August 3, 2000 -
August 7, 2000 - Minnesota has never elected a woman to the United States Senate -- but that will change this year if Rebecca Yanisch has her way. The Minneapolis D-F-Ler is the only female major party candidate seeking to challenge incumbent Republican Rod Grams. Although she's never held elected office, Yanisch is counting on her experiences growing up in the Red River Valley and her time as Minneapolis' top development official to propel her through the D-F-L primary to a match-up with Grams in November. In the second in our series of candidate profiles, Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo takes a look at Rebecca Yanisch.
August 9, 2000 - Minnesota Governor Jesse Ventura has been selected to serve on a U-S Surgeon General's committee to eliminate the disparities in racial and ethnic health. While Minnesota is one of the healthiest states in the country, Ventura says there's a huge difference between the health care of white Minnesotans and people of color in the state. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
August 9, 2000 - The number of births to teenage girls in Minnesota has dropped 18-percent since 1991, giving Minnesota the fourth lowest teen birth rate in the country. However, while the number of babies born to teens of color has dropped too, it's still alarmingly higher than the rate for white teenagers. Nancy Nelson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Prevention and Parenting, says part of this trend is connected to economic status:
August 10, 2000 - The University of Minnesota's organ transplant team has published an article examining a new transplant procedure. Researchers at the U of M created a protocol allowing strangers to donate one of their two kidneys to a transplant patient. In the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers discuss the ethical and medical implications of such a procedure. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
August 10, 2000 - The child poverty rate in Minnesota has shot up by 85-percent since 1979, according to a new report from the National Center for Children in Poverty. That's 122-thousand more kids, despite an unprecedented economic boom throughout most of the nineties. Diane Benjamin is an advocate for children and the Executive Director of the Children's Defense Fund-Minnesota. She thinks that the Center's numbers exaggerate the problem:
August 14, 2000 - The lawyer who led Minnesota's successful lawsuit against big tobacco is tackling what some may see as an even bigger challenge - Minnesota's US Senate race. Mike Ciresi hopes to win a competitive four-way DFL Senate primary, and go on to beat Republican incumbent Rod Grams. Ciresi has money, a creative ad campaign, a good grasp of the issues and some big name support. But he's never run for office before, and must convince DFL primary voters that he's the best Democrat to take on Grams. In the third in our series of candidate profiles, Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum looks at the career and campaign of Mike Ciresi...
August 15, 2000 - Anthrax has killed 56 cattle and four horses in North Dakota since late July, and in Clay County, Minnesota, officials say the bacterial disease has infected livestock there for the first time in 100 years. Anthrax occurs in nearly all species worldwide. Jim Collins, doctor of veterinary medicine and Director of the Minnesota Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, says it is very deadly and kills animals quickly. The bacteria releases toxins that destroy the infected animals' cells.
August 16, 2000 - Both Republicans and Democrats are aggressively courting African American voters this year, from the national conventions to outreach efforts in Minnesota's central cities. The Minnesota Republican Party formed a black Republican coalition this year, and D-F-L'ers are working hard to register African American voters. But it's clear from several recent events that bridging the gap between politicians and urban voters is no easy task. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
August 17, 2000 - Vice-President Al Gore will take center stage stage tonight -- just minutes after running mate Joseph Lieberman called on the party to unite around the ticket. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.