MONDAY, NOV. 4, 2002

President Bush stumps in South Dakota for John Thune
President Bush made his second trip to South Dakota this week to campaign for Republican Congressman John Thune in his bid to unseat incumbent Democrat Tim Johnson. Political ads for this campaign have dominated South Dakota airways for more than a year. The President's visit is a final push to get Republicans to the polls. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports.

DLFers hold rally
DFL Senate candidate Walter Mondale wrapped up his three-day tour of Minnesota with a visit to a farm on the outskirts of Moorhead in northwestern Minnesota. About 200 people turned out to hear from Mondale, who called on DFL activists to work hard to get out the Democratic vote on Tuesday. Meanwhile, over a thousand people attended a get out the vote rally in St. Paul to show support for the DFL ticket. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

Deadline for absentee ballots approaches
Today is the last day for you or someone acting as your agent to drop off your absentee ballots at a city hall or county courthouse. However, you have until 3:00pm tomorrow to get your absentee ballot in by mail. But with so little time left, some officials say some voters who want to change their vote are probably out of luck. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

A day in the life of the campaign volunteer
In the days before the election, the candidates' voices and faces have been inescapable. But the standard-bearers of the four major parties are backed up by thousands of unpaid workers, doing less glamorous work to get out the vote. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich brings you a day in the life of the campaign volunteer. President Bush stumped for Republican Senate candidate Norm Coleman in St. Paul yesterday. Coleman is locked in a tight race with Democrat Walter Mondale, with polls released over the weekend showing the two running neck and neck. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Tight Senate campaign
Minnesotans go to the polls in less than 24 hours, and the state's candidates for governor and U.S. Senate are out in a last-minute push to woo undecided voters. Larry Jacobs professor of Political Science at the University of Minnesota. He joins us now.

Monday Markets
Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the latest economic news.

TUESDAY, NOV. 5, 2002

Counting ballots could take longer than usual
It's likely that the results from today's election will take longer than usual to count. That's because election officials have to tabulate the regular ballots and hand count the supplemental ballots for U.S. Senate. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

Both parties work to get out the vote
Minnesota's Secretary of State says interest in the U.S. Senate race might lead to a higher than average voter turnout today. As many as two-thirds of the state's voters may cast a ballot. Both major parties still rely on telephone calls as a get-out-the-vote tool. However, they're also counting on thousands of volunteers to make personal contact with voters. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

It's Senator Barkley
Governor Ventura has appointed one of his closest advisors to fill out the remainder of the late Sen. Paul Wellstone's term. Dean Barkley was one of the founders of Ventura's Independence Party, and he ran for the Senate twice. His appointment means the Senate will be evenly divided during the lame duck session, with 49 Democrats, 49 Republicans and two independents. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Over 200,000 sign up for Do Not Call list
I know this happens to you. You're sitting down to dinner. The phone rings. It's a telemarketer. Oftentimes, you may get a number of calls a night. The state is now offering a little relief. A Do Not Call list is being set up, and the first day to sign up was yesterday. Jim Bernstein, the State Commerce Commissioner, has his department overseeing the list. The Commissioner says the first-day response was impressive.

Polling places are open
Polling places are open around the state the morning. Voters will select a new governor and U.S. Senator, and will vote on many other races as well. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has been out to several polling places in Minneapolis this morning. He joins us now.

Dean Barkley could tip the balance of the Senate
Joining us now for more on Governor Ventura's appointment of Dean Barkley to the U.S. Senate is David Hawkings, senior editor for Congressional Quarterly in Washington, D.C.

Help wanted in Dennison
Voters in Dennison need a new mayor. But no one is running for that office on this year's ballot. It's possible a write-in candidate will win. But if no votes are cast, the city council will have to appoint a mayor. But that's a problem too. Only two people have volunteered for four open council seats. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley has this report.

Web guide provides information on judicial candidates
If you're looking for information on the judicial candidates in this year's election, there's a website that might help. Minnesota Lawyer, a weekly paper for the legal community, has put up a guide with biographical information on the candidates, as well as their views on current political issues related to the judicial system. This is the first election since the U.S. Supreme court ruled that judicial candidates can express their political views. Mark Cohen is the editor in chief of Minnesota Lawyer. He's on the line now.

Symposium about future of car design
Chances are you're listening to my voice while inside your car. The radio has been the primary source of media and entertainment inside automobiles for decades, but that could change. It depends on how the cars of the future are designed and built, which is the main topic of discussion at a symposium to be held at the Weisman Art Museum this Friday and Saturday. The event is called "Vroom: The Future of Car Design and Car Culture." Janet Abrams is the Director of the Design Institute at the University of Minnesota. She says the keynote speaker of the event is Phil Patton, a New York Times critic of car designs.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 6, 2002

Coleman is apparent winner
Minnesotans have apparently sent Republican Norm Coleman to the U.S. Senate, rejecting calls to honor Sen. Paul Wellstone's memory by putting Democrat Walter Mondale in his seat. Neither of the candidates have commented yet Wednesday morning, but the DFLers have scheduled a 9 a.m. appearance. Coleman's lead over Mondale remains at a few percentage points -- 50 percent to 48 percent -- as the last precincts are still reporting their votes. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik joins us now.

