December 3, 2003 - After Pawlenty issued the order last summer saying that no civilly committed sex offenders should be released without a court order he was sued by Eric Janus, a professor at the William Mitchell College of Law. Janus represented Dennis Linehan who challenged the state's civil commitment law. e joins us now. That is Attorney Eric Janus. We'll have more on this issue later today on Midday.
December 3, 2003 - A hotel developer wants to build a huge water park near the Mall of America. Jeffrey Wirth, who owns the Grand Hotel in Minneapolis, announced his plan yesterday (Tuesday). The project would include a hotel, a convention center, and a 90-thousand square foot water park... with a slide ten stories high. Wirth has a purchase agreement for the site along Interstate 494 in Bloomington, but has said he needs help from the city to build the park. Mr. Wirth joins us now. That is developer Jeffrey Wirth.
December 2, 2003 - Later today, citizens will be invited to weigh in on six solutions to the Stillwater bridge controversy. Traffic has been a growing problem on the historic bridge which crosses the St. Croix river, and despite years of debate, no acceptable solution has been found. Opposing groups have not been able to reach agreement in the past, but this time representatives from all interested parties are involved in the decision making. That includes federal, state and local officials, environmentalists and preservationists. Mike Hughes is a senior mediator for RESOLVE, a group that is working with interested parties to find a solution. He joins us now.
November 27, 2003 - Over 2000 Minnesotans are expected to be at Mall of America this morning to raise money for hungry people in the state. The Hormel Hunger Walk gets underway at 8:00 a.m. and will benefit Minnesota food banks. Hunger is on the rise in Minnesota. Over the past 18 months, food shelf usage has risen nearly 15 percent. Janine Laird is the director of public policy and advocacy for Hunger Solutions Minnesota, which coordinates Minnesota's network of 320 food shelves. She joins us now from the Mall of America.
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November 25, 2003 - Parents of students at Stillwater Area High School met last night (MONDAY) to discuss recent problems at the school. Last week, 16 students were suspended after a fight between an Asian student and a white student led to an exchange of racial slurs and two larger fights. Stillwater Area High School is located in Washington County, about 15 miles east of St. Paul. Census Bureau estimates show the number of minorities has almost tripled in that county since 1990, outpacing the overall population growth. In 2002, Asians were the single largest minority group in the county. Chris Lennox is the principal of Stillwater Area High School. He was at the meeting last night, and he joins us now.
November 25, 2003 -
November 24, 2003 - Starting today... new federal rules will allow cell phone customers to keep their number... even if they switch cell phone COMPANIES. The new rules also allow home phone numbers to be switched to cell phones, and vice versa. It's called number portability... and the Federal Communications Commission made the rule changes to spur competition. Joining us on the line to explain all the changes is Brian Callahan... executive vice president of Communications Consulting and Coordination... a telecommunications consulting firm in Brooklyn Park. That is telecommunications consultant Brian Callahan. Coming up in the next half hour on Future Tense, a look at changing attitudes about telephones and television.
November 24, 2003 - If you're about to head out and shovel the snow off your sidewalk this morning, stay tuned for just a little while longer. Doctors are hoping you will take extra precautions and avoid an unnecessary trip to the hospital. Joining us now is Dr. Kurt Belk, Medical Director of the Unity Hospital Emergency Department. That is Dr. Kurt Belk. One more piece of advice, when you're on the roadways: slow down. There are slippery spots, especially on side streets and highway entrance and exit ramps. The time is coming up on 7:23...
November 24, 2003 -