Monday, March 4

A film festival devoted exclusively to the work of women is underway in Minneapolis. Word of Mouth Host Chris Roberts has the details.

Some high school kids spend a year in France as exchange students. Others go to Brazil. Now they can spend a year in the north woods. The Ely school district is starting a "wilderness high school." School officials are trying to recruit a dozen students from cities around the state for next fall. The students will go to Ely High School, but they'll also spend lots of time traveling the Boundary Water Wilderness in canoes and on snowshoes. Chris Julin has this Mainstreet Radio report.

President Bush is expected to discuss ways to develop a quality teaching force during his scheduled visit Monday afternoon to Eden Prairie. The president's budget proposal includes money to help states attract new teachers and keep them in classrooms. But some educators question the effort during a time when schools are making huge budget cuts. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports. FULL STORY

The President will meet with a small group of Minnesota teachers before his speech at Eden Prairie High School. Joe Tretanier is one of those teachers. He teaches social studies at Harding High School in St. Paul, and is on the line now.

MPR's Capitol Bureau Chief Laura McCallum with an update on what's happening at the Capitol.

As Eden Prairie High School gears up for Monday's visit from president Bush, some Minnesotans are questioning the circumstances surrounding the president's visit. It's dubbed 'an official visit' by the White House, meaning the trip will be paid for with taxpayers' money. However, skeptics say the primary goal of the visit is to raise money for Senate candidate Norm Coleman, and should be paid for by his campaign. Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz reports.

Because of a recent change in fundraising techniques, today's event with Norm Coleman and the President will raise both hard money for Coleman and soft money for the Republican Party's effort to win back the Senate from the Democrats. Steven Weiss with the Center for Responsive Politics in Washington, D.C. explains the difference.

A Monday morning market update from MPR's Chriss Farrell.

Tuesday night marks the start of the 2002 campaign season. The state's four major parties hold precinct caucuses this evening -- the first step towards the state conventions later this year and ultimately the governor's mansion and U.S. Senate. The neighborhood meetings take on a special significance this year since most of the major candidates have agreed to step out of the race if they don't win party backing. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

While most lawmakers were away from the state Capitol preparing for precinct caucuses, House Speaker Steve Sviggum stuck around. He opened his office doors for any citizen to tell him about their ideas on how to close the state's budget shortfall, or to just speak their minds. Over 100 people stopped by, and about 40 left phone messages. Minnesota Public Radio's Eugene Cha spoke with some of them. Richard Kutz said he showed up to tell the Speaker that he's worried about the state laying off workers to balance the budget.

Peter Lytle's Business Development Group will likely announce this week whether or not they will acquire Fingerhut. Lytle's group specializes in reviving troubled companies. The Minnetonka-based catalog retailer may be the most challenging turnaround to date for Lytle's group. A look at one of Lytle's past turnaround efforts shows the potential risks and rewards of resurrecting failing companies, and the strategies Lytle is likely to use. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.FULL STORY

President Bush traveled to Eden Prairie High School Monday to push his latest education reform proposals. The president stressed the imporance of quality teachers and also reflected on the nation's war against terrorism. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Republican Norm Coleman says his Senate Campaign easily raised more than $1 million yesterday evening thanks to President Bush. After an address at Eden Prairie High School, the president posed for pictures and spoke to hundreds of Republican donors who paid $1,000 or more at a Coleman fundraiser in downtown Minneapolis. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports. FULL STORY

Researchers at the University of Minnesota say they have demonstrated that adult stem cells can restore function in lab animals that have had a stroke. The scientists isolated stem cells from human bone marrow, then transplanted them into laboratory rats seven days after the rats experienced the brain injury. The stem cells were able to develop into cells that acted like neurons and other brain cells. The researchers reported their findings in the March issue of Experimental Neurology. Dr. Catherine Verfaillie is the director of the University's Stem Cell Institute. She says before injecting them with stem cells, the rats were given a drug that paralyzed one of their limbs.

The Boston Archdiocese and 86 people who sued a catholic priest there for sexual molestation are expected to finalize a tentative settlement later today. The priest, Father John Geoghan, was accused of sexual abuse, and was convicted of molesting a child. But revelations from the trial that Cardinal Bernard Law simply moved Geoghan to different parishes, and that the archdiocese secretly settled cases of alleged molestation involving many other priests drew even bigger headlines. The settlement is expected to be for $20 million to $30 million. Joining us on the line is Jeffrey Anderson, a St. Paul lawyer who's represented victims of sexual abuse by Catholic Clergy for almost two decades.

