Monday, March 11

The Internet has become a popular place not only for legitimate business but also for scams. If you have an e-mail account, you've likely received offers promising great financial rewards for amazingly minimal investments. Federal officials say they're seeing an increase in online fraud schemes and they're taking some unique approaches in hopes of educating potential victims. Minnesota Public Radio Mark Zdechlik reports.

Immediately after Sept. 11, American officials issued a nationwide call for Arabic speakers to help in the war against terrorism. Which raised a question: why? Arabic is spoken by millions in more than 20 countries. Yet many American colleges and universities aren't teaching Arabic, and haven't for decades. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky explains how Middle Eastern studies evaporated in the U.S.

The University of Minnesota women's basketball team has taken another big step forward in its remarkable turnaround season. Yesterday, the Gophers found out they are headed to the NCAA tournament as the number five seed in the Midwest region. The Gopher men were not so fortunate. They did not make the NCAA tournament field and instead will have to settle for the less prestigious National Invitation Tournament. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

It's been 100 years since this country has seen a major railroad expansion. A small regional rail carrier - the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad - has won federal approval for a $1.5 billion expansion; a project many say won't ever happen. DM&E wants to lay 300 miles of new track from Wyoming's Powder River Basin to its existing line in western South Dakota. The access to the Powder River Basin's low sulfur coal is the key to DM&E's survival. The railroad will also upgrade 600 miles of existing track across South Dakota and Minnesota. This week Minnesota Public Radio is teaming up with reporters from Wyoming and South Dakota in this series Tracking the Plains. Today, Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports that DM&E's expansion is a bold plan that only one man can make happen.
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Moorhead voters will decide a $64 million question tomorrow. The school district bond referendum would renovate or replace every building in the district. Supporters say a yes vote is essential to the future of education in Moorhead. Opponents say the plan is flawed and poorly timed. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.

Somali leaders in Minneapolis are aiming strong criticism toward the police department after officers shot and killed a Somali man wielding a machete. Police say the man was a threat to officers and bystanders. But the incident has triggered an uproar by Somali immigrants who say the use of such force was unnecessary and want Police Chief Robert Olson fired. The incident has also called up past criticisms of how the Minneapolis police interact with people who are mentally ill.
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The State Historic Preservation Office - SHIPO - says the Guthrie Theater building on Vineland Place in Minneapolis is eligible for nomination to the National Register of Historic Places. The Walker Art Center, which owns the building, intends to tear the theater down to make way for the expansion of its own museum and grounds. Minnesota Public Radio's Marianne Combs reports that while SHIPO's determination may draw more attention to the plight of the old theater, it does not change the Walker's plans.

For the first time in Minnesota history, a former Court of Appeals judge faces five felony counts. Roland Amundson is expected to plead guilty to swindling a vulnerable adult out of $313,000 when he appears in court next week. While Amundson's lawyer says his client will repay the money he stole, repairing damage to the court's credibility may not be so easy. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
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One-hundred-forty years ago, under the slogan thirty acres and a mule, Congress passed the "Homestead Act," trading public lands in the west for an individual's commitment to work the land for five years. Now, as the region faces economic hardships, some lawmakers are pushing for a new Homestead Act. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha reports.

The Minnesota House has scheduled an unusual night-time floor session that won't convene until 9 tonight to give committees time to work on a GOP plan to balance the budget. Yesterday, House Republicans unveiled their plan for clearing up the remaining $439 million deficit projected for the current budget cycle. The package relies on more cuts to state programs and siphoning off dollars from the state's tobacco endowments. The plan diverges significantly from a first stab made by Senate DFLers last week. And Gov. Jesse Ventura's administration say both plans are politically motivated and leave long-term problems unaddressed. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
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A bill on its way to the governor's desk would make Minnesota the first state in the country to mandate biodiesel use. The House and Senate passed the bill yesterday. It would require diesel fuel sold in the state to contain a two-percent blend of biodiesel by 2005. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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As Art reported, before resorting to deadly force, the officers shot the man with a Taser, a stun gun with electronically charged darts designed to leave a person temporarily motionless. According to police, the Taser didn't work because the man went down, but came right back up. Steve Tuttle is the Director of Government Affairs for Taser International Inc., which has been selling Tasers for about two and a half years. He's on the line now.

In the late 1800s, the railroad brought new residents to young cities and towns. Trains hauled carloads of crops to previously inaccessible markets. Soon industry followed, lining the tracks like magnets. Now the DM&E's expansion plan has many communities along the line contemplating their roots.
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The Minnesota State Girls basketball tournament got underway last night. The games are being played at the University of Minnesota and other sites in the Twin Cities. State tournaments can be big money makers for the cities that host them, some bringing in thousands of fans. Most of the tournaments are held in Minneapolis or St. Paul. But officials are thinking about moving several tournaments to other parts of the state. Dave Stead is the executive director of the Minnesota State High School League. He says the current venues are great, but other communities should have a chance to host as well.

Architect and artist Maya Lin has unveiled her latest creation in Minneapolis. Lin is best known for her design of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. The work, entitled, "the character of a hill, under glass" is the focal point of the lobby of the new American Express building at 3rd Avenue and 9th street. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.

