March 12, 2003 - As part of the series “A Lesson on Learning: Behind No Child Left Behind,” MPR reporter Tim Pugmire reports on the debate over effectiveness of added testing for students.
March 12, 2003 - Most of the attention on city budget cuts impending in Minneapolis and Saint Paul has focused on their potential effects on public safety. But the Twin Cities face a number of other cuts that do not involve life or death, but do affect quality of life. This week, the Saint Paul city council considers proposed spending cuts that include eliminating funding for none part time recreation centers. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on what services might be affected...
March 13, 2003 - Mika Anderson-Coates is the kind of citizen police officials count on to help them in the fight against crime. A resident of the Seward neighborhood in south Minneapolis, Anderson-Coates helps organize citizen patrols, she connects neighbors through a community newsletter and she has been a block club leader. Anderson-Coates says she and her neighbors have worked closely with the police department's Community Crime Prevention Safe program.
March 13, 2003 - A showdown is coming up in the U.S. Senate over whether to drill for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Senate Republicans say they need just one more vote to pass a provision that would allow drilling in the Alaska refuge. That puts the pressure on lawmakers like Republican Senator Norm Coleman. Coleman says he came to the debate opposing drilling.
March 13, 2003 - Hugh Parmer is the President of the American Refugee Committee, based in Minneapolis. ARC does not currently have any programs in the middle east area, but is in the early stages of setting one up. They're sending someone to Kuwait to do the initial scouting, and are partnering with the Iraqi Refugee Aid Committee (based in London). Hugh says aid organizations are really NOT PREPARED to handle this crisis. He says most organizations are in the early stages, just like they are. He can compare the situation to other refugee disasters (ie, Kosovo), where aid organizations were all set to help when the disaster happened. He says the humanitarian planning has been really uncoordinated this time. The US government hasn't sat down with nonprofit agencies as usual... it seems to be doing planning on its own, and depending on the military to handle the first wave of humanitarian disaster.
March 13, 2003 - Minneapolis officials will meet today (THURSDAY) to set a budget reduction framework, clearing the way for department heads to start cutting staff. The reductions are in response to anticipated cuts in state aid that could trim the city's coffers by more than 40-million dollars over the next two years. The budget cutting has neighborhood groups worried about cuts to public safety programs, like community policing. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes has the first of our two reports.
March 13, 2003 - Bush administration officials say removing Saddam Hussein from power in Iraq will encourage democracy in countries across the Middle East. But commentator Brian Atwood says the democratic formula isn't quite so simple:
March 13, 2003 -
March 13, 2003 -
March 13, 2003 - As part of the series “A Lesson on Learning: Behind No Child Left Behind,” MPR reporter Tim Pugmire reports on how tougher accountibilities are putting more schools at risk of being deemed as “needing improvement.” That leaves administrators and teachers stressed and concerned.