December 2, 1974 - No fault auto insurance starts Jan. 1 1975. Under this law every car owner?s own insurance pays no matter who is at fault. The law applies only to bodily damage, not motor vehicle damage. The law has angered seniors who would pay premiums covering loss of earned income, when they don?t have earned income, thus they?d be paying for something they?re not getting. Andrew Whitman, insurance consultant, explains the provisions of the law, and objections to it. He says the no-fault portion is a small part of a typical premium. The law could be challenged due to a statute requiring that insurance rates not be unfairly discriminatory.
December 2, 1974 - A teen girl died from sniffing Pam, a spray vegetable coating used in cooking, consisting of 98 percent Freon and 2 percent vegetable oil. North Dakota State Toxicology Lab scientists Dr. N.G. Raugh and Dr. Alphonse Bocklus explain what Freon is and the dangers involved in sniffing it to get high. Freon, a brand name now used generically for a fluorocarbon, is found in spray product propellants in various concentrations.
December 2, 1974 - Warren Ditch, Minneapolis Homestead Coordinator, talks about a new Minneapolis homestead program offering selected houses for one dollar. Buyers will be chosen by lottery. The city has a low-interest loan program to help with costs of renovation, with rates from 4, 6 and 8 percent depending on homeowner income. Homesteaders must complete renovations and bring the house up to code within a certain time period and occupy it for three years.
December 13, 1974 - Richard S. Salant, president of CBS News, engaged in a question and answer session sponsored by the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at the University of Minnesota. MPR reporter Connie Goldman attended the informal discussion of network news operation and prepared this report. Ron Handberg of WCCO-TV, a CBS affiliate, introduced Richard Salant.
December 13, 1974 - MPR’s Connie Goldman talks to art dealer Hildegard Bachert at Dayton's eighth floor display, “Grandma Moses - Christmas in the Country.”
December 15, 1974 - MPR’s Greg Barron produces “In Search of a Better Life,” a documentary which explores the origin, life and challenges of Mexican American community in Minnesota. The community of St. Paul’s West Side neighborhood is highlighted.
December 17, 1974 - John Boland, state legislator and chairman of the Metropolitan Council, talks about the state of the region to the Citizens League annual meeting.
December 17, 1974 - Karen Klein, professor at Brandeis University, delivers luncheon address on the feminism and the family in literature at a meeting of the Minneapolis-St. Paul chapter of the Brandeis Women. MPR’s Connie Goldman attended the event and recorded Dr. Klein's discussion.
December 30, 1974 - Anthropologist and author Margaret Mead speaks at American Museum of Natural History conference on aging.
January 1, 1975 - Professor and author Joseph Campbell speaks at Kundalini lecture. Topic is on yoga and far east thought.