Monday, March 18

Recent economic indicators suggest the nation may be pulling out of its recession, but Minnesota's state and local governments are likely to continue feeling the pain for some time. St. Paul is among the cities bracing for a tighter budget next year. But among many business people in St. Paul there's a feeling that the capital city is in a better financial position than it was during the last recession eleven years ago. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on some of the differences.

Former Court of Appeals judge Roland Amundson makes his first appearance in Hennepin County court this morning as a defendant. The county attorney's office filed charges against Amundson two weeks ago for stealing more than $300,000 from a vulnerable adult's trust fund. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

A new biography of Minnesota native Sinclair Lewis shines a brighter light on one of the state's literary stars. Lewis was born in Sauk Center in 1885, and wrote best-selling books like Main Street, and Babbitt. He won a Nobel prize for literature in 1930, but that proved to be the peak of a career that lasted into the 1940s. Lewis' legacy has been tarnished because of off-hand treatment by critics and biographers in the past. But the new biography - Sinclair Lewis: Rebel from Main Street - gives readers a fresh perspective on Lewis' career. Author Richard Lingeman spoke with MPR's Tom Crann about the book.

The Minnesota House has passed a bonding bill on its second attempt. The bill was defeated last week after funding for the Northstar commuter rail line was added to the bill. But after the money was stripped from the bill yesterday, the package of construction projects had enough votes to pass. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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Serious crime in Minneapolis has declined over the last several years. However, open-air drug selling is still a problem in some parts of the city. Police and neighborhood activists are trying to get rid of drug dealers. But when they crack down on drug dealers in one area, the dealers just move somewhere else. Some say the best way to completely rid these areas of drug-related crime is to bring in more police and social service agencies. But others say the ultimate solution will come from the people who live there. MPR's Brandt Williams has the story.
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Gov. Jesse Ventura is coming back from Germany later today. His trip was intended to promote tourism in Minnesota, and to build relationships that could result in more trade. On his trip, he made several speeches, and he met with the U.S. ambassador to Germany, and with a number of business groups. Joining us on the line is Anneliese Sullivan, president of the American German Business Club in Berlin.

Minnesota will get a new political map this afternoon. A five-judge panel will release new congressional and legislative district boundaries. The boundaries will reflect changes in population in the 2000 census, and could have a significant effect on this fall's elections. The panel of judges is determining the boundaries because Democratic, Republican, and Independence Party officials could not agree on a plan. We spoke with Mike Erlandson, who is the chair of the Minnesota DFL party, and Bill Walsh who oversees redistricting for the state Republican Party. Walsh says he's hoping for a long-overdue correction in the district boundaries.
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Longtime DFL State Senator Doug Johnson is retiring after more than 30 years in the Legislature. Johnson made his announcement yesterday, one day before a court-appointed panel was to issue a redistricting plan. Johnson is one of the state's most powerful lawmakers, having chaired the Senate Taxes Committee for 21 years and more recently headed the Senate Finance Committee. Political observer Wy Spano has been watching Senator Johnson for many of those years. Spano is the Editor of Politics in Minnesota.

The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis has released the designs for its planned expansion. The new facility, designed by reknowned architect Michael Graves, would give the CTC a second performance hall and several more classrooms. But the Children's Theatre is still looking for $12 million in state bonding for the project to proceed. Minnesota Public Radio's Marianne Combs reports.

New political districts drawn by a special state court panel could pit two of the state's incumbent congressmen against each other in the fall. The map has paired DFLer Bill Luther and Republican Mark Kennedy in a newly constituted 6th District. The panel released the congressional map, along with a new state legislative map, yesterday after lawmakers failed to meet a deadline for completing the task themselves. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
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The redrawn political map will also have a big impact on the Minnesota Legislature. The new legislative boundaries released by the court yesterday pits 52 incumbents - more than a fourth of the Legislature - against one another in the 2002 election. The plan also reflects the growing political clout of the suburbs. Under the plan, rural Minnesota and the inner cities lose some legislative seats, while suburban areas gain seats. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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Minnesota lawmakers are getting acquainted with the state's new political landscape. A court plan released yesterday adjusts congressional and legislative districts based on population changes in the 2000 census. The new maps shift power away from out-state Minnesota to Twin Cities suburbs. Joining us on the line now is John Sundvor, a lobbyist for the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities.

