February 12, 2014 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki looks into the many intitial rollout problems of MNsure, the state’s health insurance exchange.
January 26, 2011 - President Barack Obama appeared to give a nod to supporters of tort reform last night (Tuesday) during his State of the Union address. Even while defending his health care law, the President said he'd be open to "medical malpractice reform to rein in frivolous lawsuits." In the past Obama has shown some interest in reforming state medical malpractice laws but has stopped short of supporting federal caps on damage awards. But that is what Republicans want. Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Just this week, two Republicans and one Democrat in the US House Judiciary committee introduced what they're calling the HEALTH ACT -- the Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare Act of 2011.
October 8, 2010 - Gov. Tim Pawlenty is standing by his decision to ignore a federal request for input on a key piece of health care reform. The Department of Health and Human Services had asked states for their recommendations on "insurance exchanges." These are online marketplaces where consumers can compare and buy health plans. Pawlenty opposes health reform. He said today (Friday) exchanges are big government interfering with the free market. But three years ago, Pawlenty advocated a similar idea. Elizabeth Stawicki reports: During his radio show today, Gov. Tim Pawlenty expanded on why he decided against sending in a Minnesota health department report about health insurance exchanges. He said the best insurance exchange is the free market:
March 10, 2010 - Midday features a rebroadcast of two Voices of Minnesota stories about women in World War II. Program includes the profiles, interviews, and a brief NPR report on Women Airforce Service Pilots.
July 7, 2009 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki profiles a woman who shares a lifetime of domestic abuse. It’s a story that is seldom spoken about.
June 1, 2009 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports on arguments to the Supreme Court over Senate seat.. Minnesota's long-running U.S. Senate race is in the hands of the Minnesota Supreme Court. Justices grilled attorneys for Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken during oral arguments. Coleman is appealing a three-judge panel's decision that put Franken ahead by 312 votes.
December 17, 2008 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports on arguments to the Supreme Court regarding ejected absantee ballots. An attorney for Norm Coleman's re-election campaign told Minnesota Supreme Court justices that the idea the estimated 1600 rejected absentee ballots in the Senate recount fit neatly into a category is an illusion. The court heard arguments on the campaign's petition to stop counties from adding wrongly rejected absentee ballots to their recount totals; or at least set uniform rules as to how counties should open and count those ballots.
October 23, 2007 - A law firm representing I-35 bridge victims has hired a forensic engineering company that investigated the collapse of the world trade center towers. Robins Kaplan hired the New York firm to determine why the I-35 Bridge collapsed in August. As Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the chief investigator has a unique connection to Minneapolis. {Within hours of the September 11th attacks, the FAA ordered all planes to land at the nearest airport. For structural engineer, Manny Velivasakis that meant his flight from New York to Vancouver was diverted to Minneapolis. After he had deplaned, he watched airport TVs showing black smoke enveloping the trade center site.
October 11, 2007 - A member of Minnesota's Supreme Court says he's stepping down in January to return to private practice. Justice Sam Hanson told the governor this afternoon that he'll be returning to his former Minneapolis law firm, Briggs and Morgan.
August 13, 2007 - With a major disaster such as the 35W bridge collapse, questions inevitably turn to who will compensate the victims and their families for their losses. Some metro area attorneys say families have approached them about filing lawsuits. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the question of whether victims can obtain compensation will depend largely on which entity is found to be at fault for the bridge's failure.