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.
November 28, 2001 - Human cloning and stem cell research have become hot topics of debate again this week after a company announced that it was the first to clone human embryos. Advanced Cell Technology says they have taken human eggs, and combined them with cells from adults, and turned them into embryos. Lori Andrews is an author and medical ethicist at Chicago-Kent College of Law. She will deliver a speech today entitled "Embryo Stem Cell Policy, the Intersection of Values, Science and Law" at the University of Minnesota Law School later today. Professor Andrews joins us on the line now. That's Lori Andrews who will speak today at 11:30 at the University of Minnesota Law School.
November 28, 2001 - Minnesotans are amoung the most prolific inventors in the country. A review of filings with the U-S Patent and Trademark office from 1990 to 1999 ranked Rochester 3rd and the Twin Cities 10th in number of patents for every 100-thousand residents. Minnesota was the only state to place two metro areas in the top ten. The review was conducted by an online newsletter called Demographics Daily. Mike Moore is the director of health technologies at the University of Minnesota. He says both the Mayo Clinic and the University of Minnesota have large research budgets that drive innovation:
November 29, 2001 - Student union leaders at the University of Minnesota could decide tonight whether to ban the sale of tobacco products on the Twin Cities campus. The products are currently sold at three stores on campus, and the student unions get some of the profits. Two committees at the University's Boynton Health Service passed resolutions last spring requesting a ban. School health officials say campus surveys show a 60% increase in tobacco use since 1992 by students 18-24 years old. Kristen Moore is the president of the Twin Cities Student Unions' Board of Governors, the group which could decide at a meeting tonight whether or not to continue selling the products. That's Kristen Moore, the president of the Twin Cities Student Unions' Board of Governors.
November 29, 2001 - The United Nations is appointing former U.S. Senator George McGovern as the U.N.'s first global ambassador for hunger. McGovern will organize relief efforts in Third World countries and help people there improve food production techniques. He just finished serving as ambassador to the United Nations Food and Agricultural program in Rome. McGovern grew up during the Great Depression. He says he never personally knew real hunger, but his family provided food to young men in need:
November 30, 2001 - The University of Minnesota will continue to allow cigarettes to be sold on campus. The Student Board of Governors for the Twin Cities student unions voted unanimously last night Helms reports.
November 30, 2001 - South Dakota needs 47.5 million dollars in reserve funds to balance its books for this year and next. Governor Bill Janklow proposed his 2.5 billion dollar budget to lawmakers Thursday in Pierre. He says state revenues are coming in at about a third of the pace anticipated. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports.
December 3, 2001 - Governor Ventura has announced the formation of a tri-partisan task force to study rising health care costs and the quality of care. Ventura says the state's double-digit health insurance increases and a floundering economy could lead to higher uninsurance rates. However, he says the task force will not make recommendations until after next year's gubernatorial election. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.