MPR News Features are news segments created for various long-form programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, amongst others. Features run the gambit of interviews, reports, profiles, and coverage.
May 8, 1997 - With less than two weeks to go in the 1997 legislative session the proposed stadium for the Minnesota Twins is in deep trouble -- in part because the project's cost seems to have escalated precipitously. The latest figures from the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission put the price tag at $506-million dollars -- up more than $150-million dollars from February estimates. Commission officials say they didn't miscalculate. Rather...they say changes to the deal keep adding new expenses. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Wareham reports: Back in February stadium supporters were pitching a $350-million dollar ballpark for the Twins. Last week the figure was $439-mil
May 8, 1997 - A Minneapolis-based, for-profit, education management company is expanding the private elementary school it opened 10 years ago in Eagan. Education Alternatives Incorporated plans to add an 11-classroom wing to its Tesseract (TESS-er-act) School and expand its program to seventh and eighth grades. The company's success with this suburban private school has been overshadowed by well-documented failures in urban public schools. Despite that troubled history, E-A-I officials say the company has a place in public education. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Education Alternatives Incorporated opened its first private preschool and elemenetary school with 42 students in September 1987. Enrollment a
May 8, 1997 - This week, Govenor Carlson signed into law, a 21-million dollar flood relief bill for the state. It's in ADDITION to three-million set aside by lawmakers this past winter when severe storms stretched local government dollars for such things as snow removal. But as the legislative session winds down, many agree this funding will only provide IMMEDIATE state relief...and lawmakers expect to reconvene to appropriate additional money. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports: --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 1114 | TIME: 4:00 | OUTCUE: "...soc." --------------------------------------------------------- The Governor has hinted at the probability of a special session later this year. Once officials know the total cost of the recovery, a session COULD be called for either late July or early August. The Bill Carlson sig
May 8, 1997 - Two years ago, then twelve-year-old Craig Kielberger was sitting in his Thornhill Ontario home reading the comics when an article caught his eye. It showed a picture of a 12-year-old Pakistani boy who had been assassinated for exposing the horrible conditions children face working in the nation's carpet industry. As Kielberger read on, he learned that the boy had been sold into bondage when he was four, and forced to work 12-hour days six days a week as a carpet weaver until he escaped at the age of ten. Kielberger was so moved he and other classmates formed "Free the Children," an organization devoted to stopping child labor around the world. Kielberger has since traveled to Asia and South America to see firsthand what child laborers face. He has met with the Canadian Prime Minister, addressed Canadian labor meetings and United Nations conferences, and has testified before Congress on the issue. There are now "Free the Children" chapters across North America
May 8, 1997 - By the end of this week, residents in East Grand Forks, Minnesota may be able to drink their water straight from the tap. The city's more than 8-thousand residents have been without drinkable water since flooding shut down their water treatment plant three weeks ago. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, city crews and an army of volunteers have been working around the clock to fix the problem and are now only days away from making life a little bit easier for everyone. 253 - Driving...Car doors slamming...10-4 clear Saint Paul Water Department tester Mary Hiber (HIGH-burr) drives through
May 9, 1997 - Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton gives a preview of her appearance on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Letterman brought in the mayor, Kirby Puckett, and residents of Minneapolis as part of a running thematic series on his show of highlighting various cities across the country.
May 9, 1997 - Remember the Minnesota Budget Surplus? The state's bookkeepers made a splash in the news when they said they expected to rake in 2-point-3 BILLION dollars more in tax dollars over the next two years than they'd anticipated. The announcement set lawmakers at the state capitol to claim some of the money on their pet projects. Now, as the legislative session draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on what's happened to the budget surplus: ((sound of taxes conference negotiations)) The details of the state budget have yet to be finalized in negotiations like this one, where House and Senate negotiators are slogging through hundreds of pages of new tax statutes. But you can already make out the general trend, and that's higher spending. K-12 spending is going up te
May 9, 1997 - As the Red River continues to recede, the extent of damage left behind emerges. Hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency Inspectors have surveyed more than 20-thousand homes damaged by the blizzards or the recent Red River flooding. Heidi and Maurice Borud live south of Fargo along the winding Red River. During the flood, the water came over their earthen dike and permanent floodwall... first filling the backyard swimming pool, then the yard itself... and ultimately both floors of the house. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher spoke with the Boruds and with a FEMA inspector. | D-CART ITEM: 1163 | TIME: 4:03 | OUTCUE: "...soc"
May 9, 1997 - In the aftermath of spring's record flooding in the Red River Valley, Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on one of the most visible and immediate legacy of disaster…trash.
May 9, 1997 - Supporters of a state-subsidized Twins stadium continued to scramble at the state capitol today (Fri) to put together a deal before the Legislature adjourns. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: With ten days and counting, the fate of the Twins stadium now seems to hinge on the relationship between the Senate's two most powerful men: Majority Leader Roger Moe and Taxes Chairman Doug Johnson. They've both been "stadium-skeptics" since the beginning of the Legislative session, but now Johnson has come up with a last-ditch plan to save the stadium with money from a state-owned casino. The taxes committee votes on the proposal on Monday, and Johnson admits he doesn't have enough votes -- UNLESS the Majority Leader decides to twist a few arms. But Roger Moe says he's not ready to back Johnson's plan yet: