July 2, 2001 -
July 5, 2001 - The Twin Cities Light Rail Transit line is scheduled to start running a litte more than two years from now. Supporters say the 675 million dollar system will spur a huge amount of commercial development along the line, which runs 11 miles from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America in Bloomington. Already some adventurous property developers are buying properties around the future stations. Community leaders hope light rail development will help transform their neighborhoods. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
July 5, 2001 - Neighborhood groups across Minneapolis are coming to grips with the sudden loss of revenue for the Neighborhood Revitalizaton Project or NRP. The losses are the result of changes in the state tax code passed last week at the state legislature. The NRP was designed to take excess Tax Increment Finance money from big projects in the city, and give them to neighborhoods across the city to control and spend as they saw fit. Joining us on the line is Jeff Hayden, chairman of the Powderhorn Park Neighborhood Association.
July 6, 2001 - The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services says it has notified Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina that it will lose Medicare funding on July 16th. The decision comes after a Minnesota Department of Health investigation discovered that a patient entered the hospital emergency room in April complaining of chest pains but waited in the hospital lobby for three and a half hours. Officials say the problem happened nearly two months before nurses started striking at the hospital, but it may adds further financial problems to the Edina hospital. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 9, 2001 - A new poll shows Minnesotans are disappointed it took the state Legislature extra time to complete a new, 27 billion dollar budget. The survey, commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, indicates two-thirds of respondents rate the Legislature's performance either poor or only fair. The poll does show support for sweeping property tax cuts, but more than half of respondents felt too little was spent on K-12 education. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
July 10, 2001 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Lucky Rosenbloom, chair of the Minnesota Black Republican Coalition, about Jerry Blakely and Devin L. Miller, two candidates vying for a Republican endorsement in St. Paul mayoral race.
July 10, 2001 - MPR's Laura McCallum reports that Governor Ventura has emerged from a bruising legislative session with his approval ratings intact. In the first poll since a special session narrowly averted a government shutdown, Ventura's approval ratings have remained steady, and nearly half of those polled think he should run for a second term next year.
July 10, 2001 - Governor Ventura says the state had to spend more than three million dollars to prepare for a possible government shutdown. Ventura released a preliminary estimate as he again criticized legislators for not finishing a budget until the final days before the new fiscal year. But legislative leaders say the governor can share in the blame.
July 10, 2001 - Dry conditions have prompted a number of Minnesota cities to enact water restrictions. Public Works Supervisor Doug Hartman. In Prior Lake, officials have issued an emergency ban on all outdoor watering. Hartman says new water emergency means Prior Lake's 15,000 residents face steeper fines for violations.
July 10, 2001 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that The Minneapolis City Council is struggling to figure out the city's next step in light of tax reform that substantially limits future money for a popular neighborhood development program, Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Neighborhood activists are also not sure whether to try for a referendum in November to make up the funding that was cut.