Monday, January 21

Despite a variety of social programs, many African American men in Hennepin county aren't doing well. A recent report by the county shows that nearly half of all Black men aged 18 to 30 are arrested each year. It also reveals that Black men are twice as likely to die before their 24th birthday than their white counterparts. The report provides recommendations as to how the county can help solve some of the problems facing African American males. However, the authors of the report say Black men themselves should be a part of the solution. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports. FULL STORY

Devils Lake, in northeast North Dakota is still rising; it has been flooding for nine years. The lake has no natural outlet and ears of wetter than normal weather has flooded 30,000 acres of land around the lake. Rising water has forced officials to raise road beds, and build dikes. Entire towns have moved. Now plans for an outlet to redirect water into the Sheyenne River may end up in court. Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports.

There's a glimmer of hope that the Fingerhut Company could stay in business. Last week, Fingerhut's parent company, Federated Department Stores Inc. of Cincinnati, announced it would unload the Minnetonka-based catalogue retailer if no buyers were found. Over the weekend, two potential Fingerhut buyers stepped forward. The prospective buyers and analysts say the company remains viable despite Federated's move to shut it down. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Today's Martin Luther King Junior holiday will be celebrated around the state. At Augsburg College in Minneapolis, there will be a convocation to celebrate the life of the great civil rights leader. The keynote speaker will be Nontombi Naomi Tutu, daughter of Nobel Peace Prize winner Desmond Tutu, who was an archbishop in South Africa that used King's non-violent methods to protest that country's apartheid system of racial segregation. Nontombi Naomi Tutu is the program coordinator at the Race Relations Institute at Fisk University, and she joins us on the line now.

Payday loans are a fast growing segment of this country's fringe banking economy which includes pawnshops, check cashing stores and consumer finance businesses. Payday loan companies make high interest, short term loans with payment due at the borrower's next pay check. Payday loan companies say they're supplying a service consumers are demanding. Consumer advocates say too many borrowers can't pay off the loans and refinance their way deeper into debt. Federal and state regulators are casting a more watchful eye on the activity. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. FULL STORY

The mayor of St. Cloud will meet with state legislators later today to see what the state can do to save Fingerhut. The parent company of Fingerhut -- Federate Department Stores -- said last week that it plans to shut Fingerhut down if a new buyer isn't found. Two businessmen have emerged saying they're thinking about bidding for the struggling catalogue retailer. St. Cloud has 2,700 Fingerhut jobs. Joe Opatz is a DFL member of the Committee who represents part of St. Cloud. He says there are a number of things the state can do to help Fingerhut.

The tribal treasurer of the Red Lake Band of Chippewa in northern Minnesota is fighting for his political future. One thousand seven hundred band members signed a petition to remove Treasurer Dan King. Critics allege King is responsible for millions of dollars in overspending on the tribe?s casino expansion in Thief River Falls. King denies the charges, saying the recall effort is politically motivated. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson has the story.

Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell talks about Kmart, Enron, and the markets.

The Minneapolis school district's list of potential budget cuts is meeting resistance from many parents and students, especially high school sports boosters. School board members gathered public input Tuesday night on various options to address a projected $30 million shortfall. They heard strong opposition to reducing sports programs, but opinions were mixed on whether to increase class sizes. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The Minnesota Partnership for Action Against Tobacco assured members of the House Health and Human Services Committee Tuesday that it has not strayed from its mission and has strong accountability measures. MPAAT was established by court order in 1998 with $202 million of the state's multi-billion dollar tobacco settlement. Critics say MPAAT has had minimal oversight and has switched its focus away from helping people quit to supporting smoking ban campaigns. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

The Minnesota Court of Appeals has upheld a lower-court injunction requiring the Twins to play baseball in the Metrodome this year. The ruling is a victory for Twins fans hoping to at least delay plans to fold the franchise. But attorneys for the team and Major League Baseball criticized the ruling -- and they say they'll appeal to the state Supreme Court. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports. FULL STORY

The Minnesota AFL-CIO is calling on state lawmakers to reverse several tax cuts they say benefit upper-income Minnesotans and businesses at the expense of working people. The state's largest labor coalition says sweeping changes in Minnesota's tax system in the past few years have turned surpluses into shortfalls. The AFl-CIO says unless the tax cuts are undone, more programs will have to be cut. But supporters of the tax changes, including Governor Ventura and the state Chamber of Commerce, say rolling them back would be foolish and would prolong economic weakness. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports. FULL STORY

Warm weather and a lack of snow are combining to take a toll on winter festivals and tourist attractions across the state. The high temperatures yesterday hit the 50s in some parts of southern Minnesota. In Brainerd, the Jaycees had to postpone their annual "Ice Fishing Extravaganza," an event that can bring-in more than 10,000 people. In St. Paul, the Winter Carnival, set to start this Friday, announced they'll truck-in snow and ice from nearby lakes to keep events going. Smaller festivals are also affected, including the Cannon Falls "Cabin Fever Days" which will begin this Saturday. Joining us on the line is Patricia Anderson, president of the local Chamber of Commerce.