Pawlenty wins governor's race
Republican House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty has won his bid to be Minnesota's next governor. With 96 percent of precincts reporting, unofficial returns show Pawlenty leading DFL rival Roger Moe 45 to 36 percent. Independence Party candidate Tim Penny was trailing a distant third with 16 percent of the vote. The Green Party's Ken Pentel finished with just over 2 percent. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

Kline unseats Luther; Kennedy survives challenge
Republicans have picked up a seat in Minnesota's delegation to the U.S. House. Republican challenger John Kline defeated incumbent DFLer Bill Luther in Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District. Kline's victory creates a 4-4 split in Minnesota's House delegation. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

GOP makes gains in state Legislature
Republicans held on to their majority in the Minnesota House and strengthened their hand in the DFL-controlled Senate. All 134 legislative seats were on the ballot this year, and redistricting and retirements put many up for grabs. GOP leaders are pleased with their gains, while DFLers suffered some disappointing losses. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

GOP gains change Minnesota politics
Joining us now for more analysis on the election in Minnesota is Chris Gilbert, who teaches political science at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter.

Green Party could lose major party status
It looks like the Green Party may lose its major party status in Minnesota. In order to keep that status, at least one Green Party candidate for statewide office needs to get five percent of the vote. But with 95 percent of the precincts reporting, Ken Pentel has received just two percent in the race for governor. And none of the other candidates has yet reached the five percent threshold. Cam Gordon is the chair of the Minnesota Green Party, and he joins us now.

Recording and counting votes not easy this year
This has been a challenging election for those in charge of recording and counting the votes. The last-minute change in the Senate race after the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone meant supplemental ballots had to be created and counted by hand. There were questions about how to deal with absentee ballots, and yesterday polling places were swamped by a higher than expected turnout. The person in charge of dealing with all that is Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer. She joins us now.

South Dakota Senate race too close to call
South Dakota Sen. Tim Johnson holds an extremely narrow lead over Republican Rep. John Thune in one of the nation's tightest Senate races after a campaign many saw as a proxy fight between the president and the Senate majority leader. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland joins us now for a look at that and other South Dakota races.

THURSDAY, NOV. 7, 2002

What happened? And what's next?
Minnesota Republicans are ecstatic, and Democrats are reeling from the near-Republican sweep of yesterday's election. Republicans won races for U.S. Senate, governor, two closely-watched suburban Congressional seats, and all but one constitutional office. The GOP also expanded its majority in the Minnesota House and narrowed its minority in the Senate. Political observers say the reasons range from the messages of the campaigns to reaction to last week's memorial service for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Pawlenty sets stage for capitol revolution
Minnesota Governor-Elect Tim Pawlenty met with reporters today and talked with outgoing Governor Jesse Ventura about making the transition into office. Pawlenty says the election means Republican ideals will have a much smoother time at the Capitol than in the past. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

Norm Coleman preparing a move to Washington
Former St. Paul mayor Norm Coleman is getting ready to move to Washington. Coleman, a Republican, defeated the Democrat, former Vice President Walter Mondale, who entered the race less than a week ago, taking Senator Paul Wellstone's place on the ballot after Wellstone was killed in a plane crash. Coleman got 50 percent of the vote compared to Mondale's 47 percent, a margin of nearly 60-thousand votes. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Mondale's defeat tough for Wellstone's volunteers
The defeat of Senate candidate Walter Mondale has been especially hard for some who worked on the reelection campaign of the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone. Mondale was chosen by Wellstone's sons to carry on for their father. And the former vice president vowed to carry on Wellstone's legacy. But despite their sorrow over the loss of Wellstone and of his Senate seat, some supporters are already looking to carry on Wellstone's legacy. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.

FRIDAY, NOV. 8, 2002

U of M names Bruininks
The University of Minnesota Board of Regents is expected to take final action today making Robert Bruininks the permanent president of the University. Bruininks has been serving as the interim president since Mark Yudof returned to the University of Texas over the summer. Yesterday, the Board of Regents named Bruininks as the lone finalist for job. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

House and DFLers choose new leaders
DFL lawmakers have two new leaders. Senate Democrats picked John Hottinger of St. Peter to replace outgoing Majority Leader Roger Moe. Moe stepped down from the Senate to pursue an unsuccessful bid for governor this year. And House DFLers have selected St. Paul Representative Matt Entenza to serve as minority leader. Both caucuses saw a significant loss of seats in Tuesday's elections, but Democrats say they'll regroup to confront the new political geography. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Sara Jane Olson pleads guilty to second-degree murder
Sara Jane Olson and three other former members of the Symbionese Liberation Army have agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder. The pleas come in connection with the death of a customer during a bank holdup in suburban Sacramento in 1975. In exchange for the plea, Olson will get a six-year prison sentence. She is already serving 20 years to life for a 1975 attempt to bomb two Los Angeles police cars. Joe Friedberg is a defense attorney in Minneapolis. He's on the line now.

Dakota walk into history
About 25 people began retracing the steps of their Dakota Indian ancestors yesterday morning in southern Minnesota. Beginning on November 7th, 1862 soldiers forced more than 1500 Dakota to march along the same route. That march lead to the eventual exile of the Indians from Minnesota. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports.

A November warm-up?
University of Minnesota Meteorologist Mark Seeley puts the cold October weather in historical context, and looks ahead to the weekend weather.

Word of Mouth
Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts looks at art and artists around the state this week.