February 9, 1998 - Minnesota's tobacco trial enters its third week today, with more questioning of a spokesman for the tobacco industry's trade association. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
February 9, 1998 - House Republicans today (MON) announced they want to use the money generated by the state's tobacco lawsuit for state-wide tax relief. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin kaste reports the lawmakers aren't waiting to see how the trial ends to consider how to spend the money the state MIGHT win.
February 10, 1998 - It's been six months since a suspected dumping of a toxic chemical wiped out 7800 trout in one of Minnesota's most popular trout streams. Authorities still don't know who is responsible. Even as the investigation continues, there are indications the stream is healing itself and will soon replenish the trout lost last August. Minnesota Public Radio's Mike Edgerly reports Hay Creek is one of the most studied, accessible and productive of southeast Minnesota's trout streams: The creek is a spring fed series of shallow rif
February 11, 1998 - Governor Carlson's 12-million dollar bonding proposal to fund boarding schools gets another hearing at the capitol today. (wed) The schools would serve at-risk juveniles who have had no major criminal problems. The proposal for Minnesota may be modelled after the Milton-Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe travelled there to take a closer look. She reports on what SOME experts say is a new view of an old concept.
February 12, 1998 - In Minnesota's tobacco trial, the state today began building its case that smokers increase health care costs. The state and Blue Cross Blue Shield are seeking nearly 2-billion dollars to cover the cost of treating smoking-related illnesses over the past two decades. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.. Cancer expert Jon Samet testified today that smoking causes more than a dozen diseases, and those diseases result in higher health care costs. The Johns Hopkins epidemiologist said according to criteria established by the Surge
February 12, 1998 - Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports on the 2,500 striking Honeywell workers who vote on a proposed contract, possibly ending their walkout now in its 11th day. The terms of the proposed settlement are not being made public but union officials say Honeywell modified what had been the company's final offer. Central to the negotiations since the first contract was rejected, has been the union's opposition to Honeywell putting together a separate compensation package for new employees. Such arrangements often called "Two Tier," contracts, have been dividing workforces for two decades in the United States.
February 16, 1998 - Honeywell production and maintenance workers are back on the job today after approving a contract and ending a two week strike yesterday. The company backed down on a plan to pass along some of the costs of health care benefits to the workers, but the union swallowed the plan for lower pay and pensions for new employees. John Remington is a professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota. He says the union vote didn't really decide the issue, and expects it to pop up again during the next round of negotiations: John Remington is a professor of Industrial Relations at the University of Minnesota. Sun 28-MAY 12:21:30 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
February 16, 1998 - The strike of 25 hundred Honeywell workers is over. Teamsters Local 1145 rank and file voted by a extraordinarily thin margin yesterday to accept Honeywell's latest contract offer. Many union memebrs are angry with the deal. They say their colleagues should have held out for a better contract. The first shifts reported back to work last night. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
February 19, 1998 - Jurors in Minnesota's tobacco trial today heard starkly differing views on whether smoking causes disease. A former tobacco company president testified the Surgeon General was "dead wrong" when he said smoking causes lung cancer, then the head of an industry-funded research group reluctantly agreed with the Surgeon General. The link between cigarettes and disease is key to the state's case that smoking leads to higher health care costs. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
February 24, 1998 - Next Tuesday night, Republicans and Democrats hold precinct caucuses to elect delegates to this summer's party conventions. This week, Minnesota Public Radio is profiling the candidates vying for their endorsement for Governor. Political reporter Eric Jansen prepared this profile of DFL candidate Ted Mondale: BackAnnounce: Our series of candidate profiles continues tomorrow morning on Morning Edition when Karen Boothe follows the Mike Freeman campaign. And at this time tomorrow evening, we'll hear about Republican Alan Quist.