October 27, 2003 - No contract talks were scheduled today (Mon) to break the impasse between the University of Minnesota and its clerical workers union. Nearly 800 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal workers have been on strike since Tuesday on the university's four campuses. The clerical workers rejected what university officials have characterized as their last, best offer. It includes a wage freeze in the first year and a two-and-a-half percent increase in the second year. Employee health care costs would also rise under the proposal. A week into the walkout, strikers appear to be having mixed success in disrupting university business. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.
October 28, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty's task force on addressing rising health care costs held its first meeting yesterday. Pawlenty wants the 18-member group to present ideas to him before the Legislature begins its work in February. The governor and others are concerned Minnesotans won't be able to afford continuing double digit increases in health insurance premiums. The difficulties with Pawlenty's challenge were evident during the committee's first meeting and some in the group worry that they might not meet Governor Pawlenty's January deadline. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
October 29, 2003 - A University of Minnesota official suggested today (Weds) it may be time to head back to the table with striking clerical workers to discuss contract issues other than the key sticking points of wages and benefits. The union's top union official reacted warily, but didn't reject the idea. On the ninth day of the work stoppage it was a rare sign of movement. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa Helms reports.
October 29, 2003 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill looks back at fight to stop the pollution of Lake Superior, an early chapter in the history of the environmental movement. It established the principle that the government can force industry to clean up its pollution.
October 30, 2003 - Radio talk show host and political commentator Rush Limbaugh put the issue of drug abuse on the front pages a few weeks ago with his admission that he's addicted to the drug OxyContin and other painkillers. OxyContin is the same drug that's perplexed physicians and law enforcement officials in northern Minnesota because its abuse has become one of their biggest problems. Dr. Jon Hallberg is medical director of the University of Minnesota Primary Care Center and our regular medical analyst here on All Things Considered. He says OxyContin presents a particular dilemma.
October 30, 2003 - Governor Pawlenty said today (THURSDAY) that he'll encourage the Legislature to pass a bill next session that would lower the legal blood alcohol limit from point one zero to point zero-eight. Pawlenty says lowering the legal limit will reduce the number of drunk drivers on the roads. The state will also receive millions of dollars in federal highway money that was only going to states that have the point-zero-eight standard. The Legislature failed to pass the bill in previous sessions. Opponents argue the lower limit could hurt business for bars, restaurants and bowling alleys. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
October 31, 2003 - The threat of bioterrorism is now part of our reality. That means new skills are necessary for doctors and nurses. An outbreak of smallpox, an untreatable disease, could be especially dire. Its last known occurrence in the United States was in 1947. So most healthcare practioners don't know what it looks like, let alone, how to treat it. Nothing indicates that smallpox is an imminent threat. Still, hospitals around the country need to plan for a potential outbreak. Doctors in St. Cloud were tired of the same old song and dance, so they came up with a new one. Mainstreet Radio's Annie Baxter reports. {
November 7, 2003 - On this hour of Midday, host Gary Eichten talks with William McGuire, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group, about healthcare reform and what could happen in Minnesota. McGuire discusses healthcare resources and defining ‘essential’ healthcare.
November 17, 2003 - The St. Paul Companies plans to merge this spring with a rival nearly twice its size. The St. Paul would join with Travelers Property Casualty, a Connecticut-based provider of business and personal insurance. The combined company would be the nation's second-largest commercial insurer. The company will have its headquarters in St. Paul. But the move raises questions about the future in Minnesota of one of the state's oldest companies. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
November 17, 2003 - Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch was in Hennpin County District Court this morning to ask a judge to force the drug company GlaxoSmithKline to produce documents related to sales in Canada. Hatch is conducting an investigation into whether Glaxo and other drug companies are conspiring to limit drug sales to Canada in retaliation for cross-border drug sales. Many Canadian mail order and internet pharmacies are profiting by selling less expensive, price-controlled prescription drugs to Americans. Hatch says he wants Glaxo to turn over any documents that exist in Canada and England, where the company is based. Glaxo attorneys say Hatch is overstepping his authority. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...