January 4, 2006 - A special Voices of Minnesota program, with Minnesota's highest-ranking elder statesman , Walter Mondale in the studio talking with MPR’s Gary Eichten.
January 12, 2006 - Governor Tim Pawlenty today proposed ways to help legal immigrants, one week after he outlined steps to crack down on illegal immigration. The Republican governor's plan includes a new tax credit for immigrants seeking citizenship, and more money for English language instruction and immunizations. Some Latino leaders say the proposals are a good first step. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
January 20, 2006 - Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports on child advocate Patty Wetterling withdrawing from the U.S. Senate race and endorsing Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. Wetterling said she made her decision so the DFL party would unite behind Klobuchar. While many political experts are calling Klobuchar the party's clear front-runner, fellow DFLer Ford Bell says he's in the race until the end.
January 24, 2006 - Report cards are an important part of a student's education. But what happens when a school gets a poor report card? Progress reports are a part of the No Child Left Behind law. The federal law requires that schools achieve certain goals in many different areas like attendance, graduation rates and test scores. Two years ago, officials at Pelican Rapids High School were told their school needed to improve. Minnesota Public Radios Bob Reha reports on the schools efforts to raise its grades.
January 24, 2006 - Family and friends of the late Senator Eugene McCarthy gathered at St. John's University in Collegeville for a memorial yesterday. This is an excerpt of Walter Mondale speaking at memorial service.
January 24, 2006 - There was a memorial held in Collegeville for the late Senator Eugene McCarthy. McCarthy, who died in December, graduated from St. John's University in 1935 and taught there in the 1940s, before moving on to a career in politics.
January 30, 2006 - Nearly 300 people turned out in Worthington Sunday to talk about immigration. The subject has been a major topic of discussion in the southwest Minnesota city since Governor Tim Pawlenty proposed new measures earlier this month to deal with undocumented workers. Worthington has a large immigrant population. Some are fearful they're being targeted. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports.
February 1, 2006 - The skyrocketing costs of health care have been in the national spotlight a lot lately, but President Bush spent little time on the issue in his state of the union address last night. News reports leading up to the speech suggested the president would spotlight Health Savings Accounts or HSA's. They're tax free savings plans that accompany high deductible health care policies. Bush has trumpeted their merits in the past. But he only brushed over HSA's in his speech last night. And that left experts and business owners wanting more. Minnesota Public Radio's Annie Baxter has a closer look.
February 2, 2006 - Bush gives speech at 3M. PresidentBush Thursday said Americans should not fear globalcompetition from rising economic powers like China and India,and called on Congress to allow more foreign workers to fillhigh-tech jobs in the United States. (In-sourcing?) In a trip to the Midwest Bush expanded on the election-yeartheme set in his State of the Union address that America mustmaintain its competitive edge in a global economy. He hasproposed a program to support research and development in newtechnologies, and improve science and math education. Bush is proposing a $5.9 billion "American CompetitivenessInitiative" that includes $1.3 billion in new federal fundingand an additional $4.6 billion in research and development taxincentives. The program aims to support science research andimprove math and science education. To fill vacant high-tech jobs in the United States, Bushcalled on Congress to lift the current limit on H-1B visas thatallow foreign workers to get jobs in the United States.
February 3, 2006 - When is a candidate for governor NOT a candidate for governor? Governor Tim Pawlenty and several of his potential opponents disagree on that question. The governor's rivals say Pawlenty is clearly running for reelction so he should cancel his weekly radio show. But the governor and the station that airs the program says legally Pawlenty is not a candidate...and his opponents should not expect to get equal airtime. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...