Monday, February 11

Former St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman officially kicks off his campaign this Monday morning with a rally at Harriet Island. Coleman, a Republican and so far the the only major challenger faced by DFL incumbent Paul Wellstone, will embark on a statewide tour later in the day, telling Minnesotans he can do for the state what he did for St. Paul. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

The Minnesota Orchestra holds a gala unveiling of its centennial season Monday. The Orchestra is celebrating its first 100 years by bringing back all of its living music directors. You'll probably recognize the names: Skrowaczewski, Dutoit, Marriner, Slatkin, de Waart, Oue and Vanska. The Orchestra does not currently have a music director. Osmo Vanska will take over that role next year. Orchestra Manager Bob New told Minnesota Public Radio Classical Music Host Brian Newhouse what might have been a problem has turned into an opportunity.

The State Senate will vote today on a plan to fix Minnesota's nearly $2 billion projected budget shortfall. Like the House Republican plan, the proposal does not raise taxes. But the plan's spending cuts of $200 million a year are less than half the amount proposed by the House. Laura McCallum is Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol bureau chief, and she's on the line now.

Several of Minnesota's Olympic athletes have begun competition in Salt Lake City, including two lugers. Tony Benshoff from White Bear Lake is in 21st place going into the second and final day of racing today. Benshoff, who had hopes of a medal, dropped in the standings after a disappointing second run. His teammate Nick Sullivan from Oakdale is in 24th place. Before the competition, the two lugers sat down with MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner to explain their sport, in which they sled down a steep, winding course on their backs. Benshoff says they start preparing hours before each race.

MPR's Chris Farrell with an economic update.

Minnesota's senior United States senator, Paul Wellstone, plans to officially kick off his reelection campaign in late Spring. Yesterday Republican Norm Coleman set out on a three-day tour of the state, formally launching his Senate bid. Wellstone has been busy raising money for a race that's likely to break Minnesota campaign spending records. With control of the closely divided Senate at stake, the contest between Wellstone and his likely GOP opponent Norm Coleman has major national implications. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports. FULL STORY

One of Minnesota's major cash crops has lost a bit of its luster. Soybeans are sometimes called a miracle crop. Besides its food value, the yellow bean can be made into diesel fuel, plastic, ink and more than 2,000 other products. In fact, it seems the only thing farmers can't make from soybeans these days is money. The problem is, other countries have discovered the crop and are planting it in record numbers. This has U.S. farmers scrambling to find ways to make new money off an old crop. Mark Steil has the first in a series of Mainstreet Radio stories on "The Miracle Bean." FULL STORY

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and City Council leaders delivered a list of proposed cuts to reach the $5 million budget reduction imposed by the Council two months ago. The police and fire departments will see reductions, but their functions are protected. Many smaller operations in city hall aren't as lucky. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

The president of St. Cloud State University will meet Tuesday with the district director of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Monday the EEOC released the findings of an investigation into anti-Semitism and racial bias at St. Cloud State. University officials say the report acknowledges that the school suffers mainly from an image problem, and is already making important changes. Those who've been complaining say it highlights systemic problems the school is still doing very little to fix. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.

Songbird populations in the forests of northern Minnesota are falling according to a study from the Natural Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. The study shows songbird populations declining as much as 50 percent in the last decade. Researcher Tim Jones says songbirds are disappearing because of changes in the composition of the forest and an increase in the number of predators.

A group of farmers from southern Minnesota think they have an answer to our country's dependance on foreign oil. They say the solution is biodiesel. It's a fuel made from what some call "the miracle bean," soybeans. After ten years of research and development on the fuel, scientists have found it a superior alternative to oil-based diesel fuel. Last year, some Minnesota lawmakers wanted to require that all diesel fuel be made with 2 percent biodiesel. They introduced a bill that died in the senate. They'll reintroduce the bill to the Legislature this year. In the second story of our Mainstreet series, The Miracle Bean Rob Schmitz reports lawmakers hope the current international atmosphere will help the bill become law. FULL STORY

Governor Ventura is accusing lawmakers of playing politics with transportation projects. He said yesterday he wants the Legislature to fund his proposal for a commuter rail line between St. Cloud and Minneapolis. But many lawmakers are skeptical of the project, and a plan approved by a key Senate committee recommended borrowing only a fraction of the governor's proposal. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports. FULL STORY

Governor Jesse Ventura's plan to fix a nearly $2 billion state budget deficit includes closing several state mental health treatment centers. On the chopping block is the state's only acute psychiatric nursing home -- the Ah-Gwah-Ching Center in Walker. Area residents say losing Ah-Gwah-Ching would be devastating to the local economy. Some state lawmakers argue closing the center would also be illegal. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports.

