March 26, 2003 - A proposal for a state-run casino in the Twin Cities is dividing Native American communities. The package is supported by the White Earth Band of Ojibwe and the Red Lake Band of Chippewa, who stand to share in millions of dollars of gambling revenues. But the state's other nine tribes say a new casino will eat into revenues they currently generate with their own gaming operations. The bill also faces opposition from lawmakers who say the state has no business in the gambling industry. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
March 27, 2003 - As we try to understand what's happening in Iraq right now, one Minnesotan watches and listens with a unique perspective. John Hartnett is a veteran of the first Gulf War. He was a Military Police Platoon Commander with the Marines. His job was to round up prisoners on the battlefield and take them to POW compounds in Saudi Arabia. John Hartnett has written a book about his experiences. He says the job was sometimes very stressful.
March 27, 2003 - Northwest Airlines is taking heat from laid off workers, union leaders and even Governor Tim Pawlenty over executive pay increases. Last week, Northwest announced it was cutting nearly five thousand jobs due to the war in Iraq. Less than a week later, the company disclosed its two top executives saw pay increases last year totalling nearly 2 million dollars ... a year the company lost almost 800 million dollars. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
March 28, 2003 -
March 28, 2003 - The governor says police can't afford the cost of arresting protesters, especially given the current state of the economy.
March 28, 2003 -
March 31, 2003 -
March 31, 2003 - Nearly 200 teenagers gathered outside the annual Target Market conference in Arden Hills yesterday. The teens wore duct tape over their mouths to signify they would not be silenced in efforts to save the anti-tobacco smoking group. The Governor has been clear that he intends to use the three anti-tobacco endowments to help bridge the state's more than four-(b)illion dollar deficit. While the legislature must still approve the plan, using money from the state's tobacco settlement is likely to pass if other states' actions are indicators. While the Governor says there will still be money appropriated for helping those addicted quit smoking and preventing others from starting, there's one group that'll disappear: Target Market, a program for teenagers. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports:
April 1, 2003 - The Minnesota House has passed a bill (MONDAY) that would require abortion providers to give women seeking an abortion 24 hours before the procedure is done. Supporters say the measure will ensure that women have all of the available information before they have an abortion. Opponents say the bill is filled with bad information and is an attempt to restrict the procedure in the state. The 24 hour waiting period bill was one many Minnsota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
April 1, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty travels to Rochester today to discuss biotechnology with officials from the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota. Mayo and the U want to combine efforts in biotech research. The alliance would be the first of its kind between the state's two leading medical research institutions. The meeting comes the same day as legislators introduce bills to create a biotechnology park. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz reports, the state has a long way to go to catch up to other states in developing a biotech sector.