Monday, June 18

Northwest Airlines new C.E.O. says management and unions need to find a better way to handle contract negotiations to improve relations. Richard Anderson, who took the top job in April, says with employee support Northwest will be strongly positioned for growth over the next several years. Later this week Anderson takes his message on the road with visits to employees around the country. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

As the prospect for a state government shutdown looms larger each day, state Republicans are using a new radio ad to pressure the Democrats to agree to the terms of the House budget numbers. The ad is aimed at influencing public opinion and galvanizing support for the Republican position. But public opinion doesn't appear to be with either the Republicans or the Democrats. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

At the Legislature, the tax working group met over the weekend and traded offers. Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief Laura McCallum was there and she joins us now.

In less than two weeks the state government could shutdown if lawmakers can't come to an agreement on tax and spending plans. One agreement that was reached was between Governor Jesse Ventura's administration, and state employee unions. The two sides resolved a dispute about whether state employees would be furloughed, or laid off. Meanwhile, Ventura's staff continues with contingency plans, in case a shutdown happens on July 1. Joining us on the line is Julien Carter, the state employee relations commissioner and the administration's point man on the shutdown.

When the state House and Senate conference committee finally agreed on an environment and agriculture bill this month, one of its most prominent features was $2.5 million in new spending to combat pollution from Minnesota feedlots. The bill is one of the pieces of legislation awaiting final approval at the special session. Stearns County has the most feedlots in the state, and one by one officials are bringing those facilities into compliance. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich visited once such dairy near Melrose.

MPR's Chris Farrell joins us with an economic update.

Farmers across Minnesota are dealing with wet fields after last week's heavy rains. The latest crop report from the USDA says 64 percent of the state has excessive moisture, and a lack of warm, sunny days has slowed the progress of crops. As Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports, the bad weather combined with low prices is a double shot of hardluck for farmers.

In less than two weeks, the state government could shut down if lawmakers can't come to an agreement on tax and spending bills. Many nonprofit organizations in Minnesota are watching negotiations at the Capitol carefully. Some of them get funding through state grants and contracts and could be in trouble if there is a shutdown. Marcia Avner is the public policy director for the Minnesota Council of Non profits, and she's on the line now.

WCCO-TV meteorologist Paul Douglas says we could actually see some relief by the end of this week with the arrival of a more stable weather system.

All the rainy weather this month has put many outdoor activities on hold. The open-air fun many Minnesotans look forward to most, like camping, boating, summer softball, and golf, are all hampered by a record wet June. The recreational slowdown may be bringing down not just Minnesotan's morale, but the state's economy as well. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

The global economy is changing the way we think about food, from the kinds of things we eat to the way food is grown and harvested, and the way it comes to our tables. The latest American RadioWorks special The Global Politics of Food brings together three stories from the frontlines of food production. In this excerpt Daniel Zwerdling travels to Guatemala to check out what's behind the "fair trade" coffee label and whether it's really transforming farmers lives.

Representatives of the state attorney feneral's office will meet today with officials at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency to scrutinize an agreement announced last week between the PCA and ValAdCo, a Renville County hog cooperative. The giant hog farm has violated state air quality standards for as many as seven years. The state Health Department is warning that hydrogen sulfide emissions from the farm's manure holding lagoons may threaten the health of nearby residents. The PCA says the agreement will take care of the problem, but the attorney's general's office is not so sure. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

The tornado that hit the small Wisconsin town of Siren Monday night demolished the heart of the town's new tourism-oriented business district. Officials are still assessing the damage, but a four-block section of Highway 35 running through the heart of town is flattened. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill found most business owners ready to rebuild.

Legislative leaders are resuming budget talks Wednesday in hopes of breaking a month-old stalemate on fundamental tax and spending issues. House and Senate negotiators are expected to respond to offers traded during a closed meeting Tuesday night, and Senate DFLers are calling on Governor Jesse Ventura to play a more public role in resolving the impasse. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

One of the people who has been closely following the negotiations at the Capitol is John Knapp, a longtime lobbyist. He represents a number of clients, including Koch Industries and the Minnesota Business Partnership.

The North American Vexillological Association recently rated 72 state, provinicial and territorial flags from the United States and Canada and found the Minnesota state flag wanting. David Martucci, president of the New Jersey-based flag association explains what constitutes a pleasing design.

Claudia Nicholson, curator of state flags at the Minnesota Historical Society, admits that the Minnesota flag is a bit cluttered.

Red Wing merchants worried when hearing not one, but two, chain discount stores were headed their way. Mom-and-pop shopkeepers hope Red Wing's tourist draw will keep them in business. But retail experts say the community might be in for a few downtown casualties. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report.

Neighbors in south Minneapolis Wednesday celebrated the end of a decade-long battle to rid Lake Street of businesses housing prostitution. A front-end loader began demolishing Sauna 27, the sixth sauna neighborhood organizers working with police and prosecutors have closed. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

St. Paul city officials and civil rights activists are all singing the praises of a new racial profiling agreement. Under the terms of a pact between police and the St. Paul NAACP, citizens will be able to file complaints against the police more easily if they believe they've been targeted because of their race. The department is also promising to take community groups' views more into account when making policy decisions. But what representatives of both the police and the community say they're most proud of is how St. Paul developed a way to address racial profiling, something the state Legislature has yet to do. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.

State agencies Thursday will take their first concrete steps towards mothballing nonessential services in the event state government funding runs dry next month. Road construction and maintenance crews are expected to stop their work and begin securing construction zones in preparation for a potentially wider shutdown. Budget talks at the state Capitol continue to yield no breakthroughs in a tax-and-spending debate that has dragged on for more than a month. Some lawmakers are again considering fallback plans in case the impasse lasts through the weekend. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

With another school year over, thousands of foreign exchange students are now packing their suitcases, saying goodbye to their American friends and heading home. Participants say such programs can be deeply rewarding, but local organizers say the search for families to host these exchange students gets tougher every year. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Tim Smalley, boating safety specialist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources joins us to talk about the imact of all the wet weather on recreational boating on Minnesota's lakes and rivers.

The Nashville, Tenn. school board is going to offer their superintendent job to Minneapolis Superintendent Carol Johnson. Johnson says she'll need some time to think about the offer before making a decision on whether to take the new job. She has roots in Tennessee: she went to college at Fisk University, and did her student teaching in Nashville. She's been Minneapolis' superintendent since 1997. Joining us on the line is Louise Sundin, president of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers.

For many of us, the short Minnesota summer is a time for summer fun. But for a group of 70 young musicians, it will be a time of sight-seeing, exploring and performing in Beijing, China. The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphony just arrived in China, and will be there for the next 10 days, playing music at venues around the city. Joining us on the line is Mindy Ratner, host of MPR's Evening Classics, who's in China with the symphony.

Senate Democrats introduced legislation yesterday to keep state government running if lawmakers fail to pass a new budget by July 1. House Republicans rejected the idea, along with a House DFL attempt to pass a sales tax rebate. With the prospect of a government shutdown increasing by the day, the attorney feneral's office asked the courts to fund critical government functions if a shutdown occurs. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

This week Mainstreet Radio has been examining the challenges facing rural areas as the population ages. Healthcare is a major issue, and in many rural areas the care available through the Veterans Administration is a mainstay. When the men and women who were called to serve joined the armed services they were promised medical care for life. But as veterans age and medical costs skyrocket, how that promise is fulfilled is changing. Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports.

Two new Rochester public school administrators are coming on board this summer, just a couple months before a school year that promises great challenges. The biggest task will be convincing voters to approve a hefty referendum. Local community leaders say the new superintendent and school board president can handle the job. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report.