June 11, 2003 - St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly says he is close to raising enough money to keep the James J. Hill House open for another year. Kelly has been working to raise money for the historic mansion on Summit Avenue after the Legislature cut its funding to balance the state budget. Kelly says he's been working with the Historical Society to come up with a plan to keep the Hill House open.
June 11, 2003 -
June 11, 2003 - The head of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force says he'll ask the Legislature to fully fund his organization when lawmakers return next year. Last month, the Legislature reduced funding to the strike force from $3.7 million over two years to $140 thousand in the upcoming budget. Supporters of the strike force say local law enforcement will have difficulty tracking and arresting gang members involved in illegal activity if the funding isn't restored. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
June 12, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty today signed a 237-million dollar bonding bill into law. The bill authorizes the state to borrow for construction projects, including buildings at state colleges and universities and flood relief in northwestern Minnesota. The largest single item in the bill is 25-million dollars for a new Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Guthrie officials say the theater's inclusion in the bonding bill ends a lengthy lobbying effort. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
June 12, 2003 - MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with former Minnesota U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy on past and current presidential campaigns, candidates, and the Presidency of George W. Bush. McCarthy also answers listener questions.
June 13, 2003 - The state's current employee contracts expire at the end of this month -- and negotiations between Governor Tim Pawlenty's administration and state workers are just heating up. The discussions are taking place under a tight budget, ratified as part of a $4.3 billion deficit reduction package last month. State officials say it's no secret they have limited resources to put on the bargaining table -- but public employees say that doesn't mean they'll back down. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.
June 13, 2003 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Peter Rogness, the bishop of the St. Paul Area Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, about a Hmong pastor from St. Paul who is one of three men being detained in Laos.
June 16, 2003 - Minnesota's Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty joins host Gary Eichten in the MPR studios to discuss current events and answer listener questions. We discuss upcoming trade trip, and other issues facing Minnesota and the nation.
June 16, 2003 -
June 16, 2003 - There are big changes ahead for ATV riders. This year, the Legislature passed Minnesota's first comprehensive plan regulating where people can ride off-road vehicles. Managing the sport has become one of the most divisive issues in years. The number of off-highway vehicles in the state has skyrocketed. They've caused major damage to the environment in some places. Some say the legislation didn't go far enough. But as Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports, for now, it seems, people on both sides of the issue have at least some reason to celebrate the new regulations... {