Monday, August 6

Over the last few weeks, we've presented a series of interviews with people on welfare. Today, we'll be hearing from a Hmong woman who's one of the thousands of Hmong immigrants who have moved to Minnesota over the last decade. According to the 2000 Census, the Hmong population in the state has doubled over that time to almost $42,000. About 1,500 Hmong are on welfare.

Off highway vehicle fans say it's time the state created trails for all-terrain vehicles, dirt bikes, and 4 x 4 trucks. Critics say the DNR should do more to enforce laws and protect the environment before they spend money on new trails. Now the public is being asked for input. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.

Plaques of Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield now hang just a few feet from those of Babe Ruth and Honus Wagner in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Puckett and Winfield were inducted Sunday in Cooperstown, N.Y., and many Minnesotans were on hand to mark the occasion. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Later today, the friends, family, and almost the whole town of Warren, Ohio will be remembering Korey Stringer. It was almost a week ago that the Viking's offensive lineman died of heat stroke. One of the speakers at the funeral service will be his high school coach Phil Annarella. We had a chance to speak with Coach Annarella about Korey Stringer. He says he first realized Stringer would be a great player when Korey was in 10th grade.

While Puckett and Winfield traveled to Cooperstown to join the great players enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame, former Viking Ron Yary was in Canton, Ohio on Saturday for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Yary was an offensive lineman for the Vikings from 1968 to 1981. He made it to the Pro Bowl seven times. During his speech on Saturday Yary thanked the people who contributed to his success as a football player and then he talked about what the game of football has meant to him.

A new study ranks the Twin Cities ninth in the nation for high tech. The study by the Project on Regional and Industrial Economics at the University of Minnesota uses a broad definition of the term high tech. It says Chicago has the largest number of high-tech jobs, followed by Washington DC, the Silicon Valley, and Boston. Professor Ann Markusen is one of the authors of the study.

Friends, family and others whose lives were touched by Tiger Jack Rosenbloom, congregated in front of the tiny shack where he ran a store for half a century last night. Rosenbloom died Sunday, but those gathered said he will live on in their memories. Minnesota Public Radio's Kaomi Goetz has this report.

Advocates for the elderly have been saying for years that the federal Medicare program needs fixing, and the issue is high up on the congressional agenda. So with Congress out for its August recess, Medicare reform advocates in the state took the opportunity to invite Minnesota's Washington representatives to hear policy recommendations. Monday, nearly 500 seniors and much of the state's congressional delegation met in Minnetonka for the first Medicare Congressional Summit. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Once, a postage stamp sized butterfly known as the Karner Blue was found all across the Great Lakes states, from Minnesota to New York. Today its population has declined by 99 percent. The Karner Blue's last stronghold is in Wisconsin, where an unprecedented statewide effort is underway to save it. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

Morning Edition's Cathy Wurzer chats with Charlie Maguire, singing ranger.

Nearly 17,000 Excel Energy customers in the metro area are without power this morning. Heavy demand caused by the hot weather has resulted in scattered power outages in several areas of the Twin Cities in the past week, leaving people to swelter in the record heat. Ed Legge is a spokesman for Xcel Energy.

The demand caused by the hot and sticky weather and problems like Friday's fire at the Prairie Island Nuclear Power Plant means Xcel needs to buy additional power from other sources. Steve Paluso is the vice president for energy markets at Xcel. He says some of the power used to run air conditioners in Minnesota yesterday came from pretty far away.

Senator Mark Dayton's office has been overwhelmed with calls to a health-care hot line he's set up using some of his senate office staff. The line opened for business to help people who are having trouble with their HMO's or health insurance companies. Dayton had a similar phone linkup during his campaign. Joining us on the line is Brad Hanson, director of the health-care hotline.

Farmfest is underway in southwest Minnesota, and children attending the annual agricultural exhibition are hearing a strong safety message. Farming is the nation's second-most dangerous occupation; only mining is more hazardous. A farm is filled with dangers and kids at farmfest are learning how to avoid them. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Home retail giant Home Depot has pulled out of plans to build a store on the corner of University Avenue and Lexington Parkway in St. Paul. The company blames high land costs and recent changes in the state's tax increment financing laws for the decision. While the city of St. Paul is unhappy the deal fell through, a coalition of local businesses and citizens are applauding the move, saying the area is better suited for housing and mixed use development. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Fargo, N.D. may never replace Detroit as the car capital of the world, but Fargo-based Global Electric MotorCars or GEM is gaining international attention. After being bought by Daimler-Chrysler last October, GEM has nearly doubled production. Now the company is negotiating to to move to a bigger building and double its work force. Minnesota Public Radios Bob Reha reports.