Interest groups with vastly different visions for the future of the Mississippi River turned out last night for a public meeting held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Corps presented its latest version of a study on whether to expand the lock-and-dam system on the upper Mississippi. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
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Workers at Cloquet's Potlatch paper mill may be relieved the facility will remain open, but it's likely they're concerned about the new owner. Potlatch Corporation announced Monday it's selling its coated paper division to South African based Sappi Limited. The new owner, Sappi, intends to operate the paper and pulp mill in Cloquet. Potlatch will close, and try to sell its Brainerd plant. 660 workers will be losing their jobs. Sappi says one if its first jobs will be to renegotiate the workers contracts in Cloquet. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

Hennepin County is facing a shortage of election judges. The volunteer judges oversee the voting process at each polling location by registering voters and collecting ballots. Hennepin County officials say they'd like to recruit about 2,000 more judges to serve in this fall's elections. Pat O'Connor is the Hennepin County Auditor. He's on the line now.

Travelers with the right computer equipment will be flying in more ways than one when they go to the Twin Cities International Airport starting today. The airport is unveiling a new high-speed wireless connection to the Internet that's up to 100 times as fast as regular modem speeds. Joining us on the line is Brian Peters, assistant manager for airline affairs with the Metropolitan Airports Commission.

The Minnesota Twins are celebrating a House committee's approval of new ballpark legislation. The House Ways and Means committee voted 22-6 late last night in favor of a bill modelled closely on a financing plan offered by Gov. Jesse Ventura last week. The plan envisions a limited role for the state's contribution, but the version approved in committee would give a host community the option of raising local taxes to help fund the project.
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The Minnesota House has passed a sweeping anti-terrorism bill that toughens penalties and funds new equipment and training for law enforcement. Opponents say the bill goes too far, while supporters say the restrictions are necessary to protect public safety. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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Confrontation over the police killing in Minneapolis last week of an armed, mentally ill Somali man has turned into pledges of cooperation. A Somali spokesman Wednesday joined Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson in promising to repair relations strained by the shooting of Abu Kassim Jeilani. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
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Some Minnesota lawmakers are making tough decisions about their political futures, after a new redistricting plan was released earlier this week. The court-drawn maps redesign congressional and legislative boundaries based on population information in the 2000 census. Under the new plan, 52 incumbents are pitted against one another in this fall's elections, forcing them to decide whether to take on another seated lawmaker. Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, and Mary Jo McGuire, DFL-Falcon Heights, are now in the same district. They both join us on the line now.

Officials in the St. Paul school district are trying to fix a $20 million shortfall in next year's budget, and the likely cuts include teachers, transportation and other central services. School board members won't make the final budget decisions until June, but principals, teachers and parents are working now on a school-by-school basis to help shape those reductions.
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The National Symphony Orchestra concludes its 10-day residency in South Dakota Friday. The 102 musicians in the orchestra visit one state each year to share their talent and passion for music with teachers, students and fellow musicians. The National Symphony Orchestra crammed nearly 120 events and concerts into a 10-day schedule that took the musicians to all parts of the state.
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The Minnesota Senate has passed the largest transportation funding package in state history. It would put an additional $5 billion into roads and transit over the next decade. The Ventura administration helped craft the bill, but House Republican leaders say its hefty price tag is irresponsible. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
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Many Minnesota businesses are bracing themselves for higher payments into the state's Workers' Compensation Fund because of the first phase of a budget-balancing plan passed last month. The state Legislature used a combination of budget cuts, and spending from budget reserves, with no new taxes. But businesses that pay into the Workers' Comp fund are saying that accounting tricks passed in the budget bill amounted to tax increases, and they'll be forced to pay an extra $100 million into the fund over the next 4 years. Reporter John Hoogesteger wrote about this story in an article in the journal City Business. He says a deal struck between labor and business in 2000 made everyone happy at the time.