April 27, 1998 - As part of MPR's month-long series of programs and reports on "Religion in Everyday Life,” Lynn Neary, National Public Radio's religion correspondent, gives a speech in the Twin Cities titled "Exploring the Landscape of Religious America."
April 27, 1998 - The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has found half the ten feedlots it tested in the past two weeks exceed state standards for hydrogen sulfide, a toxic gas. State Agriculture Commissioner Gene Hugoson says the test results are unsettling, but factors such as wind, weather, livestock feed and water, could have influenced the outcome: Minnesota Agriculture Commissioner, Gene Hugoson. Sun 28-MAY 11:25:05 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
April 27, 1998 - (Saint Paul) All this month, in a series of reports and commentaries, Minnesota Public Radio is exploring religious issues in everyday life. Americans are searching for greater spiritual meaning---even at a time when church attendance is declining. That's because more and more people are finding new ways of spiritual exploration through non-traditional practices such as meditation, environmentalism and even WORK! Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports on what ONE person is doing to find a greater meaning in the work HE does---ADVERTISING: If Kevin Lynch had to put God on a billboard, he has a slogan ready to go: BITE:#4412 :05-secs
April 27, 1998 - More than a year after floodwaters swept through hundreds of homes in the Red River Valley... some people have yet to begin rebuilding. A combination of construction complications and fear of another flood are stalling repairs. Minnesota Public Radio's Hope Deutscher reports... (nat. of raking leaves...) As Gene Schutt rakes up the dead leaves lying scattered in his garden in Ada, he's getting excited about his new lawnmower...
April 27, 1998 - The transportation bill being finalized in Congress contains money for a light rail transit line in Minneapolis. State and Hennepin county taxpayers are also investing tens of millions in the project. The proposed $370 million LRT line from downtown Minneapolis to the airport would run ten miles along Hiawatha Avenue. It would open for service in 2003. What can people expect? Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson visited St. Louis, a metropolitan area about the same size as the Twin Cities, to find out. St. Louis' five year old light rail transit line is a big success. Riders flock to the gleaming, stainless steel, electric powered cars. They glide along seventeen miles of track from East St. Louis, Illinois on one end,across the Mississippi throught St. Louis to the airport - Lambert field - west of St. Louis, stopping at ninteen stations along the way.
April 27, 1998 - A public school in southwestern Minnesota has won a major legal victory. Vesta Elementary School is a small school that's owned by members of a religious community, but rented to and run by the Wabasso School District. It's a public school open to all, but the vast majority of students are members of a religious group called the "Brethren" by outsiders. The curriculum includes no religious instruction, but the school has made some adaptations to the Brethren's beliefs, such is not using television in the classroom. Several years ago, two taxpayers sued to block the school... contending it amounted to state sponsored advancement of religion. But today, the U-S Supreme Court rejected that argument by deciding not to hear the case. That means an earlier Appeals Court ruling that sided with the district will stand. Chris Thomalla school that runs the Vesta elementary school.
April 28, 1998 - As part of MPR's month-long series of programs and reports on "Religion in Everyday Life,” this program presents various reports, interviews and commentaries compiled from the series, and looks at the contemporary impact and influence of religion in America.
April 28, 1998 - Theologian Martin Marty, director of the Public Religion Project at the University of Chicago School of Divinity, addresses the Minnesota Meeting. Marty’s speech was titled, "Religion in America: Should we Bring Religion Out of the Shadows and into Public Life?" Speech is followed by a question and answer period. Minnesota Meeting is a non-profit corporation which hosts a wide range of public speakers. It is managed by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
April 28, 1998 - On Thursday, the state of Minnesota will release the results of the 1998 basic skills tests for reading and math. The tests are designed to measure whether eighth graders are meeting the minimum requirements for graduation. But a new study shows that the tests are harder than the public has been led to believe. A study commissioned by an association of 24 metro-area schools also shows that many students who failed the basic skills tests scored above the national average on national tests. Mark Mallander is the Executive Director the Association of Metropolitan School Districts and he joins us now. Sun 28-MAY 11:24:53 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
April 28, 1998 - Faculty at Minnesota's State Universities have authorized a strike against MnSCU - the State Colleges and Universities system... although a strike date has not been set. The Inter Faculty Association, which represents more than three-thousand faculty members, has been negotiating since its contract expired last June. The union's demands include higher pay raises and less reliance on part-time faculty. Ann Weyandt is chief negotiator for MnSCU. Sun 28-MAY 11:24:52 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001