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.
June 16, 2003 - St. Paul gym teacher and hockey coach Jon Westby spent yesterday's Father's Day holiday with two rambunctious 7 year-olds -- his twin sons, Henry and James. It was a remarkable day for Westby because there was a time when he wasn't sure his sons would overcome the difficult odds they faced. Westby writes about that experience in his new book, "They Will Know They are Loved: A Family's Life with Premature Twins." He says when he first found out his wife Catherine was having twins, he was elated. But that excitement soon turned to fear.
June 17, 2003 -
June 18, 2003 - Northwest Airlines is laying off another 150 aircraft mechanics, most of them in the Twin Cities. The airline is technically eliminating nearly 700 positions in response to a drop in travel caused by the SARS virus. But most of those mechanics will still have work as a result of new jobs Northwest is creating at Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports on the airline's latest effort to cut costs.
June 19, 2003 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Jim Quackenbush, a pork producer, about fast-food giant McDonald's asking its meat suppliers to phase out the use of antibiotics which promote animal growth. The company is responding to concerns that antibiotics given to animals in feed reduces the effectiveness of antibiotic medicines in humans. The announcement is likely to have a profound effect on beef and pork producers in Minnesota.
June 20, 2003 - President Bush traveled to Minnesota yesterday THURSDAY to highlight the tax cuts he recently signed into law. The president spoke to about two-thousand people at an electronics manufacturing firm in Fridley. He says the tax relief package will help Micro Control Company and other small businesses create jobs. Economic issues could be crucial in the president's re-election bid. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports...
June 25, 2003 - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's Citizen's Board gave the go-ahead to Rochester Public Utilities on its plan to increase its coal consumption by 55 percent. The decision makes it the first time in ten years that the MPCA has allowed a power plant to INCREASE its burning of coal. Minnesota Public Radio's Rob Schmitz has this report. {Rochester Public Utilities, or RPU, will increase its coal consumption by up to 73,000 tons per year. It will produce steam to power new buildings at the Mayo Clinic. The nine-member MPCA Citizen's Board listened to five hours of what was mostly intense criticism of the plan before unanimously voting for it. The board did write an amendment to the permit requiring RPU to complete what the board called an 'economic analysis' and a 'feasibility study' on developing cleaner burning technology. RPU will have to present the study to the MPCA in November. Norm Erickson represents the Rochester Energy Futures Coalition, the main opposition to RPU's plans. He says he's satisfied by the amendment, but he's worried it won't be enough.
June 26, 2003 - South Dakota lawmakers head into a special legislative session today. There's only one item on the agenda - that's to create a health care risk pool for people who cannot get health insurance. About a thousand people in South Dakota are unable to get insurance. Their poor health is only part of the problem. More and more insurance companies are pulling out of South Dakota refusing to insure anyone. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland has the story.