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May 27 - 31, 2002
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Monday, May 27, 2002 |
Minneapolis - the glass is half full
Minneapolis officials are assessing the damage after a legislative session in which most bonding requests within the city limits were either vetoed by the governor or shot down in the House and Senate. Minneapolis was also effectively excluded as a site for a new Twins ballpark.
As bad as the session was, many in Minneapolis say it could have been worse. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
Retail espionage
If retailers had a wish, most would want to know what it is that makes people buy. A Minneapolis agency called Fame is looking to grant that wish. It's set up its own store where it spies on customers. What they do is legal, and customers don't seem to mind. But the practice highlights an area of the law some say needs more attention.
Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
The art of the obit
The fourth annual Great Obituary Writers Conference will bring hundreds of such writers together, in a year that drew extra attention to the art of obituary writing.
Trudi Hahn writes obituaries for the Star Tribune. She's been with the paper for many years, but started writing obituaries in April.
Trudy says like other reporters, she looks for a good story.
Retired war plane museum closed
A Minnesota museum featuring retired war planes usually draws some curious Minnesotans on Memorial Day, but not this year. The museum was forced to close after Sept. 11 because the Air Force needed space at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The Minnesota Air Guard Museum has been popular with aviation buffs, who come to see the rare war planes and large collection of models. Tom Wier is the director of the museum, and he joins us now.
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Tuesday, May 28, 2002 |
Keeping the jury informed
The Minnesota Supreme Court will hold a public hearing next month on recommendations to improve the jury experience. Last December, the court's Jury Task Force released a mammoth report which suggested 37 specific improvements; among them was keeping the jury informed. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the court system doesn't always keep jurors in the loop.
Suicide counselors speak from experience
Some Sioux Falls families who have lost a relative to suicide are trying to help others get through similar tragedies. Their group called LOSS - Local Outreach to Suicide Survivors - arrives shortly after a body has been discovered in order to offer support to the family. In Sioux Falls there are an average of two suicides every month. Officials think getting people to talk about the issue could reduce the numbers. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports.
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Wednesday, May 29, 2002 |
Memorial service for Paul Giel
A public memorial service will be held this afternoon for Paul Giel. Giel was a former University of Minnesota athletic director and two-sport star athlete at the university. Giel died of a heart attack a week ago on his way home from a Minnesota Twins game. He was 69 years old. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms spoke with Giel's son and a longtime friend, and she has this remembrance.
Dams on the Mississippi
Beginning in the late 1800s, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built six dams on lakes connected to the Mississippi River in northern Minnesota. The purpose then was to control water flow for downstream navigation. Now, the dams are used mostly to control flooding and maintain lake levels. A major study is underway that will examine the effectiveness of the system. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports.
The Buzz on the World Cup
The 2002 World Cup soccer tournament begins this week in South Korea and Japan. The US team is hoping to advance to the second round for the first time ever. Four years ago, the US made the World Cup field of 32 teams teams, but finished last. Tony Sanneh, who played for St. Paul Academy, and for the Minnesota Thunder is on the US team. Joining us on the line is the head coach of the Thunder, Buzz Lagos.
A toast to Charles Strite
If you're eating toast with your breakfast this morning, you can thank a man from Minnesota. On this day in 1919, Charles Strite filed a patent for the first pop-up toaster. During World War I, Strite worked at a manfuacturing plant in Stillwater, and got tired of getting burnt toast from the cafeteria. So he developed a toaster that didn't require a person to watch it. Brent Peterson wrote about Charles Strite and his invention for the St. Croix Valley Press, and he joins us now.
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Thursday, May 30, 2002 |
The population explosion...
New numbers from the Metropolitan Council show that if present trends continue, a ring of small towns around the fringe of the Twin Cities will experience explosive population growth over the next 30 years. The council's projections now put the region's overall growth pattern at the high end of earlier predictions. The numbers also show growth in the central cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul will be stronger than earlier forecasts. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
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... and where they'll live
One of the Bush administration's leading housing officials says the city of St. Paul will receive $12 million in federal aid. Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Alphonso Jackson made the announcement during a visit to the Twin Cities yesterday. Jackson joined in a panel discussion on how to boost the region's supply of affordable housing and encouraged local policymakers to be vigilant about adding more affordable homes to their communities. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this report.
A reprieve for the Twins?
The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission has delayed a vote on a proposed settlement that would keep the Minnesota Twins in the Metrodome through the 2003 season. In exchange, the commission would drop its lawsuit against the team and league. Commission members say they're committed to keeping the Twins in the state but say they want the settlement in writing before they vote. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
The future of Fingerhut
The number of jobs at Fingerhut that could be saved with a new buyer could be much lower than previously thought. Fingerhut founder Ted Deikel and entrepreneur Tom Petters signed a non-binding letter of intent to buy what's left of the former catalog retailer from Federated Department Stores last week. The Fingerhut sale and the number of jobs that could be saved is the topic of an article in today's The Business Journal. Andrew Tellijohn is the reporter who wrote the story and he joins us in the studio.
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Friday, May 31, 2002 |
St. Cloud Catholics vent their anger
The St. Cloud Diocese will hold a third listening session tonight. Parishioners are encourged to attend and talk about clergy sex abuse.
Diocese officials say they want to hear from people on how the church should deal with cases of sex abuse and how to prevent them in the future.
Some who've attended the listening sessions say they provide a chance to express their frustration, anger and also support for the church.
Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
St. Paul drops academic probation system
The St. Paul school district is abandoning its controversial policy of placing schools on academic probation.
A district task force has presented Superintendent Pat Harvey with recommendations for a new accountability system, which still identifies low performing schools but without a punitive label. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
St. Paul struggles with transportation vision
A committee studying possible transit improvements between Minneapolis and St. Paul has learned that a light-rail line along University Avenue could cost about $840 million. A rapid transit line relying on buses would cost less than a third as much. But projections show the busway would fail to meet the area's transportation demands within 20 years. The committee is scheduled to decide in June which - if either - option it prefers. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has more.
Regional concourse opens at MSP
The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport will open two new concourses this weekend dedicated to regional flights. The expansion will provide 30 additional gates for planes making regional trips. The airport will also open six new gates in the C concourse. Both additions are part of a $250 million Lindbergh Terminal expansion. Denny Probst is the director of landside development for the Metropolitan Airports Commission.
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