January 16, 2004 - MPR's Michael Khoo reports on vying proposals in the Twin Cities regarding a new ballpark. As policymakers and state officials pore over the details of 26 stadium ideas submitted, one thread emerges bright and clear…aside from the plans that call for new gambling revenues, all the major proposals rely heavily on increased tax dollars to build new homes for the Twins and Vikings.
January 16, 2004 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on stadium discussions in the Twin Cities. More than two dozen cities, counties, and private citizens have pitched their ballpark solutions to Governor Tim Pawlenty's Stadium Screening Committee. The governor solicited outside input to help him decide what role, if any, the state might play in financing new facilities for the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. The plans cover a range of sites sprinkled across the metropolitan area and offer funding options from local taxes to state dollars to casino revenues.
January 17, 2004 - Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Kling talks with Gary Eichten about MPR. He also takes listener questions and comments.
January 20, 2004 - Later this week, the U.S. Senate could take up the 820-billion dollar spending bill the House passed last month. The measure combines seven spending bills, including packages for education, health, agriculture, and transportation. Critics say the one-thousand-plus page bill contains millions of dollars in wasteful porkbarrel spending. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum looks at the process, and what's in the bill for Minnesota...
January 20, 2004 - Minneapolis based US Bancorp is warning customers not to respond to bogus e-mails that are intended to trick people into giving out sensitive personal information. The e-mails appear to come from the bank and say the recipient's account has been blocked because it may have been compromised by outside parties. This sort of e-mail scam is called phishing, spelled with a "p-h", and experts say it's on the rise. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
January 21, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio’s Cara Hetland presents “That's Just Janklow," a documentary on Bill Janklow, one of the most powerful figures in South Dakota history. The one time juvenile delinquent went on to become a 4-term governor, and then a Congressman. It all ended in a car crash.
January 21, 2004 - Olivia Hunt is unemployed, living alone in Hollywood, and humorously working on the fourth draft of her pretend suicide note when she gets a phone call that her younger sister has been diagnosed with leukemia. That's the opening scene in Elisabeth Robinson's first novel, "The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters." The book is composed entirely of the letters Olivia writes as she struggles to help her sister re-gain her health and to become a successful movie producer. Elisabeth Robinson used her own experience as a movie producer and screenwriter in shaping the character of Olivia. Robinson told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham that her sister's struggle with leukemia prompted her to quit the movie business and become a novelist.
January 23, 2004 - 2003 was a year of major changes for Northwest Airlines. Some were forced upon the carrier, including a distant war and a respiratory disease that led many travelers to stay home. Others were part of a conscious effort to adapt to a changed industry, and many analysts say Northwest is now stronger than many of its competitors. Nonetheless, executives are still calling for the one change they say will make all the difference: wage cuts for employees. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports. (Year-end figures from Northwest show a 240 million dollar profit. Airline officials, though, look at the numbers and see something quite different -- an operating loss of nearly 600 million dollars.
January 23, 2004 - Just a few years ago, a "blog" was simply a typographical error. In 2004, blogs are the buzzword of the presidential campaign. Every major presidential candidate has a blog of his own; and the candidates are discussed and dismissed on the millions of blogs that exist in cyberspace. A blog -- short for web log-- is something of a cross between an online diary and cybermagazine. This Sunday, Minnesota Public Radio will host the first sustained blog conversation on network radio. Christopher Lydon is an NPR reporter, blogger and the host of "The Blogging of the President." He says blogs can help form new communities.
January 26, 2004 - With health care costs and the number of uninsured people both rising, state lawmakers say health care will be a big issue in the upcoming legislative session. Senate DFLers and House Republicans are offering dramatically different proposals to lower the rising cost of health care. Meanwhile, a task force appointed by Governor Pawlenty is scheduled to release its ideas for reforming Minnesota's health care system by the end of the week. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...