March 14, 2001 - Should internet voting be an option? There are many reasons why it should never be.
March 14, 2001 - Koochiching County officials in northern Minnesota are sponsoring a snowmobile radar run this weekend in Voyageurs National Park, despite warnings from park officials that the event is against federal regulations. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports... For the past 18 years, Voyageurs National Park has allowed an International Falls area snowmobile club to conduct a radar run on Lake Kabetogama within park boundaries. Snow sleds would race one at a time across the frozen surface competing for the fastest speeds. But this year, park officials denied the request. That irked the Koochiching County Board enough to prompt them to host their own radar run. Commissioner Wade Pavleck...
March 14, 2001 - A bill that would let cities use cameras to catch drivers running red lights has passed the Senate Transportation Committee. The cameras would be mounted at intersections and would most likely snap a picture of the rear license plate of any car that went through a red light. The photo would be considered proof of a violation. Fourteen states and the district of Columbia already have similar camera systems. Republican Senator Roy Terwilliger is sponsoring the bill in the Minnesota Senate, and he's on the line now.
March 15, 2001 - INTRO-- The St. Paul Area Synod, which oversees Lutheran churches in the St. Paul area, will meet later this afternoon and will consider whether to suspend one of its churches. St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church is on the hot seat because it has decided to ordain Anita Hill. Hill is a lesbian woman in a committed relationship. That puts her church out of line with the ELCA, the governing body of about ten thousand lutheran churches across the country. Hill initially decided not to pursue a divinity degree because of the church's position. Then, in 1983, she joined St. Paul Reformation-- and says she found support for her wish to be ordained.
March 19, 2001 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on Minnesota's eldest former Governor Elmer L. Andersen address to the Senate, one of only two times in recent memory a former statesman has been invited to speak on the Senate floor.
March 19, 2001 - The Minnesota House is expected to pass a budget resolution this week. It will be one of the first concrete indications of the House's spending priorities for the session. The legislature is about halfway through its five-month session, in which its main job is to come up with a two-year budget. Joining us now for a look at the week ahead is Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief, Laura McCallum.
March 20, 2001 - The Senate Health and Family Security Committee last night voted 6-to-3 in favor of a bill that would force drug manufacturers to offer Minnesotans the same discounts they offer HMO's, the state and other bulk purchasers. Consumer rights groups, seniors and advocates for low income Minnesotans say the bill would provide a great benefit for those who need discounts but others say the bill is unconstitutional. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
March 20, 2001 - When the Minnesota Twins last made a major push for a new ballpark, team officials argued they needed the facility to make them financially competitive with the rest of the league. In the four years since that effort failed at the Legislature, player salaries have risen so high that the team now concedes that revenue from a new ballpark alone won't balance their books.
March 20, 2001 - A House committee will consider a bill later this week to allow grocery stores to sell wine. 32 states around the country allow wine to be sold in the supermarket. Critics of bill say that it will make it harder to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage drinkers. Joining us on the line is Barb Sykora (sih-CORE-ah), the sponsor of the bill and a Republican from Excelsior. State Representative Barb Sykora, a Republican from Excelsior.
March 20, 2001 - St. Paul NAACP and Chief Finney meet to discuss racial profiling in the city.