October 16, 2003 - Students from the University of Minnesota marked World Food Day by joining thousands of others in a worldwide teleconference. Each year, an international panel of experts comes together to help increase public awareness of hunger and discuss ways to combat it. Today's event focused on the challenges facing Africa. It addressed a full range of problems that contribute to hunger on the African continent -- from drought and disease to lack of education and poor governance. Tyco Haessler is one of the U of M students who participated in today's discussion.
October 14, 2003 - It's a tale that's become familiar. A small independent business -- faced with online and big box competition -- struggles to stay afloat. But that's not the whole story of St. Paul's Ruminator Books. The independent bookseller has shrunk its inventory and laid off half its staff in the past couple of years, and authors from across the country are rallying to the store's aid by contributing items for an upcoming online auction. David Unowsky has owned the bookstore for 33 years. He says competition from the national chains has been a factor, but not the only reason the Ruminator is in dire straits.
October 10, 2003 - A dose of Shakespearean doggerel may soon join the more traditional USO entertainment that provides U.S. troops with some relief from 6-mile marches, combat drills and cleaning details. The U-S military, which has for several months taken arms against a sea of troubles -- with hopes of ending them, will get a boost from the Bard himself. Minneapolis' Guthrie Theater is one of seven theater companies that will perform Shakespeare for troops at military bases in the states. The defense bill recently approved in Congress includes one million dollars to fund the effort.
October 9, 2003 -
October 8, 2003 - Last months shootings in a Cold Spring school and at the Hennepin County Government Center recently have focused attention on gun violence. Medical professionals say the problem goes well beyond those headline-grabbing incidents, but they've been struggling to find the right approach to reduce gun injuries and deaths. Dr. Jon Hallberg is medical director of the Primary Care center at the University of Minnesota. He says gun violence should be treated like any other public health issue.
October 3, 2003 - It's been two years since anthrax-tainted mail terrorized the nation in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Over the course of several weeks, five people died and 17 others became sick after being exposed to anthrax. No one has been arrested in those attacks. Michael OH-ster-holm is the Director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy. He says one of the most sobering discoveries to come out of the anthrax investigation is how easy it is to disperse the dangerous POWDER.
October 2, 2003 - This summer, a commission appointed by President Bush called for transformation of the patchwork of federal and state programs that often hinders access to mental health care. The study also called for equal insurance coverage of mental illnesses. William Cope Moyers says any such changes ought to include addiction treatment. Moyers is a vice president for the Hazelden foundation, an addiction treatment facility based in Center City. He says that addiction treatment has been excluded from coverage of mental illnesses, even though a large percentage of individuals who wrestle with addiction also have mental health problems.
October 1, 2003 -
October 1, 2003 - Critics of escalating prescription prices say one of the factors driving up costs in this country is advertising. The U-S and New Zealand are the only two nations that permit drug advertising. The U-S Food and Drug Administration regulates the ads, and invited researchers to testify last week on the practical effects of the advertising. Dr. Jon Hallberg was among those who testified. He's the medical director of the primary care center at the University of Minnesota, and our regular medical and health analyst here on Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered. He says drug advertising certainly gets people in the clinic door.
October 1, 2003 - A national study confirms what many Twin Cities commuters already know -- they're spending more time stuck in traffic. The study out of the Texas Transportation Institute estimates the average Twin Cities commuter spent 53 hours tied up in traffic jams in 2001, the most recent year with available figures. Among the 75 urban areas studied, the Twin Cities ranks second for the pace at which congestion is worsening. The study suggests metro areas with larger mass transit systems have lower levels of congestion. Tim HENK-uhl is the program manager for the Minnesota Department of Transportation's Metro District. He says the report verifies the need for a more diversified long-term approach to transit.