March 13, 1998 - National Public Radio's Ray Suarez, host of "Talk of the Nation,” is interviewed via satellite from Washington DC. Topics include Lewinsky scandal, state of journalism, and talk radio. Suarez also answers listener questions.
March 16, 1998 - Bernie Omann, Governor Carlson's chief of staff, visits the MPR studios to talk about the Governor's priorities for the final weeks of the legislative session. Topics include hockey arena, light-rail transit, taxes, and university funding. Omann also answers listener questions.
March 17, 1998 - Steven Schier, political science professor at Carleton College, discusses poll taken in Minnesota which showed that not many people know who their U.S. Senators are. Does this matter? Why does it happen? Schier also answers listener questions.
March 17, 1998 - Debate over a proposed ban on certain abortions has been put on hold by the Minnesota Senate. Abortion opponents say the Senate majority leader squelched debate because he didnt have enough votes today to defeat the ban on so-called "partial birth" abortions. From the capitol, Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports: The state senate ended its session abruptly in the heat of a controversy over late-term abortions. Senators had been considering a bill that would have allowed doctors, welfare case workers and others to report women who drink alcohol while pregnant. Northfield Senator Tom Neuville attached an amendment to that bill to ban what are called partial birth abortions.
March 17, 1998 - ****NOTE: USE THIS VERSION OF STORY. DO NOT USE DCART #4501**** At first glance it would seem like a school boards' dream come true: a small school district filled with luxury homes whose owners pay hefty property tax bills. But it is a major problem in Pequot Lakes, north of Brainerd. Rachel Reabe of our Mainstreet Radio team has the story: If you flew over Pequot Lakes just north of Brainerd, you would see as much water as land. This is the heart of Minnesota's vacation country where summer cabins outnumber year round homes two to one. In the middle of all this pricey lakeshore, is Pequot Lakes a modest, mostly low income community.
March 17, 1998 - Resort owners in the Northwest Angle of Minnesota are fed up with Canadian fishing regulations and the U-S's lack of response to their concerns. So fed up, in fact, that they're threatening to secede from the United States and join Canada. The Northwest Angle is that little notch of territory on the top of Minnesota. Thanks to a surveyor's error in 1775, the Angle is part of the United States, even though it's attached to Canada on one side, and otherwise surrounded by Lake of the Woods. The problem, say resort owners, is Canada won't allow people staying in Northwest Angle resorts to keep fish caught in Canadian waters. That's bad for businesses that depend on anglers. The one hundred or so residents of the Northwest Angle have one powerful ally in their quest for fishing justice... Minnesota 7th District Democratic Congressman Collin Peterson. Peterson's planning to introduce a bill in the next couple days that would allow the Northwest Angle to secede:
March 18, 1998 - Tobacco attorneys say they'll ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to review an order releasing nearly 40-thousand secret industry documents for the state's lawsuit against the tobacco companies. State's attorneys believe this cache of files details damaging conduct by the top levels of the tobacco industry. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 8175 | TIME: 1:46 | OUTCUE: "...SOQ --------------------------------------------------------- The appeals court said the tobacco companies failed to show good reasons why the documents should be kept confidential. So barring a review by the State Supreme Court, the industry will have to turn over these files by noon Thursday. This ruling is the latest setback for an industry that's fought hard to keep these files confidential. Tobacco companies claim these 39-thousand documents should be kept secret under attorney/client privile
March 19, 1998 - An economist told jurors in Minnesota's tobacco trial that tobacco companies conspired to prevent the development of a less-harmful cigarette because doing so would throw the industry into a dogfight of competition. The testimony boosts State and Blue Cross Blue Shield claims that tobacco companies broke anti-trust laws by supressing research into smoking and health. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Economist Adam Jaffe told jurors the internal company documents show the tobacco companies have violated anti-trust laws by conspiring to restrict competition since 1953. Jaffe is a professor at Brandeis and has also served on the president's council of economic advisors. He told jurors tobacco companies underst
March 19, 1998 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe kept up the pressure today (THURSDAY) on the supporters of public funding for the St. Paul hockey arena project. Moe says he believes the St. Paul city council failed to scrutinize the financial arrangements between the hockey team and the contractor building the arena, and he called for a "special inquiry" into the matter. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Supporters of state funding for the arena say Roger Moe's call for an inquiry is just another political manuever designed to embarrass St. Paul Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Norm Coleman. the House and Senate bonding conference committee was already planning to ask questions about the arena's financing, and they Moe is just trying to make a routine process seem more dramatic. St. Paul senator
March 20, 1998 - Ward Connerly, University of California regent, speaks at an event sponsored by the Center of the American Experiment and the Minnesota Association of Scholars. Connerly’s speech is entitled “Racial Preferences: Inequities in the Name of Equality,” which focuses on affirmative action in college admissions.