The Guthrie Lab's first show of the season features the work of two stage legends. Jean Stapleton is one of three actresses starring in The Carpetbagger's Children, the latest play by Horton Foote. Foote is considered by many to be one of the greatest southern writers for the stage and screen, best known for his play The Trip to Bountiful and his screenplay for To Kill a Mockingbird. Marianne Combs reports.

The Minnesota Fringe Festival is underway in Minneapolis. The festival runs through the weekend, featuring more than 120 shows ranging from musical revues to comedy acts. Theatre critic Dominic Papatola has been running from one performance to the next, covering the festival for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He came by the studio to tell us what's out there.

If you're a golfer, a softball player, or spend time outside around the Twin Cities, you may have noticed a bug that looks like a house fly but bites like a mosquito. Those biting flys aren't the only insects around the state that have surprised some entomologists who watch insect populations. Joining us on the line is Jeffrey Hahn, entomologist with the University of Minnesota.

The St. Croix Meadows dog track in Hudson, Wis. will hold its last dog race later today. The track is set to close after losing more than $62 million. The Florida company that owns it wants to open an Indian casino on the property, but so far a legal battle has prevented that. St. Croix Meadows isn't the only dog track to go under in recent years. Of the five Wisconsin tracks that opened a decade ago, only two will remain after today. Roy Berger is the president of Dairyland Greyhound Park in Kenosha, one of those still open. He's on the line now.

A campaign technique known as push-polling has surfaced in the mayoral race in Minneapolis. Three candidates - Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton, Internet consultant R-T Rybak, and City Council member Lisa McDonald - all say that citizens of the city have received phone calls where the caller seemed to be conducting a poll, but then criticized their candidacies. Joining us on the line is Michael Traugott, author of Elections, Polls, the News Media,and Democracy. He's also director of the communications studies department at the University of Michigan.

In the midst of a nationwide slump in personal computer sales, Apple Computer is opening its own stores at selected locations around the country. In doing so, it hopes to boost its tiny share of the PC market. Minnesota Public Radio's Jon Gordon reports that the newest Apple store opens this Saturday in the Mall of America.

Twin Cities Public Television is cancelling NewsNight Minnesota, the nation's only public television nightly news show. Wednesday night the TPT Board of Directors approved a new direction for the station -- and a new budget that does not fund the 7-year-old program. NewsNight supporters say it's a blow to local programming, but station executives say it will free up money for new projects that will have a greater impact on the community. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

The circus is coming to St. Paul Thursday night. But don't expect the typical assemblage of animals and high-wire stunts. The Circus Juventas features regular kids from around St. Paul performing everything from trapeze acts to comedy -- all in a new facility built exclusively for them. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg visited the circus on the day before its first performance in its new big top.

A giant hog farm in southwest Minnesota is being investigated by the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, a sister agency of the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta. The agency is examining potential public health risks posed by ValAdCo, a problem-plagued hog operation in Renville County. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

Local scientists are reacting to President Bush's announcement that the federal government will fund some stem cell research. Bush made his decision public last night, following months of anticipation that pitted many scientists and against anti-abortion forces. Bush said he will allow federal dollars to fund research with existing stem cell lines. Dr. Catherine Verfaille is the director of the University of Minnesota's Stem Cell Institute. She says researchers were watching the announcement with anticipation.

University of Minnesota meteorologist and climatologist Mark Seeley talks about the heat wave we've experienced this past week and other weather issues.

Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton is proposing significant budget cuts for the Minneapolis Community Development Agency. The mayor outlined the cuts in a budget address yesterday, saying the property tax overhaul at the Minnesota legislature leaves less money for the city's development arm. In a mayoral debate earlier this week, Sayles Belton proposed another change to the MCDA. She suggested its commissioners should be citizens, rather than city council members. She also proposed that all department heads report to the mayor. Host Cathy Wurzer speaks with Wy Spano, publisher and co-editor of the newsletter Politics in Minnesota. (Read More).