February 7, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on Hennepin County District Court Judge Charles Porter's ruling which states the Twins' lease at the Metrodome expired in 2003 and the team can leave at the end of the upcoming season.
February 13, 2006 - Governor Tim Pawlenty has changed his mind and says he's now ready to support plans to expand Duluth's convention center. Pawlenty had rejected the project from his initial bonding bill recommendations, saying he was concerned about Duluth's financial health, because of its outstanding retiree health care obligations. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.
February 14, 2006 - Governor Pawlenty and the federal government have reached an agreement to ensure that low income Minnesota seniors continue to get their medicine in the coming weeks. Disarray in the new medicare prescription drug program left many seniors unable to pay for their medicine in the program's first days. The governor issued an emergency executive order authorizing state payments for medicine but it was set to expire on Friday night. Pawlenty says the state has now applied for a federal government waiver to ensure those payments continue. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
February 15, 2006 - MPR’s Marriane Combs looks at St. Paul’s Teatro Del Pueblo, a Minnesota theater company providing a forum for political activism and an agent for change. Combs interviews Alberto Justiniano, artistic director, about the Teatro Del Pueblo’s focus on Latin America political theater with a local festival.
February 23, 2006 - As part of our "Meet the Candidates” series, MPR’s Mike Mulcahy talks with Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar. She is hoping to keep Mark Dayton's U.S. Senate seat in Democratic hands. She's already raised well over $2 million to finance her campaign, putting her second in the money race behind Republican contender Rep. Mark Kennedy. Klobuchar answers listener questions.
March 3, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on first U.S. Senate debate. Taxes, health care and national security were among the key issues addressed by three candidates running for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat. The seat has been viewed as one of the more competitive seats in the nation ever since Mark Dayton announced his decision not to run for reelection. Republican Mark Kennedy and DFLers Amy Klobuchar and Ford Bell all hope to replace the DFL incumbent and put their differences on display in the debate sponsored by the North Metro Chamber of Commerce.
March 3, 2006 - MPR’s Toni Randolph report that about 400 members of the Hmong community turned out for a town hall meeting in St. Paul to get an update on what's happened since hundreds of Hmong graves were desecrated in Thailand last fall. Many people attending the meeting also sent letters to the United Nations to protest the unearthing and dismemberment of their deceased loved ones.
March 8, 2006 - The list of immigration reform ideas at the state Capitol is growing longer. DFL Senators unveiled a package of proposals today that focuses on education and workforce issues. The plan contrasts with Governor Pawlenty's immigration agenda, which includes initiatives to crack down on illegal immigrants. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
March 9, 2006 - Governor Tim Pawlenty touted the accomplishments of his first term in his State of the State address today (Thursday). In what sounded like a test of possible themes for a reelection campaign, Pawlenty said he's completed the biggest financial turnaround in state history. The governor also said the state has regained its status as an education leader. He outlined a handful of new proposals, which Democrats dismissed as pilot programs and slogans. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 9, 2006 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Lee Pao Xiong, director of Concordia's Center for Hmong Studies, about the first ever International Conference on Hmong Studies. Academics from around the world are coming to Concordia University to talk about a culture undergoing dramatic transition.