May 9, 1997 - Remember the Minnesota Budget Surplus? The state's bookkeepers made a splash in the news when they said they expected to rake in 2-point-3 BILLION dollars more in tax dollars over the next two years than they'd anticipated. The announcement set lawmakers at the state capitol to claim some of the money on their pet projects. Now, as the legislative session draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on what's happened to the budget surplus: ((sound of taxes conference negotiations)) The details of the state budget have yet to be finalized in negotiations like this one, where House and Senate negotiators are slogging through hundreds of pages of new tax statutes. But you can already make out the general trend, and that's higher spending. K-12 spending is going up te
May 9, 1997 - As the Red River continues to recede, the extent of damage left behind emerges. Hundreds of Federal Emergency Management Agency Inspectors have surveyed more than 20-thousand homes damaged by the blizzards or the recent Red River flooding. Heidi and Maurice Borud live south of Fargo along the winding Red River. During the flood, the water came over their earthen dike and permanent floodwall... first filling the backyard swimming pool, then the yard itself... and ultimately both floors of the house. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher spoke with the Boruds and with a FEMA inspector. | D-CART ITEM: 1163 | TIME: 4:03 | OUTCUE: "...soc"
May 9, 1997 - In the aftermath of spring's record flooding in the Red River Valley, Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on one of the most visible and immediate legacy of disaster…trash.
May 9, 1997 - THOUSANDS OF RESIDENTS IN GRAND FORKS NORTH DAKOTA AND EAST GRAND FORKS MINNESOTA ARE BUSY CLEANING CLEANING MUD AND SOGGY BELONGING FROM THEIR HOMES. HUGE PILES OF DEBRIS LINE MOST RESIDENTIAL STREETS. BUT IN NEIGHBORHOODS CLOSE TO THE RED RIVER THERE ARE NO TRASH PILES..AND LITTLE ACTIVITY. THESE MOST DEVASTATED AREAS WILL LIKELY BE DESTROYED TO MAKE ROOM FOR A NEW SYSTEM OF LEVEES. RESIDENTS OF EAST GRAND FORKS WILL GET THE BAD NEWS AT A TOWN MEETING TODAY (FRI- 4PM) MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIOS DAN GUNDERSON REPORTS..
May 12, 1997 - MPR’s John Biewen profiles local composer Randall Davidson and the work of connecting artist with communities. For Davidson, that includes projects involving Hmong community and life stories of St. Paul public housing residents.
May 12, 1997 - In today's Odd Jobs feature the man who puts the "international" in Rochester International Airport. Wes Niemitalo (NEE-muh-tell-oh) is the sole U.S. Customs Agent at the aiport - paid for by the city and the Mayo Clinic. He spends most of his day waiting to check in well-to-do overseas travelers coming in their private or government aircraft to the clinic for medical treatment. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe talked to a man who gets an inside look at the lives of some rich and famous patients.
May 12, 1997 - The tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Ada is in the midst of a medical crisis. The city lost its only clinic, hospital and nursing home to flooding last month. The facilities are doubly important because together they comprise the town's biggest employer. At first, Ada heard it would probably get enough federal funds to rebuild the hospital. But recent visits by federal inspectors have not been so optomistic. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the hospital's future is now in doubt: Ada was one of the first communities to be hit hard by flood
May 12, 1997 - Police officials and now civilians across the country are looking for a man suspected of killing four men in a spree stretching from Minnesota to New Jersey. The last victim was a cemetery caretaker in New Jersey on Friday. Authorities there say suspect Andrew Cunanan (koo-NAN-in) could be anywhere by now. Cunanan (koo-NAN-in) has been on the run since April 29th, and there have been some rumblings about why the suspect hasn't been caught yet, and whether law enforcement or the media are to blame. Nick O'Hara is the superintendent of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Before that, he spent thirty years with the F-B-I, including seven years heading up its fugitive task force. We asked him whether the frustration in not catching Cunanan (koo-NAN-in) is justified: | D-CART ITEM: 1681
May 13, 1997 - Minneapolis and Saint Paul school officials say the fastest growing segment of their enrollment is immigrant students, who are unable to speak English. Both districts are directing considerable resources toward English as a Second Language and bilingual education programs. But increased immigration has brought even more students speaking a myriad of native languages...and qualified teachers are hard to find. The state pays much of the cost to teach such students, but districts say it's still a big financial burden. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire looks at the impact of immigrant students and one alternative project trying to help... 1624
May 13, 1997 - With a threat of a Governor's veto, both houses of the Minnesota Legislature have passed a bill increasing the state's minimum wage. A bill passed the House last week differs at the bottom-line with the measure which passed in the Senate today. But Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports conferees are expected to quickly iron out their differences: The Senate bill increases the state wage to the federal level, from 4.25 and hour to 5.15 an hour. The house version, increases it above the federal level, to 5.40 and hour. Conferees are expected to go with the lower of the two.