April 26, 2001 - MPR’s Andrew Haeg reports that the CEOs of twenty companies from Finland are in the Twin Cities to meet with local business leaders, and to explore potential business opportunities. The group attended a two-day workshop at a local law firm where they listened to an address by Governor Ventura, who has often promoted foreign trade and investment to boost the state's economy.
April 26, 2001 - Saint Paul officials are celebrating the return of housing to the Upper Landing. A ceremony at the Mississippi riverfront site today (Thursday) marked the start of pollution cleanup. That will be followed by construction of six hundred units of housing. Once the heart of Saint Paul's Italian community, floodwaters and industrial contaminants have prevented construction there in recent decades. But city boosters see the new project as a victory over those obstacles and a sign of the development momentum along the river. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
April 26, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports on the obstacles for American Indian children within the education system.
April 26, 2001 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports that higher education budget would fare much better under the senate's budget than the Governor's budget. Of the 2.9 billion dollars of total spending, the package contains 283 million dollars in new spending. That's nearly three times the new spending proposed by Governor Ventura.
April 26, 2001 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports that Minnesota counties are concerned about a legislative proposal to cut off cash welfare payments to thousands of Minnesotans starting next summer. County officials fear they will be responsible for paying the cost of caring for those who lose state assistance. Advocacy groups say many of Minnesota’s working poor will forced to seek charity to survive….but the author of the House bill says those concerns are largely unfounded.
April 27, 2001 - Midday presents a collection of Mainstreet Radio stories from MPR's Indian civil rights series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, followed by an interview with Joe Day, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Day shares his thoughts and answers listener questions.
April 27, 2001 - A Lutheran church in St. Paul is about to break the rules of its governing body. St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church will ordain Anita Hill tomorrow. Hill is a lesbian woman in a committed relationship-- and that puts the church out of line with the ELCA, the governing body of about ten thousand Lutheran churches across the country. The St. Paul Area Synod, which oversees lutheran churches in the St. Paul area, has not yet decided what action to take. Bruce Forbes is a professor of religious studies at Morningside Collge in Sioux City, Iowa... and an ordained United Methodist Minister. Bruce Forbes is a professor of religious studies at Morningside Collge in Sioux City, Iowa... and an ordained United Methodist Minister.
April 27, 2001 - If you hate to ask for directions, take heart. Using the Global Positioning System - or G-P-S for short- you can always know where you are AND how to get to where you want to go. The technology uses satellites to pinpoint exact locations on the earth's surface. Steve Bahler (BAY-ler) is helping to develop and implement G-P-S at the Minnesota Department of Transportation. He was part of a University of Minnesota roundtable discussion this afternoon on wireless technology. Bahler (BAY-ler) says MNdot uses G-P-S mainly to track the locations of its snowplows, maintainance vechicles and state patrol squad cars. And he says a company called "Onstar" has developed the same techology to help consumers track whatever they're craving:
April 27, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on free speech within the Indian reservation.
April 27, 2001 - The Minnesota Senate just wrapped up six hours of debate on a transportation spending bill. The Senate voted 40-to-23 for the bill to fund road and bridge improvements, mass transit and other transportation projects for the next two years. MPR followed the debate, and joins us now. What are the highlights of the bill? (photo cop, sane lane study, MVET transfer, half cent sales tax referendum, crosstown delay, primary seat belt) We had heard there would be an attempt to add a concealed handgun provision to the bill - what happened?