August 28, 2001 - A Hennepin County judge is considering whether to require police to offer a clear reason for searching a motorist during a routine traffic stop. Currently, a police officer can ask for consent to search whether or not they suspect another crime. Assistant public defender James Kamin (CAME-in) asked for such a requirement saying that if officers can't articulate why they searched a motorist, the evidence should be thrown out of court. He says this standard could potentially cut down on racial profiling. If the judge accepts Kamin's reasoning, Minnesota would be the first state in the nation to set such a standard. Dean Edward Butterfoss, a constitutional and criminal law professor at Hamline University says a clear reason would have to meet specific guidelines.
August 28, 2001 - Twin Cities voters have a lot of choices this year. A total of 38 people are running either for mayor of Saint Paul or Minneapolis. On September 4th and 5th, MPR will broadcast debates with the leading candidates. And from now until the primary on September 11th, we'll also give you a chance to hear from the OTHER candidates. You can hear the Minneapolis candidates on Morning Edition and the Saint Paul candidates right here on All Things Considered. Today, we hear from Sharon Anderson, a 62-year-old retiree, who describes herself as a conservative Republican. Anderson says she's taking a risk in running for mayor, because there is a warrant out for her arrest:
August 28, 2001 - While the Minneapolis mayoral race has taken center stage this election year, there are about 40 other candidates running for various positions, from the city council, to the school board, and from the parks board to the board of estimate and taxation.
August 28, 2001 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Dave Kinney, a reporter with The Newark Star Ledger, about Governor Ventura’s appearance at a New Jersey political fundraiser. Ventura campaigned for Bill Schulter, a Republican state senator, who is running as a New Jersey gubernatorial candidate as an Independent.
August 28, 2001 - Several high profile Twin Cities road and bridge building projects face price tags one hundred percent higher than when they were begun. Some of the increases are because the size of projects is larger than orginally planned. However in other cases costs are skyrocketing because projects take years, even decades to complete. Two lawmakers say the delay causing the higher costs can be traced to Minnesota's method of paying for road and bridge building. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.
August 28, 2001 - In fact, MPR is sponsoring a debate with the six leading candidates for mayor of St. Paul, on September 4th. On September 5th we'll have a debate with the four leading candidates for mayor of Minneapolis. In each city, there are quite a few other candidates on the ballot. Over the next two weeks, we'll be hearing from those candidates. The people running in St. Paul can be heard on All Things Considered in the afternoon. On Morning Edition, you'll hear from the Minneapolis candidates for mayor. Marcus Harcus is 23 years old, and lives in the Near North area of Minneapolis. He quit his job in order to run for mayor. He belongs to the People's Party, a party he helped create. Harcus told Minnesota Public Radio's Eugene Cha his message is based on one phrase.
August 28, 2001 - In Minneapolis, some judges are subjecting themselves to unusual scrutiny. The judges have asked an independent observer to critique *their* courtoom conduct in hopes of improving the fairness of the justice system. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Imagine you're in family court, trying to hash out a child custody matter. You expect the judge to take your case seriously. But the judge looks past you, spends an inordinate amount of time pouring and mixing coffee, and puts his feet up on the desk. St.Cloud State Communications Professor Rin Porter says this type of demeanor by judges tells people, "I don't care about your case; I've got more interesting things to do."
August 29, 2001 - A group of Minnesotans is in Durban, South Africa, just days before the U.N Conference on Racism begins later this week. They are there despite the Bush Administration's decision... at this point... NOT to send representatives to the conference because they say that language in the conference's agenda is anti-Israel. Joining us on the line from South Afric
August 29, 2001 - South Dakota becomes the final state in the nation to allow cameras in the courtroom. Today (Wednesday) and tomorrow (Thursday) the South Dakota Supreme Court will allow video and audio coverage of oral arguments. For years, South Dakota and Mississippi were the only holdouts among the 50 states. There's an effort in congress - called the "Sunshine in the Courtroom" act to open federal courtrooms to television and radio coverage. While history is being made today in South Dakota, present practice shows even when courtrooms are open to cameras, rarely are cases covered. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports:
August 29, 2001 - MPR’s Laura McCallum talks with politicians at the State Fair. McCallum interviews Norm Coleman, Bruce Anderson, Paul Wellstone and Mark Dayton.