The Children's Museum at Yunker Farm in Fargo is encouraging kids to make the kind of noise that would drive most parents crazy. Two artists have constructed musical instruments out of PVC pipe and other industrial materials. Visitors are encouraged to pound, pump and pluck the crayon colored instruments to their hearts delight. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha has this audio postcard in which organizers claim visitors are learning about the science of sound.

The Civilian Conservation Corps put thousands of people to work during the Great Depression. Twenty years ago, the state of Minnesota started a similar program to put young people to work in the outdoors. But this might be the last year for the Minnesota Conservation Corps. The state's Department of Natural Resources has to cut millions of dollars from its budget. The DNR recommends eliminating the Conservation Corps. DNR officials say they like the MCC, but something has to go. Chris Julin has this Mainstreet Radio report. FULL STORY

A Fargo, N. D.- based performing arts school is asking the state of Minnesota for help to move across the Red River to Moorhead. The $5.5 million request from the Trollwood Performing Arts school was not included in Governor Venturas bonding proposal. Supporters say it's a project with regionwide significance. Mainstreet Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Minnesota's Public Safety Commissioner Charlie Weaver will join with his colleagues in Washington, D.C. today to meet with Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. It's the first time all of the states' governor-appointed security directors will meet together. The officials will discuss ways they can cooperate to increase security, and they'll give Ridge some input on key homeland security proposals. President Bush is also scheduled to address the meeting. Commissioner Weaver is in D.C. this morning, and joins us on the line now.

The University of Minnesota has always been a seedbed for new ideas. But under President Mark Yudof, the University is increasingly looking to transfer those ideas to businesses that can make money from them, and in turn yield more income and opportunities for the school. Those ideas were the centerpiece for a conference at the U of M Wednesday night attended by regional business people, University officials and academics. Everyone agreed Yudof's efforts are bearing fruit. Others agree that while the University is a vital economic engine, it should be cautious about taking on research more suited to the private sector. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.

A union representing workers at Fingerhut Companies says a New York equity fund is considering the purchase of the troubled company. UNITE Local 978 says that it has been in discussions with KPS Special Situations Fund. KPS declined to comment. KPS would be the third potential buyer to come forward since Federated Department Stores, which owns Fingerhut, said it will close the catalog business unless a buyer is found. Closure would mean about 4,700 Minnesotans would lose their jobs. About 2,000 of them work in St. Cloud. St. Cloud Mayor John Ellenbecker says he has a meeting today with a prospective buyer.

This morning's St. Paul Pioneer Press includes the fifth clue in the paper's annual Winter Carnival Medallion Hunt. Every clue is eagerly anticipated by a group of obsessed treasure hunters who congregate outside the paper's offices each night waiting for the first edition. Those crazed hunters are being followed by a crew of filmmakers working on a documentary about the hunt. Trent Tooley is one of the producers of the film, and yesterday Minnesota Public Radio's Eugene Cha met him at St. Paul's Indian Mounds Park where many of the die-hards believe the medallion is hidden. Tooley says the documentary will follow four teams of hunters.

The Tripartisan Task Force on stadium issues will meet later today to vote on final recommendations on building two new professional sports stadiums. The task force has already decided on informal draft recommendations on what the state's role should be in constructing stadiums for the Twins and a for the Vikings and Gophers. Those recommendations included support for publicly financing stadiums -- while staying away from directly subsidizing them. Joining us on the line is task force co-chairman Will Haddeland who is also a public affairs consultant to MPR.

The curtain rises Tuesday on the last legislative session of Governor Jesse Ventura's first term in office. It will also be the governor's first battle with a budget deficit -- projected to be a whopping $2 billion over the next year and a half. But Ventura has surprised many observers by negotiating politically tricky waters before. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reviews the high -- and low -- points of Ventura's past year and looks forward to the upcoming session. FULL STORY

When Minnesota lawmakers return to the Capitol Tuesday for the 2002 session, one of their top agenda items will be assembling a package of public works projects. Governor Ventura is recommending $845 million in projects, and some legislators want to borrow even more. Minnesota Pubic Radio's Laura McCallum analyzed the last 20 years of major capital investment bills to find out where the state has spent most of its money, and has this report. FULL STORY

MPR's Chris Farrell joins us with his weekly economic update.

The Chaska City Council is expected to vote tonight on whether to allow Mary Jo Copeland to build a $30 million children's home in the city. Copeland has already bought land, but needs the council's approval to move forward with her project. If it refuses, Chaska will become the fourth metro-area community to reject Copeland's proposal. Mary Jo Copeland first set out to build a home for 200 orphaned or displaced children in December of 2000. She has been looking ever since for a place to put the campus, where children would live in 20 supervised homes and attend a charter school. Copeland says she isn't sure how tonight's vote will turn out.