July 7, 2000 - A federal judge has dismissed Minnesota's lawsuit over disparities in Medicare reimbursement. Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch and the Minnesota Senior Federation sued the federal government, arguing that the formula used to pay HMO's to provide Medicare is unconstitutional, because it results in seniors in some states paying higher premiums and getting fewer benefits than seniors in more populous states. But the judge ruled the formula is a matter for Congress, not the courts, to resolve. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
July 10, 2000 - Congress debates a bill today that will address how to pay for treating the growing numbers of veterans with Hepatitis C. The Centers for Disease Control says Hepatitus C afflicts 2 percent of the American population. But the incidence of Hepatitus C among veterans is at least two times higher. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
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July 11, 2000 - In its 15 years, the Center for Victims of Torture in Minneapolis has become a vital part of the internationa campaign for human rights. Where it once solely treated torture victims, it now does research, training, and advocates public policy. Minnesota Public Radio's Patty Marsicano reports.
July 12, 2000 - Minnesota has long been known for its concentration of medical device and food companies. Now a number of local entrepreneurs are building a cluster of new biotechnology businesses. Several companies have sprung up around the University of Minnesota to profit from new breakthroughs in genetics. Commercial breakthroughs could help assuage critics who say the U has lagged behind in capitalizing on technological developments. But biotechis new to Minnesota, and some fear the state lacks what entrepreneurs need to thrive. Minnesota Public Radio's Andrew Haeg reports.
July 12, 2000 - Saying AIDS is the Number one problem facing the world, United Nations ambassador, Richard Holbrooke, said today the U.N. Security Council will soon approve a resolution to intensify the international battle against the disease. In Minnesota, more than 3600 people have contracted AIDS since it was first discovered in the state some 20 years ago. Another 2700 have H-I-V, the virus that causes AIDS. Dr. Keith Henry directs the H-I-V clinic at Regions Hospital in St. Paul. He says advances in the treatment of H-I-V and AIDS make it harder to track infection rates:
July 13, 2000 - The strike at the Pepsi bottling plant in Burnsville has entered its second month, and there's no end in sight. About 450 workers who bottle and deliver Pepsi products in the Twin Cities area walked off the job in mid-June. They say the company's last offer fell short on several issues, including retirement and health care benefits. Kelly McAndrew is a spokewoman at Pepsi Bottling Group's headquarters in New York. She's on the line now.
July 13, 2000 - DFL Senate candidate Mark Dayton has started his advertising blitz, spending more than 300-thousand dollars on television ads running statewide this week. Dayton is the third Democrat to buy up large chunks of airtime before the September primary. Attorney Michael Ciresi has had ads on the air for months, and DFL'er Rebecca Yanisch just finished a big television ad buy. In the latest in our series of Ad Watches, Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum talks with analyst Dean Alger about the Dayton and Yanisch ads...
July 14, 2000 - The University of Minnesota Board of Regents has given President Mark Yudof another raise and a longer contract. Regents have been generous in their praise of Yudof's leadership during the past three years. They've also been generous with his compensation, fearing another university might lure him away. But as Yudof's check gets bigger, other U of M employees claim they're barely making enough to get by. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports...
July 18, 2000 - Minnesota's D-F-L candidates for U.S. Senate faced some of the toughest questions of the campaign Monday when they met with activists and retired politicians in their own party at a Minneapolis drug store. A group known as "Tom's Salon" for Schneider Drug owner Tom SenGupta has been meeting at the drug store for the past twelves years to argue thorny policy issues. About 45 people crowded into the drug store's awkward spaces between greeting cards and figurines to put the candidates through their paces. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil has this report.