November 19, 2003 - Hennepin County Commissioners this week rejected an effort to dip into their contingiency fund to reduce the amount of Human Services cuts by five million dollars. The commissioners did leave open the possibility of restoring between two and four million dollars. Many community organizations whose futures are in doubt are eagerly watching the debate. One south Minneapolis agency helping developmentally disabled adults for more than 30 years is on the county's chopping block. Southside Services will shut down if the current spending proposal stands.Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
November 19, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty is taking his prescription drug importation plan to Washington. Pawlenty will testify before the Senate Commerce Committee tomorrow morning at the invitation of chairman Senator John McCain. Pawlenty is the only Republican governor to actively push the idea of importing drugs from Canada. Larry Jacobs is a political science professor at the University of Minnesota who follows the politics of health care. He's also the author of the book "The Health of Nations." Jacobs says the importation issue comes at a good time for Pawlenty.
November 19, 2003 - Columbia Heights is trying to figure out what to do about the approximately 45 deer that have made themselves at home in the Twin Cities suburb. The herd resides on a 76-acre enclosed area owned by the Minneapolis Water Works. The land houses one of the state's largest water treatment plants and doesn't provide enough space or food for the dozens of deer that occupy it. Yesterday a task force recommended that the deer population be reduced by bow hunters. City Manager Walt Fehst says it's not uncommon to hear about deer popping up in the metro area. But he says the situation in Columbia Heights is unique.
November 20, 2003 - Two Republican state legislators said today (THURSDAY) they'll push a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Their announcement comes two days after the Massachusetts Supreme Court ruled that gay couples have the right to marry under that state's constitution. The Minnesota legislators say defining marriage in the state constitution would ensure that voters, not judges, decide the issue. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
November 20, 2003 - Midwestern governors like Tim Paulenty are disappointed to hear that a drug importation plan backed by the House was dropped from the final Medicare bill.
November 20, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty appeared before the Senate Commerce Committee at the request of committee Chair, John McCain of Arizona. Senator McCain and others on the committee gave the governor and his prescription drug plan a warm welcome. Max Cacas of Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol Hill bureau reports.
November 21, 2003 - The issue of gay marriage has elicited a strong response from our listeners. Several of you called our comment line yesterday after we aired a National Public Radio commentary by Stanley Kurtz.... who opposes gay marriage. Kurtz said gay marriages... by definition can't produce children... and allowing them would undermine what he calls the "symbolic link" between marriage and parenthood. That... he says... would lead to more out-of-wedlock births and more family disillusionment. He says this has already happened in Scandanavian countries.. where gay marriages have been allowed for a decade. But this listener... from Minneapolis... questions the comparison to Scandanavian countries.
November 21, 2003 - An appointed panel today (FRI) discussed a range of options for improving security at the Hennepin County Government Center. The task force made no decisions, but is wrestling between those who want a new system of weapons screening and those wanting to preserve the building's public access. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
November 21, 2003 - Minnesotans throughout the state are bracing for the first major snowstorm of the season. And like any major storm, the Minnesota Department of Transportation is urging motorists to use extreme caution when traveling. But a news release issued by MnDOT today also says travelers may notice fewer snow plows on the roads due to reduced overtime costs and staffing changes. The news releases were sent by district engineers in several rural parts of the state. House and Senate DFLers say the changes are a result of budget cuts, another example, they say of how the state's budget cuts are affecting Minnesotans. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports..
November 24, 2003 - Minnesota is one step closer to forging a permanent identity in the nation's coin purses and change pockets. The state's quarter dollar commission met this afternoon to narrow down the list of design ideas for the state's commemorative quarter. The short list of ideas will be forwarded to the U-S Mint, which must approve of the finalists. Then the public will have an opportunity to weigh in. Tony Sertich is a state representative from Chisholm who sits on the quarter commission. He says the group will narrow the submissions down to five main themes.