The U.S. Olympic women's curling team defeated Sweden and Japan last night, boosting the medal hopes of two Minnesotans on the team. In other results, the women's ice hockey team crushed Germany 10-0. There are five women with Minnesota connections on that team. Several more of the state's athletes will compete today. Joining us now from Salt Lake City is MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner. MINNESOTA AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS

The Minneapolis group that's struggled over where to build a new central library has finally made a decision. The Central Library Implementation Committee had two choices. One was the north block at the intersection of Hennepin and Washington Avenues downtown, and the other was the south block, the next block to the south. The decision was to put the new library on the south block. Diane Hofstede is a member of the committee and also a member of the Library's board. She says the north block is still important to the project as a whole, and hopes to take advantage of it in the future.

Your postal carrier likely drives a truck run on a fuel called biodiesel. It's an alternative fuel used by many government and municipal vehicle fleets. The Soybean oil additive is said to help engines run cleaner. It's better for the environment, and could boost the price of soybeans. The use of biodiesel has tripled in the last four years. But it still accounts for only a tiny fraction of the fuel used in this country. Less than one percent of all the soybean oil is used for biodiesel. In our last installment of the Mainstreet series The Miracle Bean, Cara Hetland reports it'll take federal subsidies and mandates to help the biodiesel industry become more competitive and more affordable. FULL STORY

House Republicans have sent up a warning flag that state workers' contracts negotiated last fall could be in jeopardy. The House passed a resolution Wednesday night on a mostly party-line vote to reject or modify agreements that extend health benefits to the same-sex partners of state workers. Although the resolution is strictly advisory, binding legislation was also approved in a committee later in the evening. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports. FULL STORY

Civil rights groups and privacy advocates will hold a rally at the state Capitol Thursday to protest proposed antiterrorism legislation moving through the House and Senate. Governor Ventura, House Republicans and Senate DFLers all have plans to give law enforcement more tools to monitor and prosecute alleged terrorists, but civil rights advocates say Minnesotans' civil liberties may be violated if the proposals become law. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports. FULL STORY

The Cream of Wheat factory in Northeast Minneapolis closes Friday after nearly a century of operations. The company's owner is moving production to plants in Missouri and Ontario. The end of Cream of Wheat in Minneapolis marks the end of an era for the cereal, and the neighborhood where the company set up shop 73 years ago. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports. FULL STORY

The surprising University of Minnesota Women's basketball team is in second place in the Big Ten and ranked 15th in the country. Tonight at Williams Arena, they will play Purdue, the only team ahead of them in the Big Ten. With a 19-4 record, Minnesota is off to its best start in team history, and is drawing record crowds. This is quite a turnaround for a team that posted a losing season last year, and lost its coach in a cheating scandal. Pam Schmid covers the Gophers for the Star Tribune, and she's on the line now.

There is new evidence that a French judge was pressured to give winning marks to a Russian figure-skating pair at the Winter Olympics. The controversy over the pairs competition has raised the profile of skating judges and how they determine a winner. Minnetonka resident Janet Allen is in Salt Lake City and she is judging the men's figure skating. Before the competition began, she spoke with MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner. Allen recalled a controversy when she was a pairs skater in 1951. Allen and her partner were competing at the National Championships where they lost to the highly regarded brother and sister team of Peter and Carol Kennedy. FULL STORY

This weekend one of the largest winter sporting events of its kind will attract athletes from far and wide. They'll be headed not to Salt Lake City, Utah, but to St. Paul, Minn., where one of the country's biggest broomball tournaments gets underway. Slushy ice forced postponement of the Winter Carnival broomball competition earlier this month, but dozens of teams will gather in the capital city this weekend for the rescheduled event. To prepare for the tourney, Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen caught up with a group that calls itself the world's oldest ongoing broomball team.

University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley joins us with the new monthly and seasonal climate outlooks from the Climate Prediction Center.

The ballpark debate has returned to the state Capitol on two fronts -- and lawmakers seem more receptive to stadium plans than in past years. A Senate committee Thursday gave the green light to a proposal for a St. Paul Twins ballpark. House lawmakers introduced legislation to construct a joint Vikings and University of Minnesota football facility. But opposition hasn't faded entirely. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more. FULL STORY

A Fingerhut employee and union member who is also a shareholder has filed a lawsuit to block any liquidation of the catalog retailer. Cincinatti-based Federated Department Stores said last month it would shut down the subsidiary and eliminate 4,700 Minnesota jobs unless a buyer can be found. At least one formal offer is under review, but the lawsuit contends Federated has not done enough to try to sell Fingerhut. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

The Minnesota Commerce Department has accused Qwest Telecommunications of violating federal and state law by making secret agreements with some of its competitors. Denver-based Qwest is the dominant local phone company in 14 states from Minnesota to Washington. The Minnesota Commerce Department filed a formal complaint with the Public Utilities Commission Thursday. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

The U.S. Olympic Men's Hockey team will face Finland today in its first game of the competition. The team is coached by Minnesotan Herb Brooks, the same Herb Brooks who coached the U.S. team in its miracle victory over the Soviets in 1980. The man who helped change the landscape for U.S. hockey grew up in St. Paul, and spent many long days knocking around neighborhood ice rinks. Brooks surprised some observers by returning to coach this year. Before the competition, he spoke with MPR sports commentator Jay Weiner. Brooks says he's returning in part because the Olympics have always held special meaning for him. FULL STORY