July 17, 2003 - An ad campaign paid for in part by the pharmaceutical industry takes aim at legislation sponsored by Minnesota Representative Gil Gutknecht. The Seniors Coalition put together the spots, which have been running in Minnesota and other states. They criticize a Gutknecht-sponsored bill that would allow people to buy prescription drugs from FDA-approved facilities in other countries. Here's what the ad sounds like: Representative Gutknecht joins us now to talk about that ad.
July 17, 2003 -
July 16, 2003 -
July 16, 2003 - Security concerns in Iraq are slowing efforts to rebuild the country.... but that isn't stopping one business man here from helping Minnesota companies get some of the rebuilding business. Odeh Muhawesh (OH-day ma-HOWSH) is originally from Jordan... but has lived in Minnesota for more than two decades. He's CEO of a new consulting company called the Minnesota Middle East Trading Company.... and he joins us on the line this morning. That is Odeh Muhawesh (OH-day ma-HOWSH), the CEO of the Minnesota Middle East Trading Company.
July 15, 2003 - LaVelle Neal, who covers the Twins for the Star Tribune, comments on the state of play for Minnesota Twins after All-Star Break. The team has lost eight games in a row and Manager Ron Gardenhire has his work cut out for him.
July 15, 2003 - The state of Minnesota is directing 375-thousand dollars from a federal housing fund to help the town of Buffalo Lake rebuild. A tornado swept through the south-central Minnesota community last month, destroying homes and several businesses. When announcing the funding yesterday, Governor Tim Pawlenty said the tornado caused an estimated 12 million dollars in damages in Buffalo Lake. Greg Gowan is the town's police chief, and he's on the line now.
July 14, 2003 - Minnesota's governor, auditor and other prominent Republicans are being tied to a Minneapolis-based telephone company accused of cheating consumers in Wisconsin and six other states. The St. Paul Pioneer Press says Governor Pawlenty was a director and an investor in NewTel Holdings when its New Access Communications subsidiary was accused of overcharging some customers and tricking others into switching phone services. New Access has paid 222-thousand dollars to settle charges that it violated consumer protection laws in Washington, Oregon and Indiana. The company also faces complaints in North Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa and Montana and is being investigated by the Minnesota attorney general's office. Pawlenty says he wasn't invloved in the day to day operations of New Access and was not aware of the complaints against of the company. State Auditor Pat Awada and Pawlenty's campaign manager Tim Commers also have connections to NewTel Holdings. DFLer Steve Kelley is the chair of the telecommunications subcommittee of the Senate Commerce and Utilities Committee. He expects that the Legislature will be investigating the charges.
July 14, 2003 -
July 11, 2003 -
July 11, 2003 - This year's Fourth of July holiday may have been the safest on Minnesota roads in at least three decades. So far, only one traffic death has been reported for the holiday weekend. But the Minnesota Department of Public Safety is out with details about 2002 crashes, and some of the numbers aren't good. Fatalities on Minnesota roads were up 16 percent in 2002 over the year before. The 657 fatalities represent the highest number since 1981. Still, the actual NUMBER of crashes went down slightly. Kathy Swanson is the director of the Office of Traffic Safety. She's on the line now. Kathy Swanson is the director of the Minnesota Office of Traffic Safety.