October 15, 2007 - A special panel of state lawmakers has given the Minnesota Department of Transportation greater spending authority to rebuild the I-35W bridge. But the money is just a third of what MnDOT was asking for. MnDOT officials say the decision could force them to delay construction of some other road and bridge projects but Democrats in control of the Legislature don't see it that way. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
October 18, 2007 - Linda Figg, lead designer of the I-35W bridge replacement project, talks about how the new 35W bridge will be designed to weather Minnesota's extreme winters and summers.
October 19, 2007 - On this Midmorning program, MPR’s Kerri Miller talks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about the politics of the funding and design of the I-35W bridge replacement. He also talks about the new settlement on reducing airport noise for some homeowners, one that took years to achieve, and answers listener questions.
October 22, 2007 - With the political campaign season under way, our television screens could soon be filled with attack ads. Last week's feud between Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and local television stations over an ad criticizing one of her votes raises the question: can voters believe what they see? MPRs Jess Mador (MAYdoor) has more.
October 23, 2007 - A law firm representing I-35 bridge victims has hired a forensic engineering company that investigated the collapse of the world trade center towers. Robins Kaplan hired the New York firm to determine why the I-35 Bridge collapsed in August. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the chief investigator has a unique connection to Minneapolis. {Within hours of the September 11th attacks, the FAA ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport. For structural engineer, Manny Velivasakis that meant his flight from New York to Vancouver was diverted to Minneapolis. After he had deplaned, he watched airport TVs showing black smoke enveloping the trade center site.
October 25, 2007 - MN Dot has announced some of the design details for the new 35W bridge. A wide-ranging group of residents, community leaders and elected officials voted on things like color, lighting and shape. MPR's Jess Mador has more.
November 9, 2007 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports on MnDOT not meeting Federal goals on hiring of minority contractors.
November 16, 2007 - A new report finds that 80 thousand Minnesota families are expected to fall behind in their mortgage payments this year. A quarter of those families could lose their homes altogether. Governor Pawlenty wants to reduce the rate of foreclosures by dedicating money to double the number of foreclosure counselors in Minnesota. But even that won't solve the problem. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
December 12, 2007 - Today is the one year anniversary of a federal immigration raid on the Swift meatpacking plant in Worthington. Officers arrested 239 illegal immigrants in the southwest Minnesota city. It was part of a nationwide action. Latinos in Worthington say they're still recovering from the raid. Other people say the raid didn't go far enough.
January 11, 2008 - Nanci has posted some more resources for Parents of "emerging adults" on our website, Minnesota Public Radio.org. There you'll also find some video interviews with U of M students who talk about why they drink. There's also a discussion underway at a Gather.com...parents, and students are posting their thoughts about binge drinking. A link to that discussion is at Minnesota Public Radio dot org. Monday night at 7, Minnesota Public radio News hosts a Public Insight Forum on the topic of College Binge drinking. Kerry Miller hosts in the UBS Forum, here at our downtown St. Paul studios. Our special report, Death by Drinking, was edited by Mike Edgerly...it's all online, at Minnesota Public Radi-dot-org.