June 23, 2003 -
June 23, 2003 - A full schedule of summer school classes got underway today in Minneapolis , just two months after district leaders debated whether they could afford a summer term. Officials in the state's largest school district had briefly considered cutting summer school down to a bare minimum due to tight finances. They later abandoned those plans due to concerns over the potential impact on test scores.
June 24, 2003 - When the MnSCU Board of Trustees meets in July, tuition increases will be on the agenda. All 33 institutions of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system are asking for tuition hikes. If approved, MnSCU's full-time students will see their average costs rise about $400 dollars a year. Students would pay more than $3500 a year in tuition and fees. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha reports.
June 25, 2003 -
June 25, 2003 - The budget balancing pain has been dramatically unequal this year in the state's two largest school districts. School boards in Minneapolis and St. Paul approved operating budgets last Tuesday night for the coming school year. St. Paul officials cut one-point-nine million dollars to balance the budget, while Minneapolis had to solve a 30-million dollar deficit. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
June 26, 2003 - Grand Rapids is hoping to lure a couple thousand Judy Garland fans to town this weekend. It's the annual Judy Garland Festival. And this year, the town is unveiling its new Judy Garland museum. Chris Julin paid a visit, and he has this Mainstreet Radio report.
June 26, 2003 -
July 1, 2003 -
July 2, 2003 - In the wake of the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic church, diocese across the country have set up policy review boards. Two boards in central Minnesota are beginning their work, one at St. John's Abbey and the other at the St. Cloud Diocese. Their purpose is to monitor the church's policies and response to sexual abuse. Church officials say the boards have been thoughtfully developed. They say many have a mix of non-Catholic as well as Catholic members, abuse victims and law enforcement officials. But victims' rights groups are less optimistic. They doubt the review boards will have the power to make any real change in church policy. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post has more in this report.
July 3, 2003 - About 1500 members of American Mensa, the high IQ society, are in St. Paul this week for the group's 41st annual gathering. The group is open to people 14 and older who score in the top two percent of the general population on a standardized intelligence test. However, some of it's members say there's more to intelligence than a test score. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams reports.