May 11, 1998 - Tobacco companies say one of the reasons they settled Minnesota's tobacco lawsuit was their view that they couldn't get a fair trial here - they argued the jury and judge were biased against them. A statement from RJ Reynolds said the court's rulings favored the state, and, quote, "placed a loaded gun to our head". The judge in Minnesota's tobacco trial found his name in the news nearly every day for the past four months - his every word heavily scrutinized as he presided over what might be the most high-profile case in Minnesota history. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum looks at Kenneth Fitzpatrick's reputation and judicial style.
May 11, 1998 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on a highway dedication of James Wright’s poem “The Blessing.” It was written after a ride with his friend Robert Bly as they pulled their car off the road and encountered a pair of horses.
May 11, 1998 - In the wake of Minnesota's 7-billion dollar settlement with the tobacco industry, Blue Cross Blue Shield could face its own lawsuit. Some policyholders are considering filing a class-action suit, to force the insurance company to return its share of the settlement to people who paid premiums. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... Under the terms of Friday's settlement, tobacco companies will pay Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota nearly 470-million dollars over five years. The state's largest health insurer says it will use that money for smoking cessation programs and research into tobacco prevention.
May 11, 1998 - The State Board of Education has given final approval to the most contentious piece of Minnesota's new high school graduation standards. "Profile of Learning" is a blueprint all students must follow to graduate from high school, beginning with the class of 2002. The new results-oriented standards mean significant changes in public schools statewide. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... State education officials have been working on the new graduation standards for years, but the past six months have been the toughest, as legislators tried to delay or scrap the changes. The Profile of Learning w
May 12, 1998 - Kate Trewick, assistant commissioner of the Department of Children, Families and Learning; and State Senator Larry Pogemiller, chair of the Senate K-12 Budget Committee, discuss the newly approved graduation standards called "Profile of Learning." Trewick and Pogemiller also answer listener questions.
May 12, 1998 - (use THIS ... corrected TIME) Gubernatorial candidates from all three major political parties declared open season on the state's $7 Billion tobacco settlement today (TUESDAY). The candidates criticized the deal's financial structure, as well as what they consider the "excessive" fee for the state's lawyers. But the real target was the DFL front-runner in the Governor's race, Attorney General Skip Humphrey. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The critics' main theme today was attorneys fees.Prominent Republicans have been grumbling for months about the potential for a huge payout for Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, the private firm that handled the state's case; now DFL gubernatorial Mark Dayton has joined in. He says enriching the lawyers seems to be the settlement's first priority.
May 12, 1998 - Last month, three massive mergers shook the banking and financial services industries, not only because of their size .... but because of the rapid fire pace of announcements. None of the companies involved is a major player in consumer banking in this state, but the situation has many observers wondering if Minnesota companies will be next. Experts say the merger fervor affects a financial services industry that is an important and large part of the region's economy. Bill Catlin has this report. SFX cars on highway. As you approach downtown Minneapolis the city's skyline is literally defined by the financial services industry. The do
May 13, 1998 - Tony Dierckens, co-author of The Mosquito Book, and Jim Stark, Public Affairs Coordinator for the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, discuss mosquitoes. Topics on the mosquito include how many, how destructive, how useful, and what to do about them. Dierckens and Stark also answer listener questions.
May 13, 1998 - It's an old argument with a new twist. Which is more important: economics or the environment? As new technologies have emerged, some people criticize the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for favoring the economics of new ventures, and ignoring the serious environmental questions posed by evolving industries. Fishing enthusiasts with the state chapter of Trout Unlimited are monitoring construction of an ethanol plant in the southeast Minnesota town of Preston. In the second story of our weeklong series, Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports officials with the volunteer recreation group Trout Unlimited worry about possible damage to the nearby Root River--one of the state's premier trout streams. They charge the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency with lax permit enforcement and failure to recognize the Root as a valuable resource.
May 13, 1998 - The director of the Mayo Clinic Nicotine Dependence Center says Minnesota's tobacco trial will prove to be one of the most significant public health developments of the latter part of the 20th century. Dr. Richard Hurt was the state's first witness in the case. He testified nicotine is a drug and said tobacco companies conspired to hide its addictiveness. Dr. Hurt told Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe the trial is as important as any warning issued by the surgeon general.