Purchasers of newspapers and magazines would have to pay state sales tax as part of a package to fund a new Twins ballpark. Yesterday, the House Taxes Committee cleared the proposal on a 13-11 vote and sent it to its next legislative stop. The periodicals tax would be paired with local taxes on bars, restaurants and hotels in the stadium's host city. The House plan is at odds with a plan expected from the Ventura administration later this week, and a Senate proposal that could be voted on later today. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
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Minnesota Airlines, an investor group that plans to buy bankrupt Sun Country Airlines says it could begin pumping cash into Sun County as early as this afternoon. Yesterday, a federal judge cleared the way for US Bank to sell secured assets to the new investor group. Had Sun Country not won court approval for the sale, the cash-strapped airline would have faced another shutdown. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

For years, a small regional railroad based in South Dakota has been planning one of the biggest rail expansions in 100 years. The Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern now has federal approval to lay 280 miles of new track into Wyoming's Powder River Basin. DM&E officials have been quick to point out how a new coal-hauling operation would help ease the country's energy woes. But the new track won't just haul coal. Farm commodities make up much of the railroad's current business. As our series Tracking the Plains continues, Wyoming Public Radio's Aaron Alpern reports the rail project has created a split between two groups that usually agree: farmers and ranchers.
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St. Paul Schools Superintendent Pat Harvey says she still loves St. Paul and is downplaying her candidacy for the top school job in Portland, Oregon. Harvey is one of two leading candidates scheduled to visit Portland this week. St. Paul school board members say they want to keep their superintendent but will unlikely offer her more money to stay. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

A relatively small, regional railroad, the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern, has a bold plan to expand its range. The proposal takes the DM&E into the Powder River Basin Coal fields and requires more than 250 miles of new track in western South Dakota and Eastern Wyoming. Opponents have sprung up along that proposed new section of railway. They are ranchers concerned about tracks cutting through their land and Native Americans who say the project will trample all over treaty rights. As our series Tracking the Plains continues, South Dakota Public Radio's Joshua Welsh reports another point of opposition may be found just under the surface of the ground.
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The president of the Dakota Minnesota and Eastern Railroad was in Rochester last evening making the case for a $1.5 billion expansion. A few hundred people turned out to hear him defend a plan that could bring as many as 36 high-speed coal trains through Rochester. Two months ago a federal regulatory board approved the DM&E's upgrade. Rochester and the Mayo Clinic responded by filing suit in federal court arguing the ambitious project will hurt the city. Last evening's forum made it clear, this is an issue that will most likely be resolved in court. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports.
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A Senate committee chairman looking into the cost of Gov. Ventura's executive protection has postponed hearings originally scheduled for today. Sen. Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, says he still expects the Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee to take up the issue, but he hasn't decided on a date. Ventura's decision to close the governor's residence because of cuts lawmakers made to his security budget has prompted concern from Johnson and other lawmakers. They want details on how much it costs to provide security for the governor's mansion, Ventura's Maple Grove ranch and his cabin. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

A Twins ballpark bill has limped across the finish line in the Senate. It's the first time a stadium bill has succeeded in the House or Senate since 1997. The bill survived several potentially lethal amendments, and passed only after lawmakers scaled back a proposed statewide tax on sports memorabilia. But ballpark supporters say many more obstacles remain. The legislation must be reconciled with a competing proposal in the House, and the Ventura administration is poised to offer a third alternative later this week. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
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As you heard in Michael's story, the Senate stadium bill includes an access fee which would be paid by the media to broadcast or cover games at the stadium. The stadium bill that the House is considering includes a special sales tax on newspapers and magazines. Lucy Dalglish, a former Pioneer Press reporter and executive director of the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press in Washington, DC, says taxes and fees that target the media have consistently been found to be unconstitutional.

Mount Sinai Hospital in New York has been temporarily barred from performing partial-liver transplants involving live donors. The six-month ban was ordered earlier this week by the state health commission after a donor died. The man passed away in January, three days after a surgery that gave 60 percent of his liver to his brother. Officials say the donor received inadequate care. Here in Minnesota, the Fairview-University Medical Center performs similar partial-liver transplants using live donors. Dr. Jack Lake is the Director of the Liver Transplant Program.

The Minnesota House rejected an $839 million capital investment bill last night, after funding for the North Star commuter rail line was added to the bill. The speaker of the House says it's possible the House will not pass a bonding bill this session. The vote came hours after the House passed four budget-cutting bills. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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The budget-balancing act at the state Legislature has just gotten a little trickier. The federal economic stimulus package enacted last week could swell Minnesota's deficit by another $240 million. Tax breaks contained in the federal law could translate into smaller state revenues as well, unless lawmakers allow the state's tax code to diverge from the federal code. That would dodge the budget bullet, but according to tax experts, could create serious headaches for Minnesota taxpayers. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
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The University of Minnesota women's basketball team is getting ready for the big dance. The Gophers take on the University of Nevada Las Vegas on the road in North Carolina tomorrow in its first game of the NCAA tournament. Gopher guard Lindsay Whalen leads the team as this year's Big Ten Player of the Year. She'll have plenty of fans, but few as dedicated as her mom, Cathy Whalen. Cathy says it's been fun to watch the team's surprise turn-around this year, and she thinks coach Brenda Oldfield has had a lot to do with it.

Six months after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the travel industry is making a slow comeback. One part of the industry that's leading the way is cruising, with some cruise lines setting reservation records for the first few months of 2002. The Twin Cities-based Carlson Companies is planning a major push in the the cruising market in the next few years. Their efforts are the subject of an article in this week's issue of the journal City Business. Reporter Andrew Tellijohn wrote the story. He says Carlson recently bought Cruise Holidays, which was a part of a failed dot-com company called Bye Bye Now.

A group of Twin Cities business and government leaders gathered last night to promote an approach to economic development based on industry clusters. The idea is to improve the state's economic vitality by nurturing industries that already have a concentration in Minnesota, such as medical technology. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.