March 5, 1998 - Minnesota has begun penalizing welfare recipients who fail to comply with the state's new welfare law. This month, about 950 parents had their welfare checks reduced. But that's a small portion of the total number of people enrolled in the Minnesota Family Investment Program. Out of some 32-thousand cases, only 2.4 percent had their checks cut by 10 percent. Half a percent had their checks cut 30 percent. Deborah Huskins is assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.; Minnesota has begun penalizing welfare recipients who fail to comply with the state's new welfare law. This month, about 950 parents had their welfare checks reduced. But that's a small portion of the total number of people enrolled in the Minnesota Family Investment Program. Out of some 32-thousand cases, only 2.4 percent had their checks cut by 10 percent. Half a percent had their checks cut 30 percent. Deborah Huskins is assistant commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.
March 5, 1998 - Carl Vogt, an Extension Forester with the University of Minnesota, discusses how the maple sap is flowing and the prospects for the syrup harvest.
March 4, 1998 - In addition to electing delegates, the DFLers held a straw poll in the governor's race. With 44 percent of the precincts reporting, Attorney General Skip Humphrey is in front with 35 percent of the vote. Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman is second with 30 percent. No other candidate has more than 10 percent of the votes that have been counted. Joining me now for some instant analysis is Steven Schier, chair of the political science department at Carleton College in Northfield.
March 3, 1998 - The perception is that the people who do show up at the caucuses are mainly party activists or people interested in one issue. DFLer Michelle St. Martin will convene a precinct caucus in her South Minneapolis Senate district. She says that's a misperception.
March 2, 1998 - Another work-week gets underway at the State Capitol. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste is watching things from the Capitol Bureau.
February 27, 1998 - The basin of the Amazon river is home to the world's richest assortment of life - including some 20 million different species. In fact, it's estimated the Amazon contains one quarter of all the plants on Earth. Scientists believe the region's incredible biodiversity can be tapped to find cures for diseases modern medicine has been unable to conquer. For 15 years, ethnobotanist Dr. Mark Plotkin has worked with shamans from South and Central American tribes to learn more about the medicinal use of native plants and animals. He and his work are featured in the new Oscar-nominated IMAX movie "Amazon" which opens today at the Minnesota Zoo.
February 26, 1998 - Attorney Greg Wersal discusses his challenge to the recently enacted law which prohibits judicial candidates from getting party endorsement.
February 26, 1998 - The new state revenue forecast is due out tomorrow and the expectation is that the budget surplus will rise to 1.8 billion dollars. Lobbyist Judy Cook of the Minnesota Retail Merchants Association keeps close tabs on the activity at the Capitol. She was at the Senate Tax Committee meeting last night and says the budget surplus was a hot topic of conversation.
February 25, 1998 - A group of about 150 people protested at the Minneapolis School Board meeting last night. A number of parents told the Board the community schools system, which gives parents the option sending their children to a neighborhood school, is increasing segregation and hurting the education among students of color. School Board President Bill Green listened to the comments last night. He says the community schools system was started two years ago because busing was keeping parents from involved in the schools.
February 24, 1998 - While Florida and California are being battered by deadly storms, the weather in Minnesota has been just as unusual... but much more benign. Temperatures that have stayed well into the 30s and 40s have caused most people to shed their winter coats. They're also prompting some plants to come out of dormancy a few weeks early this season. We talk with Deb Brown, extension horticulturalist at the University of Minnesota, about how to protect early buds.