June 3, 1998 - An MPR special on the environmental implications of the deformed and declining populations of frogs. Ron Heyer, Curator of Amphibians & Reptiles at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History and the Chair of the Declining Amphibian Populations Task Force, discusses the issue and answers listener questions. Program begins with a report from MPR’s Mary Losure, who interviews various experts in the science community.
June 3, 1998 - Independent living is one of the topics during the AARP conference tomorrow afternoon. It's an issue we all wonder about as we age. How can we stay in our own homes as long as possible? Geriatrician Eric Tangalos says living at home is not only a personal preference for most people...it's also healthier.
June 3, 1998 - Vice President Al Gore pledged today in Minneapolis that he and the President Clinton will protect social security and Medicare. He also told seniors gathered for the AARP national convention that he'll fight for a patient's bill of rights to protect against what he says are abuses in managed health care. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.
June 3, 1998 - Thousands of Twin Cities area residents are still waiting for the lights to come back on after last Saturday's storm. As of this afternoon, Northern States Power reports 41-thousand-200 customers without power. That's down from a total of 434-thousand Saturday night. But the utility says it could be Friday before all service is restored. Utility crews are working non-stop, but some customers are losing patience. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... (Sound of crew) On a stretch of rural road in Afton, utility workers prepare an auger to drill fresh holes in a ditch cluttered with broken tree branches. They'll erect new wooden poles and replace the power line neede
June 3, 1998 - In the years since the first reports about the disappearance of frogs worldwide, many researchers have warned the plight of amphibians may be an early sign of environmental problems that could affect humans. More recent reports of DEFORMED frogs have added to these concerns. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure has the final report in our series on vanishing frogs. Around the world, frogs are disappearing for reasons scientists don't understand. Now, that mystery has a new twist---the DEFORMED frogs first reported in Minnesota in 1995, and later from many other states.
June 3, 1998 - THE ANNUAL AARP CONVENTION IN MINNEAPOLIS THIS WEEK IS FOR MEMBERS FIFTY AND OLDER. BUT ONE CAMPAIGN BEING LAUNCHED AT THE CONVENTION IS AIMED AT BABIES. FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HEALTH EDUCTORS HAVE BEEN TEACHING PARENTS ABOUT WAYS TO PREVENT SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROM OR SIDS. NOW AS MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S MARY STUCKY REPORTS MEDICAL AUTHOTIRITES BELIEVE ITS ESPECIALLY IMPROTANT FOR GRANDPARENTS TO GET THIS MESSAGE. nats 24:05 "Look at that. Are you going to make some noise?" (crying)
June 3, 1998 - If today were election day, Minnesotans would pick Attorney General Skip Humphrey to be their next Governor. That's assuming a race between Humphrey and the current Republican front-runner, Norm Coleman -- one of several possible match-ups tested on voters in a new poll by MPR, the Pioneer Press and KARE-11. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more: In this poll, Skip Humphrey looks strong on a number of fronts. Paired off in a hypothetical race against Republican front-runner Norm Coleman, Humphrey comes out on top, 46 percent to 30. Humphrey has to win the DFL nomination before he faces a Republican... but things are looking good for him, there, too: in a survey of likely primary voters, all other DFLers trail Humphrey by at least 19 percentage points. The Humphrey campaign chairman, Vance Opperman, says Democrats have concluded that Humphrey is the one who can lead their party back to the governor's mansion:
June 3, 1998 - This weekend, at the D-F-L convention in St. Cloud, democratic candidates will vote yes for a political prize whose value is in dispute. The D-F-L and Republican endorsements represent the choice of people who are active in party politics, but the endorsements are no guarantee of winning either the primary election in September or the general election. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports. --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 2313 | TIME: 4:08 | OUTCUE: SOC --------------------------------------------------------- The endorsement typically bring with it party money, voter and donor lists, get-out-the vote activities, and sample ballots; political assets that otherwise would cost candidates hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hen
June 3, 1998 - Migrant workers are arriving in southeast Minnesota to work in canning and packing plants. Many come from the Eagle Pass area of Texas, along the Mexican border. They used to travel to the Red River Valley to work on the sugar beet harvest but mechanization and better farm chemicals mean sugar beet farmers don't need as much labor. In the first report in an occasional series on migrants in Minnesota, Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe introduces us to one migrant family and what they leave behind.
June 3, 1998 - There's change taking place in Saint Peter. Since the tornado hit March 29th, businesses and homes are slowly rebuilding. It seems the storm effected everything and everyone. And for some people reinvention rather than replication from the rubble heals best. In the past few weeks we've been following the recovery through the eyes of two Saint Peter residents. Today Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman talks again with resident Nancy Jordet. Nancy Jordet has been very busy reconstructing her life. But there's a sense of calm and purpose in her face that was missing those first few days after the storm. She is back at work running her graphic design business, but the common problems of balancing business and family