June 26, 2001 - Thirteen hundred and fifty nurses at two Fairview hospitals in the Twin Cities are headed back to work after ratifying a new contract yesterday. (MONDAY) While the Twin Cities nurses' strike lasted 23 days, a group of nurses in Alexandria has been on strike for nearly two years. 23 licensed practical nurses walked off the job at the Alexandria Clinic in September of 1999, they are still on strike and their labor dispute could continue for years. Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports.
June 27, 2001 - Patient groups, right to life advocates and researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic are anxiously waiting for a decision by President Bush regarding the public funding of embryonic stem cell research. The controversial procedure has been hailed by scientists as a way of curing diseases like diabetes and parkinsons. Opponents say the procedure is immoral and unethical because scientists need to destroy a fertilized egg to isolate the precious cells. They say a similar procedure taking similar cells from adults will be just as useful. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
June 27, 2001 - A White House spokesman says President Bush is ready to compromise but wants some limits on the right of patients to sue. President Bush is meeting with House Republicans this afternoon. South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle says the Senate's version of the Patient Bill of Rights is five years of compromise and he's determined to pass the legislation before adjourning for summer recess. Daschle is using his new authority as Senate majority leader to acknowledge his home state roots, while adding an intense layer of political arm twisting to his national constituency. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland attended a round table discussion between South Dakota doctors and the state's most powerful leader.
June 28, 2001 - With the clock still ticking toward a partial government shutdown, House and Senate negotiators reached agreement on an eight-point-seven Billion dollar funding bill for K-12 education early this morning. The bill would increase spending for schools by slightly more than the inflation rate for each of the next two years. It also contains a provison designed to ensure that school districts base their teacher contracts on the actual amount of money they receive from the state. Meanwhile, the House and Senate are scheduled to vote on a major property tax overhaul later today. But obstacles remain in other areas of the state's two-year budget. Lawmakers say it will take at least another day before they can complete their work. Administration officials say that brings the state uncomfortably close to a shutdown. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
June 29, 2001 - With time running out to avoid a partial government shutdown, a House-Senate working group trying to put together a transportation funding bill broke off talks without an agreement at 4:30 this morning. The two sides plan to get back together later this morning after they accused each other of breaking earlier deals. Meanwhile, lawmakers working on the state government bill are negotiating behind closed doors and expect the full working group to take up the bill later today. Lawmakers did reach an agreement on another major bill funding health and human services. Both sides say they still hope to pass all the bills by tomorrow night's deadline and avoid the shutdown. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
July 2, 2001 - The Minnesota Legislature wrapped up a new two-year budget early this morning hours before a partial government shutdown would have begun. Lawmakers approved the final three spending bills and a bonding bill for long-term investments. Later today (SATURDAY), Governor Jesse Ventura is scheduled to sign the various spending items along with a tax bill passed earlier in the week. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.
July 2, 2001 -
July 3, 2001 - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reported 19 boating deaths during 2000 down three from 1999. So far this year, there have been eight boating deaths. According to the DNR, the state's boating death rate continues to be one of the lowest in the nation. Part of the reason is the work by county sheriff water safety patrols. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Reha reports from Ottertail County in northwestern Minnesota. }
July 3, 2001 - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says air pollution levels in the Twin Cities last week jumped to the highest levels since the nineteen seventies. Temperatures in the nineties and hot, stagant air mixed with high levels of auto emissions increased the amount of ozone and other toxins causing a health alert for three days. David Thornton, a specialist with the agency's Policy and Planning Division says some areas of the Twin Cities reported worse levels than others:
July 5, 2001 -