September 22, 2003 - Valley Middle School in Apple Valley is piloting a program that eliminates the sale of candy and high-sugar beverages in its cafeteria. Thirty other schools in District 196 may soon follow suit, making it the first district in Minnesota to forbid the sale of sweets. Valley Middle's principal, Dave McKeag, says the move is part of an effort to combat childhood obesity rates by emphasizing physical activity and healthy food choices. But he thinks the plan will do more than just improve the waistlines of his 1200 students.
September 19, 2003 - It's ... and you're listening to All Things Considered on Minnesota Public Radio. I'm David Molpus. The Minnesota-based organization PlanetAide is trying to raise $125,000 to establish an AIDS treatment center in India. The proposed clinic would be near the so-called Golden Triangle, an area that produces 20 percent of the world's heroin. Frank Rhame (rhymes with tame), an H-I-V / AIDS specialist in the Twin Cities, is a member of PlanetAide's board. He says the drug supply route through northeast India has created more than 200,000 I-V drug users, fueling the spread of H-I-V.
September 17, 2003 - It's 6:22. I'm David Molpus. The second-annual Central Standard Film Festival begins tonight in the Twin Cities. Over the next five days, thirty-one independently made feature films will screened at theaters throughout the metro-area. Director Melody Gilbert's documentary "Whole" is one of the locally-produced films that will be shown at the festival. "Whole" explores the lives of people who are obsessed with the idea of becoming amputees. The subjects of the documentary regard one of their limbs as a foreign object that they believe needs to be removed in order for them to feel complete. Gilbert says she was shocked when she first learned of this unusual, and little known, psychiatric disorder.
September 15, 2003 - One of the many issues left undecided by the collapse of the World Trade Organization talks in Cancun is what to do about food names. The European Union wants the exclusive rights to terms like Feta and Champagne, Gorgonzola and Chablis. E-U trade officials argue that these and 37 other identifiers belong to small producers in specific regions of Europe. Although the W-T-O talks ended without a decision, the naming issue isn't likely to go away anytime soon. And, as Minnesota Public Radio's Nikki Tundel found out, that worries Midwestern cheese makers.
September 9, 2003 - The recording industry filed hundreds of lawsuits yesterday accusing individuals of illegally downloading and sharing songs over the Internet. Two-hundred and sixty-one complaints were filed in federal courts across the country by the Recording Industry Association of America on behalf of its members -- which include the Universal Music Group, BMG, and Sony Music. More lawsuits are expected. As chairman of the Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, Senator Norm Coleman has promised to hold hearings on the music industry's use of copyright subpoenas to track downloaders. The Minnesota Republican says file-sharing is a very real problem, but he says the tactic of charging hundreds of individuals is excessive.
September 8, 2003 - Even in this era of high unemployment, many areas of the country are experiencing a shortage of funeral directors. Minnesota is no exception. Michael LuBrant says it's not the low starting pay or working with the dead that typically discourages funeral directors. Instead, it's the 24-hour nature of the job.
September 3, 2003 - It's been almost thirty years since Maria Muldaur topped the charts with the song "Midnight at the Oasis." Since then, she's traversed all corners of the musical landscape -- experimenting with everything from jazz and gospel to country and the blues. But the 59-year old singer says she's always drawn back to American roots music. Muldaur's most recent album, "A Woman Alone with the Blues," pays tribute to Peggy Lee. Muldaur says she's always felt a connection with the music icon.
September 2, 2003 - The Saint Paul School Board will meet tomorrow night to decide whether to follow the Minnesota mandate requiring students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance The law passed earlier this year directs all public school students to say the pledge at least once a week. But it allows districts to opt out of the requirement. And it grants individuals the right to choose whether or not to join in as their classmates recite the pledge. So far, the new legislation has faced only limited public debate. Chuck Samuelson, executive director of the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union, says passion for the pledge ebbs and flows with the political climate.
September 1, 2003 - What's the hardest decision you're ever had to make in your career? That's the question Minnesota Public Radio is posing to Minnesotans as we kick off an occasional series highlighting life on the job. Kathy Messerich says working as part of the emergency transport team forced her to make difficult decisions quickly.
September 1, 2003 -