November 25, 2002 - Minnesota's high-paying manufacturing sector created nearly 50 thousand jobs during the 1990's, but now most of them are gone. From 1991 to 2000, the number of manufacturing jobs in Minnesota grew 12 percent, and helped fuel a big jump in the state's prosperity. Nationally, manufacturing was virtually stagnant over the same period. But the recession and its aftermath have wiped 80 percent of the jobs Minnesota gained. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.
December 11, 2002 - More and more people are choosing to buy organic food, but now some poor people are finding they don't have the option. The Women Infants and Children Program (WIC) helps low-income women feed their families better. The program covers nearly half the babies born in the U.S. every year. The people who run the program in Minnesota have told participants they can't use WIC vouchers to buy organic food anymore. They say it's too expensive. The Whole Foods Co-op in Duluth is trying to persuade the state Health Department to reverse the ruling. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports. {
December 11, 2002 - Prescription drugs are expensive in the U.S. More and more Americans are getting around the high prices by going to Canada or Mexico for their medications. Now, some companies are helping people get drugs from Canada without having to travel. A small company in Duluth is hoping to cash in on the trend. Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
December 12, 2002 - In Rochester Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty today agreed to a genomics research partnership with the Mayo Clinic. The announcement comes a year after Mayo leaders said they'd be lobbying for more state funding. Mayo officials claim other nationally known medical centers already receive public funding and the clinic doesn't want to lose its position as a pre-eminent research institution. Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports. {Pawlenty would not talk specifically about how much money the state is willing to give to the research partnership. But last year Mayo Clinic said it needed $80 million over the next four years to become a leader in the rapidly developing field of genomics.
December 16, 2002 - MPR’s Michael Khoo presents highlights of four years with Governor Jesse Ventura, and Minnesota's brief experiment with three-party government.
December 26, 2002 -
January 6, 2003 - In an age when many patients complain about paying too much money for too little time with their doctors, a Central Minnesota physician is trying something different. Dr. Susan Rutten (RUTTON -- like Button) considers herself an old fashioned country doctor. Rutten makes house calls, and her patients pay her in cash. And even though she doesn't take insurance, she provides affordable healthcare by keeping her costs low.
January 6, 2003 - Republican Tim Pawlenty took over as Minnesota's governor today at a noontime swearing-in ceremony in downtown St. Paul. He is the 38th person to hold the office. Pawlenty must find a way to eliminate a four and a half billion dollar budget shortfall over the next two and a half years while adhering to a campaign promise not to raise taxes. And he didn't shy away from the issue in his speech:
January 7, 2003 - Congress convened today (Tues) with a long list of newly elected lawmakers, including two freshman from Minnesota. Republican Norm Coleman officially took his place in the Senate, succeeding Democrat Paul Wellstone. Another Minnesota Republican, John Kline, was sworn into the House of Representatives, replacing Democrat Bill Luther. Coleman and Kline join a Congress set to immediately begin work toward rebuilding the nation's economy amid growing international tension and what appears to be the increasingly likelihood of war with Iraq. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports...
January 9, 2003 - Governor Tim Pawlenty assured a group of business leaders last night that he won't raise taxes to fix the state's four and a half billion dollar deficit. Speaking at a Minnesota Chamber of Commerce dinner, Pawlenty said business owners can't afford another tax increase. He said it's important for lawmakers to hold the line on taxes, lower the cost of health care and introduce tort reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports