March 26, 2001 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities System faces a tough budget fight at the capitol. MNSCU seeks much more money than the governor recommends. While the University of Minnesota budget has received much more attention -- the MNSCU campaign for state money is heating up. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
March 26, 2001 - The state's largest non-profit, which helps children who have autism or mental retardation, wants to shorten its waiting list by expanding. Experts say Minneapolis-based Fraser offers some of the most comprehensive programs in the country for children with mental disabilities, but waits of a year to get Fraser services are common. The organization is raising money to build a center officials say will shorten the delays.
March 27, 2001 - Efforts to kill the Profile of Learning heat up again today (Tuesday) at the state capitol. The House Education Policy committee takes up a bill that would repeal Minnesota's complex system of high school graduation standards. But the state's education commissioner says she plans to wait another year to recommend any changes. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
March 27, 2001 - A bill that would extend health insurance to virtually every uninsured child in Minnesota has cleared a state Senate committee. The proposal would offer coverage to the estimated 48-thousand children who now go without insurance. Estimates suggest the plan would cost the state between 35 and 60 million dollars annually. Jim Koppel is the Director of the Children's Defense Fund. He says the money would be well spent:
March 28, 2001 - The Final Four focuses on what is all wrong with higher education, focusing on sports rather than learning.
March 28, 2001 - Four hours of committee debate resulted in killing Profile of Learning. School districts need to decide what standards they each want. A new bill would require local testing in third, fifth, and tenth grades in the core subject areas.
March 29, 2001 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on 2000 U.S. Census data that shows people of Asian decent now outnumber African Americans in St. Paul. Nearly nine percent of Ramsey County's population is Asian. Many of the counties surrounding the Twin Cities also had significant growth in Asian populations in the past decade.
March 29, 2001 - Declining enrollment is forcing rural schools across the state to shut their doors. Schools in greater Minnesota receive fewer dollars per pupil than their urban counterparts... and some people complain that funding gap is compounding the problem. Since Governor Ventura proposed his education budget last month, rural school district officials have been planning for the worst. Minnesota Public Radio's Laurel Druley has this report:
March 29, 2001 - Alex Wolff is a writer for Sports Illustrated. He's participating in a panel discussion at the University of Minnesota to promote sportwriting as a career. You can find much more Final Four information on our WEB SITE at Minnesota Public Radio dot O-R-G."
April 2, 2001 - When the draft was abolished in 1973, *the decision affected not only the country's military*, it also did away with a primary source of *recruits* for the Indian Health Service . Medical students or Interns facing the draft had the option of serving their time in the Commission Service Corp. To help fill that void the University of North Dakota's Medical school developed the Indians into Medicine or INMED program. Nearly 30 years later, the program is still recruiting and producing health care professionals. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha reports.