November 2, 2001 - Michael Osterholm, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, gives an update on the anthrax threat in the United States.
November 8, 2001 - MPR's Andrew Haeg reports that Minnesotans continue to ponder life without the Minnesota Twins. The team is a prime candidate for elimination if Major League Baseball carries through its intended plan to contract the league. If the Twins are shut down, businesses will lose customers….and local community organizations will lose an important benefactor.
November 8, 2001 - Blue Cross Blue Shield outlined a new plan for its tobacco settlement proceeds which includes 60-million dollars in subscriber rebates. The idea of refunds has been a point of contention for State regulators, who rejected an earlier Blue Cross plan that earmarked the money for anti-smoking and heart health programs. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports:
November 19, 2001 - Thirty years ago the fight to improve the lives of the nation's children looked much as it does today, according to child welfare advocates. Former Vice-President Walter Mondale and a panel of experts reflected on the failed Child and Family Services Act of 1971.
November 19, 2001 - Three unexplained deaths have prompted the Minnesota Health Department to ask all hospitals in the state to suspend elective knee surgery. Three men died earlier this month of septic shock within days of undergoing the same type of knee surgery. Two of the men had surgery at St. Cloud Hospital, and the third at a hospital 70 miles away in Alexandria. The Health Department is asking the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta to assist in the invesitgation. State epidemiologist Doctor Harry Hull says the case is unprecedented:
November 20, 2001 - About 65 million Americans have sought health information online, but a new survey finds that their activity is not hidden from information privacy acts.
November 21, 2001 - Minnesota's oldest regional development commission has run out of money and is fighting for its life. A failed tourism center in Worthington is the problem. Officials with the Southwest Regional Development Commission hope its members, nine area counties, will bail out the organization. But its been a tough sell. Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports:
November 22, 2001 - The cast of Mamma Mia serves turkey to the homeless on Thanksgiving.
November 26, 2001 - The Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is urging states to adopt new quarantine laws to prepare for bioterrorism. Legal experts say if there were an outbreak of smallpox or some other highly contagious disease, the legal authority to act would fall to states, NOT the federal government. The CDC has floated a model state law calling for strict quarantines and compulsory vaccinations. So far, at least seven states including Minnesota are considering measures based on the CDC model. Minnesota's proposed legislation would give state health authorities powers greater than any they've used in the past, even during historic outbreaks of smallpox. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
November 27, 2001 - Some of the state's leading experts on business, safety and health gathered at the University of Minnesota today (Tuesday) to discuss the lingering effects of the September 11 terrorist attacks. The forum was organized by Minnesota congressmen Martin Sabo and James Oberstar. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.