It was hardly a tempting prospect to brave snowstorms and winding county roads last night to reach political caucuses in many rural parts of the state. Interest in the caucus system has dwindled over the years, and most Minnesotans didn't need much excuse to stay home. But political die-hards and a few first-timers did venture out to hundreds of schools, community centers and fire halls to sit down with like-minded neighbors and talk politics. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich made the rounds in central Minnesota.

The 2002 campaign season officially began Tuesday night , as Minnesotans gathered in community centers and school gymnasiums for precinct caucuses. The neighborhood gatherings are the first step in the process of choosing candidates for the November election. In an early sign of party support, Republican caucus attendees favored gubernatorial candidate Brian Sullivan over Tim Pawlenty 51 percent to 37 percent. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports. FULL STORY

The city of St. Paul will form a committee to hear recommendations on which street should be named for Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. City council member Jerry Blakey proposed the formation of the committee Wednesday at a public hearing where several people expressed their thoughts about the importance of honoring Dr. King. Most who testified at the hearing said renaming a street is a good idea. However, they said they were not happy with some of the streets that have already been mentioned as candidates for the name change. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.

Hotel workers in Duluth have been picketing for the last three months in front of five downtown hotels. Picketing is a standard strategy in labor disputes, but these workers are not on strike. They're demanding that their employers stay out of a union organizing effort. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports its becoming an increasingly popular tool for unions.

This late return of cold winter weather has been unwelcome news for the growing number of homeless people in Minnesota. Statewide, the number of people seeking help from shelters and transitional housing was up 5 percent last year. The number turned away for lack of space was up as well. In St. Cloud, there is an acknowledged shortage of beds in town. But Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich reports this winter the city's churches have provided warm spaces for a few more. FULL STORY

The federal government has deported 10 Somalis, with five more facing possible deportation. Federal officials say the Somalis, along with Somalis from other states, were flown to Mogadishu in mid-February. Officials say eight of the 10 deportees from Minnesota had been arrested between 1999 through January of this year for offenses ranging from sex crimes to drugs and assaults. The other two had allegedly entered the United States illegally. U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger says all of those deported had broken the law.

Osman Sahardeed, assistant director of the Somali Community of Minnesota, says he's still trying to find out more information about the deportations.

Indiana-based Guidant Corporation is planning to double the size of its operations in the Twin Cities over the next 20 years. The medical technology company's Cardiac Rhythm Management - CRM - group is based in Arden Hills. It employs almost 2,500 people. Guidant's plans are the topic of an article in today's edition of the journal City Business. Sam Black wrote the piece. He says the Guidant campus could grow into one of the biggest in the Twin Cities.

Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin gave her first public defense against charges of plagiarism last night before an audience at the College of St. Catherine in St. Paul. Goodwin has been embroiled in controversy since a recent article in the Weekly Standard magazine revealed instances of plagiarism in her 1987 book The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys. Since the article came out, Kearns Goodwin has admitted to even more instances of "borrowing" from other authors. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Gov. Ventura's office says he will close the governor's mansion at the end of next month because of budget cuts. Lawmakers approved a budget balancing plan last week, over Ventura's objections, that cuts money for Ventura's security. Some lawmakers say Ventura is playing political games and is dissatisfied that he's been cut out of budget negotiations. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

A plan to fund a new Twins ballpark - and possibly a Vikings stadium - is on its way to the full Senate for consideration. On a 17-10 vote the Senate Taxes Committee approved the measure, which draws on user fees and a variety of specialized taxes to finance the plan. The legislation also requires a referendum before the facility's host community could impose local sales taxes to support construction. Even as the package is picking up steam, however, it's getting mixed reactions from the teams that would benefit. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports. FULL STORY

Supporters of the Northstar commuter rail line say they need $120 million to build the rail link between St. Cloud and Minneapolis. But the proposed House bonding bill gives no money to Northstar. And the Senate's version of the bill only includes $8 million. Northstar supporters say if they don't get full funding this year, the project could be dead. They also accuse lawmakers of using Northstar as a political bargaining chip against one of the project's biggest supporters - Gov. Ventura. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports. FULL STORY

Another project that was left out of the House bonding bill is funding for a new Minneapolis planetarium. The city wants $30 million in this year's bonding bill for a state-of-the-art planetarium and space center as part of the new downtown library project. An earlier Senate plan included $20 million for the project. Minneapolis officials remain hopeful that the planetarium funding will be revived in conference committee. Otherwise, they say, the opportunity to build the center will be lost for the foreseeable future. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.