March 10, 2005 - Researchers at the University of Minnesota College of Pharmacy found 31-percent of non-English speaking patients don't follow medication instructions . With a growing immigrant population in Minnesota the study has doctors and pharmacists wondering how to improve adherence to doctor's orders. Medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg discusses the study.
January 12, 2005 - An Islamic school in the Twin Cities suburbs will expand it's facilities, much to the shagrin of some of it's neighbors. "Al-Amal" school is a private K-through-12 school in Fridley. In addition to a traditional academic subject areas, the school provides classes in Koran, Islam and Arab language to it's roughly 350 students who hail from throughout the Metro area. When the school announced it wanted to expand it's facilities to include computer and science labs for it's high-school age students, neighbors balked. But on a 3-2 vote last week, the Fridley City Council approved the expansion plan. The Islamic Center of Minnesota operates the school. It's vice president, Anwar Abdul Karim, says the expansion will help provide some basic services to current students.
December 6, 2004 - Interview with Terry Bain, Spokane writer and author most recently of "You Are a Dog."
December 1, 2004 - The trickle-down effect of the state's continuing budget problems means some difficult decisions are on the horizon for school districts. Last night St. Paul school board officials learned their district faces a 24.3 million dollar budget deficit for the next school year. That's equal to six percent of the district's current budget. St. Paul superintendent Pat Harvey says state funding has been flat for the last four years, while costs are inevitably going up.
November 29, 2004 - On November 21, 2004 in the Wisconsin woods, eight hunter were shot; six died. Chai Vang has told police he shot the hunters after one of them first shot at him. Vang, a Hmong immigrant, also reportedly claims the hunters surrounded him and hurled slurs at him.
October 15, 2004 - October 15 is the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. From now through November 12, Muslims around the world will observe Siyam,the fast, from sun-up to sun-down. We talked with three Minnesota Muslims about the significance Ramadan holds for them.
October 4, 2004 -
October 1, 2004 - Augsburg College History Professor and former Minneapolis School Board member Bill Green.
September 24, 2004 -
September 23, 2004 - A plurality of Minnesotans believe that immigrants to this state cost more than they give back. In the latest Minnesota Public Radio/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll, 42 percent said they believe the cost of absorbing immigrants and helping them get established outweighed the economic, social and other contributions they make. Thirty-seven percent in the poll said the contributions immigrants made do outweigh the costs. Measuring the precise costs and contributions immigrants offer is a complicated and sometimes controversial endeavor. Kathy Fennelly teaches courses on immigration and public policy at the University of Minnesota. She says many attempts have been made to accurately portray the trade-offs.