August 27, 2001 - Two months after lawmakers barely averted a government shutdown, the state is now facing another potential shutdown because of a labor dispute. About 30-thousand state employees vote this week on whether to walk off the job in mid-September. If members of the state's two largest public employee unions reject the state's latest contract offer, it would be the first state employee strike in twenty years - and the largest ever. Union representatives say a strike appears imminent, and state officials are preparing for the possibility. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
August 27, 2001 -
August 27, 2001 - A new study of Minnesota teenagers shows one-in-ten girls and one-in-twenty boys have experienced date rape or date violence. The data was compiled from surveys more than 80-thousand of the state's ninth and twelfth graders filled out in 1998. Lead author Diann Ackard says the numbers are alarming and researchers are not sure why they are so high:
August 27, 2001 - MPR’s Kaomi Goetz reports on how some Hmong face cultural hurdles to mental health care. A murder case of a Hmong immigrant that stabbed to death two of her children illustrates a larger problem confronting the Hmong community…how to recognize and effectively treat mental illness.
August 29, 2001 - A new survey shows a small drop in teen smoking in Minnesota. The "Target Market" anti-smoking campaign wanted to see IF and TO WHAT EXTENT its efforts had made an impact. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports:
August 29, 2001 - The Mayo Clinic is preparing to test an experimental Alzheimer's vaccine. Researchers hope the vaccine will stimulate the body's immune system to fight the disease, which causes memory loss, dementia and eventually, death. Dr. Ronald Peterson is director of Mayo's Alzheimer Disease Center. He says the vaccine represents a new strategy for treating Alzheimers patients:
August 30, 2001 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that officials with the Minnesota State Fair have implemented some additional safety measures in the livestock and poultry barns to ensure the health of the animals and fairgoers. Each year, thousands of people walk through the animal barns. Fair officials want to make sure that no illnesses are spread through that interaction.
August 30, 2001 - (to follow scheck) Former state epidemiologist Mike Osterholm says Minnesota State Fair organizers are wise to take such strong precautions against the spread of infectious diseases, in particular Foot and Mouth:
September 4, 2001 - (to follow NPR piece on efforts to control the virus in houston) Twin Cities mosquito control officials say its just a matter of time before West Nile virus shows up in the Minnesota. Two dead crows found in Wisconsin tested positive for the virus last week. Jim Stark is public affairs director for the Metropolitian Mosquito Control District. He says the virus is spreading across the U-S more quickly than most people thought:
September 5, 2001 - Healthcare premiums increased more than sixteen percent last year, according to a survey released today by the state health department. Its the third sharp jump in as many years and puts the price of premiums at their highest point in a decade. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says part of the problem lies with consumers: