on the line is former Republican gubernatorial candidate Alan Quist.

U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone is disputing the findings of an FBI report being released today that concludes Minnesota Priest John Kaiser committed suicide. Kaiser was a Catholic Missionary working in the east African country of Kenya. Wellstone and friends and family of the priest say they believe the priest was killed by representatives of the Kenyan government. Minnesota Public Radio's Helms reports.

At a conference of social workers, judges and attorneys, the Chief Justice of Minnesota's Supreme Court posed this provocative question: Is it possible the child protection system itself represents a form of child abuse and neglect? Justice Kathleen Blatz cited research that shows 80 percent of Minnesota's prison inmates had some contact with the child protection system and she announced a plan to rethink how the system protects children. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

Communities along the Mississippi, Minnesota and St. Croix rivers are waiting out crests as rain is forecast for much of Minnesota. Officials in Breckenridge, on the Red River, are seeing water levels drop slightly, but won't remove dikes because of the rain. Joining us on the line is Rich Naistat, science and operations officer for the National Weather Service in Chanhassen.

The Metropolitan Council is holding public hearings this month on a proposal to raise bus fares by 25 cents across the board. Under the proposal, a regular off-peak ride would cost $1.25; the express rush-hour fare would be $2.25. Metropolitan Council Chair Ted Mondale says the fare increase is needed for a number of reasons.

State safety officials say this weekend will be critical for communities living along the mid and lower Mississippi River valleys. With up to four inches of rain forecast, they're warning those communities to not yet tear down temporary dikes and levees. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Mark Seeley assures us that spring is on the way, despite the lingering cold and snow earlier this week.

A vast trade area from Canada to Chile is the vision of negotiators meeting in Quebec City this weekend. Establishing the FTAA or Free Trade Area of the America's is the ultimate objective for 34 heads of government, including President Bush, at the talks. A final agreement is still years away. Many Minnesota companies welcome the prospect of easier access to customers in South America. But skeptics say the deal benefits mostly big companies and their investors at the expense of workers. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Potential Republican candidates for U.S. Senate may find themselves in a political tight spot following Vice President Dick Cheney's request that state Representative Tim Pawlenty not enter the race. Earlier this week, Pawlenty said he'd honor Cheney's request and clear the field for St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman to challenge DFL incumbent Paul Wellstone. Some state party members say they're excited to see the White House take an active role in the campaign and hope it will pay political dividends. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

If you're driving around Minnesota, you're likely to see a good number of old barns, some dating back to the late 1800s. Tomorrow the Minnesota Historical Society will present a workshop on fixing up old barns. Mary Humstone is the founder of Barn Again!, a national program designed to promote barn restoration. She says interest in restoring old barns is increasing, because fixing up a barn can be cheaper than building a new one and because people feel a connection to these buildings.