June 3, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty and legislative leaders took their differing opinions of the legislative session across the state yesterday . The Legislature adjourned a ten-day special session on Thursday night by finalizing a budget that erases a four-point-two billion dollar deficit without raising state taxes. Both Pawlenty and Senate DFLers are using their separate tours to differentiate their ideas. Meanwhile, Minnesotans are already forming opinions about the budget. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
June 3, 2003 - Research shows interesting, new correlations between exercise and health. Even obese people who exercise are healthier than thin people who don't. A leading researcher on obesity says you don't have to lose weight to be healthy you just have to walk. People who exercise - no matter what their weight - have half the death rate of those who just sit around. Cara Hetland has the next installment in our Mainstreet Radio series, "The Fight Against Fat." She reports, increasing your life span could be as simple as walking 30 minutes each day.
June 4, 2003 - All this week, Minnesota Public Radio is looking at the growing rates of obesity in the state. Doctors and public health advocates worry Minnesotans are gaining more and more weight. The situation also presents a fundamental and frightening challenge for health insurance companies. Some say the industry is not adapting fast enough. HMOs say Minnesotans themselves need to start living healthier lives. Mainstreet Radio's Jeff Horwich has the latest in our series, "The Fight Against Fat."
June 4, 2003 - There's a growing crisis among America's children. Recent studies agree that young people are heavier than ever. Three times more kids are considered overweight than twenty years ago. Students used to get a lot more exercise in school but school officials say they don't have the time or money for recommended physical education. Meanwhile, kids can find plenty of calories right on school property, from the lunchroom to the vending machines. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Kelleher reports the next installment in our continuing series; "The Fight Against Fat."
June 5, 2003 - Some 10 million Americans are considered severely obese. That means they're at least 100 pounds overweight. A growing number of severely obese people are turning to gastric bypass surgery as a last-ditch solution to their weight woes. The procedure is controversial. It can lead to serious health complications. But supporters say the surgery helps shed pounds and save lives. Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson has this next installment in our weeklong series "The Fight Against Fat."... {
June 5, 2003 - A growing number of Americans are turning to gastric bypass surgery to help them lose weight and improve their long-term health. In the next installment of our series, "The Fight Against Fat," Minnesota Public Radio's Nikki Tundel talks to a Saint Paul woman who had the operation a year ago. She found losing half her body weight altered much more than her waistline.
June 6, 2003 -
June 10, 2003 - Alaska's diphtheria epidemic of 1925 is well-documented in the 1995 animated movie Balto. The film's namesake, a fluffy black husky, and his sleddog team brave an Arctic blizzard to bring life-saving serum to hundreds of dying kids. While the story is true, the popular children's tale reveals just a fraction of what really happened. Cousins Laney and Gay Salisbury (SAHLS-bury) have written the first complete account of the diphtheria serum run in their new book "The Cruelest Miles." Gay Salisbury says the outbreak first appeared in Nome which, at the time, was the north-westernmost town in Alaska.
June 11, 2003 -
June 13, 2003 - The state's current employee contracts expire at the end of this month -- and negotiations between Governor Tim Pawlenty's administration and state workers are just heating up. The discussions are taking place under a tight budget, ratified as part of a $4.3 billion deficit reduction package last month. State officials say it's no secret they have limited resources to put on the bargaining table -- but public employees say that doesn't mean they'll back down. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.