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August 9 - 13, 2004
[ Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday ]
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Monday, Aug. 9, 2004 |
Minnesota lags in new business formation
Minnesota has a proud history of entrepreneurship. Pioneers like Curt Carlson, Earl Bakken of Medtronic, Bill Norris of Control Data, and Richard Schulze of Best Buy built billion dollar success stories and created thousands of jobs in Minnesota. But lately the state's entrepreneurship is lagging, and that's raising concerns about Minnesota's future prosperity. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
Minnesota judicial races not so sleepy anymore
State judicial races have earned reputations as the sleepier voter contests. In many cases, incumbent judges run unopposed. But in this election cycle, there are already fireworks. Attorneys in two cases are going to court to disqualify their opponents, and one challenger has infused Biblical teachings into his campaign. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.
From war in Burma to peace in Minnesota
Nearly 200 refugees from Burma are arriving in Minnesota. They are members of an ethnic minority called the Karen. They are part of a wave of 4,000 resettling in the United States. The Karen have been fighting and losing a civil war with Burma's military leaders for 55 years. The Burmese military has tortured, raped and killed thousands of Karen people. Many of the Karen arriving in Minnesota have been living in refugee camps in Thailand. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
Hall of Famer Carl Eller encourages African American males
Former Minnesota Viking and University of Minnesota defensive lineman Carl Eller is now a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Eller was inducted yesterday at a ceremony in Canton, Ohio. During his speech Eller did not dwell the glory days of the Purple People Eaters. Instead, he talked about the future. Eller, who has worked with recovering drug addicts in the Twin Cities, spoke about the need to help young African American males participate fully in our society.
Monday Markets comments from Chris Farrell
Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the week ahead in the economy and the financial markets. This week, he talks about weak job growth in the economy, and how that may affect the Federal Reserve's plans for interest rates.
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Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2004 |
Medical marijuana referendum may make Minneapolis ballot
A group in Minneapolis that wants to make the use of marijuana legal for medical patients will deliver petitions bearing thousands of signatures to City Hall later this morning. Leaders of "Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction" say they will submit far more the 7,774 signatures needed to put a referendum on the ballot this November that would legalize medical marijuana. But even it is approved, it will not automatically legalize medical marijuana in Minneapolis. Both the state and federal governments prohibit the practice. Morning Edition substitute host Perry Finelli spoke with Jason Samuels, a spokesman for "Citizens Organized for Harm Reduction."
Counting cormorants
Some resort owners and anglers are getting tired of competing with comorants for fish. They say there are getting to be too many of the big black birds. Some people are even advocating a hunting season on a bird that's currently protected. But scientists don't know how many cormorants there are in Minnesota, or if the population really is growing as fast as it seems to be. So this summer, the Department of Natural Resources is sending people all over the state to count cormorant nests. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
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Wednesday, Aug. 11, 2004 |
Members of governors party unhappy over Northstar
Some Republican lawmakers had harsh criticism yesterday for Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan to jump-start the Northstar commuter rail line. The governor announced last week he was moving forward with the first phase of the Minneapolis-to-Big Lake line, using money from the Met Council, the federal government and counties. Northstar has not received legislative approval, and some lawmakers called the governor's plan "unethical" and "a sham." Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
MPR buys St. Olaf radio station
One of the oldest campus radio stations in Minnesota is changing hands. Minnesota Public Radio is buying St. Olaf college's WCAL. It is known for its classical music programming . St. Olaf College says the sale will allow it to devote more resources to educating students. MPR says the purchase is part of a move to to expand public radio programming options in the Twin Cities. Minnesota Public Radio's Marianne Combs reports.
Former WCAL employee talks about the deal
Paul Peterson, who is now retired, but worked at WCAL for 33 years and was the General Manager for 25 years. Like most WCAL staffers, he started working there when he was a student at St. Olaf College.
Record TV deal reached for high school tournaments
The Minnesota State High School League has reached a record-sized TV deal with KSTC channel 45 in the Twin Cities. It is worth about $20 million over 10 years. The station purchased the rights to broadcast high school tournaments in football, boys and girls hockey, and boys and girls basketball starting in 2005. The league also announced that it signed an agreement with the parent company of the Minnesota Wild to market some of the tournaments that will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Morning Edition substitute host Perry Finelli spoke with David Stead, executive director of the Minnesota State High School League.
Some athletes already in Athens for Olympics
The opening ceremonies for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens are just two days away. Many of the athletes are already in Greece getting ready for the games, and so is MPR Sports Commentator and Star Tribune writer Jay Weiner. He is in Crete right now where the U.S. Women's soccer team is getting ready for a game against Greece in a few hours and he joins us by phone.
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Thursday, Aug. 12, 2004 |
Shakeup in the St. Paul City Council
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly unveils his 2005 budget plan today. In the audience this afternoon will be new City Council President Kathy Lantry. In a sudden development yesterday, the St. Paul City Council unseated president Dan Bostrom and replaced him with Lantry. Bostrom was seen as an ally of mayor Kelly's. Four of the seven council members make up a liberal block of votes on the council, and they recently questioned the mayor's budget priorities. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with new council president Lantry. She says she has a good working relationship with the mayor and former council president Bostrom.
Minneapolis mayor to make budget announcement
All eyes are on the police department and other public safety operations as Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak proposes his budget today. Rybak is expected to recommend that the city's tax levy increase by 8 percent --- keeping with a long-range spending policy adopted by the city in 2002. But even with the tax increase, the city is pressured to make the politically unfavorable choice to eliminate some police positions. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
Teen pleads guilty in hacker case
A teenage computer hacker in Hopkins faces 1 1/2 to three years in prison after pleading guilty to crippling thousands of computers on the internet last summer. Jeffrey Parsons agreed to the prison time as part of a plea agreement reached with prosecutors yesterday. Parsons may also have to pay millions of dollars in restitution. He admitted to unleashing a version of the "Blaster" internet worm that attacked computers including a Microsoft website. When he was arrested a year ago, prosecutors said they were trying to deliver a message to computer hackers who write harmful computer code. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Paul Luehr, the assistant U.S. attorney who handled the search and arrest of Parson's. He's now a computer investigations consultant.
The little engine that could be
The Northstar commuter rail's prospects seemed to have brightened in the past few weeks. Yesterday, the Metropolitan Council approved Gov. Tim Pawlenty's request to provide start-up funds for the Northstar initiative. The funds were necessary to match federal dollars that otherwise would have been lost. But support for Northstar has also come in a more indirect way. The Hiawatha light rail line in Minneapolis drew twice as many customers as expected in its first month of operation. And that is giving Northstar supporters more confidence about their proposal. Mainstreet Radio's Annie Baxter reports.
North Dakota sued over human rights law
Some North Dakota residents say the state is not protecting their human rights. Seven people have filed a lawsuit against the state. Some complain they were unfairly fired, others say businesses did not provide adequate wheelchair accessibility. This afternoon, a district court judge in Fargo will hear arguments about whether the case should have class action status. North Dakota officials say they are doing a good job of enforcing the state human rights law. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson reports.
Kennedy touts experience in re-election campaign
Congressman Mark Kennedy finds himself in his third competitive race in three runs for the U.S. House. The Republican narrowly defeated an incumbent in 2000. In 2002, he ran against a well-financed challenger and now he is running against the well-known, well-financed child advocate Patty Wetterling. Kennedy has been mentioned in Republican party circles as a possible opponent to DFL Sen. Mark Dayton in 2006. But Kennedy says he is focusing on keeping his seat in Congress. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
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Friday, Aug. 13, 2004 |
Kelly rejects property tax increase in budget
St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly has unveiled his proposed budget for 2005. Kelly outlined his proposal during a speech last night at the River Centre. It includes an increase in spending and revenues, even though the city faces a loss of over $3 million in Local Government Aid from the state. Kelly held up his proposal as an example of government doing more with less, without raising taxes. The mayor then warned that his proposal and the city's history of fiscal responsibility was in danger from the council's liberal wing. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.
Minneapolis mayor announces budget
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has released his budget proposal as well. Rybak's plan would boost spending by $19 million in next year's $1.24 billion budget. That translates to an extra $100 in property taxes for residents with homes worth a little over $200,000. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports, the increase is not enough to avoid losing positions in the police department.
Health costs up double-digits in 2003
A Minnesota Department of Health report today shows that health care costs went up 10 1/2 percent last year. That is the fourth straight year of double-digit increases. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with Julie Sonier, a research economist at the department of health who helped write the report
Best practices causing rift among doctors
The Minnesota Department of Health has launched an effort to identify the best practices in treating medical patients, and that effort is causing a rift among doctors. Some of them oppose the department's plan saying the government should not get into the business of telling doctors how to treat patients. Others, including the the leadership at the Minnesota Medical Association, support the initiative. Joining us in the studio is Scott Smith who wrote about this issue in this week's edition of The Business Journal.
Dutch Elm disease hits St. Cloud woman's yard
It's been a bad summer for elm trees in our region. Dutch elm disease has made a comeback. The fungus, which kills trees quickly, can be spread by beetles or through a tree's roots. It's been an ongoing affliction since big outbreaks in the 1970s and 80s killed thousands of the stately American Elms. After two dry summers stressed the regions' trees, the disease has flared up again. Last year in St. Cloud, 120 sick elms were cut down. By the end of this summer, more than 300 trees will taken out. One St. Cloud elm marked for cutting caught the eye of Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post. He has this story.
Following Minneapolis' elm tree inspector
While Madeline Houston mourns the loss of her cherished elm in St. Cloud, in Minneapolis Dan Ulenkott is working hard to try and reduce the number of people who have to go through a similar experience. Ulenkott is a tree inspector with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. If you see an elm in south Minneapolis painted with an orange circle and the letter "A," you will know that is a tree Dan has diagnosed as having Dutch Elm disease. He is working long hours this summer identifying trees with the disease so they can be removed before spreading the killer fungus to other trees. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal took a ride this week with Dan Ulenkott, a man who is always looking up in the sky for signs of a sick tree.
Climatologist Mark Seeley's weather comments
University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley discusses the unusually cold weather in August, and tells us about how the weather played a role in 7,000 pieces of luggage getting lost in London, England.
"Battle of the Bands" contests revived in rural areas
Musicians will tell you no matter how much they rehearse, the moment of truth comes when they perform in front of an audience. Now a days, it is an experience many young rock musicians have to do without. Paying jobs for bands are scarce, especially for beginners. In rural areas the odds of finding a paying gig are even worse. But there is some hope. Some communities are reviving an old tradition to help young musicians get started. A "Battle of the Bands" contest. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha reports.
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