September 25, 2001 - State officials are asking pipeline operators around Minnesota to step-up security in the wake of this month's terrorist attacks. 85 pipeline companies operate 62-thousand miles of line that carry natural gas and several hazardous liquids. Those lines criss-cross the state. A presidential commission warned in 1997 that the nation's pipeline system is an attractive targets to terrorists. But Univeristy of Minnsota Chemical Engineering professor Lenny Schmidt says terrorists using the pipelines wouldn't get an effect anything like the September 11th attacks.
September 24, 2001 - Dr. John Christianson is the director of the Carlson School's Center for the Study of Healthcare Management. Dr. Christianson says he doubts the changes brought by the Attorney General's audit will have much of an effect on the costs of health care. He says there are bigger factors influencing the growth of consumer health care costs.
September 19, 2001 - American Airlines and United announced today they will cut 20-thousand jobs each. The layoffs are the latest in series of cuts by major airlines that are struggling to stay afloat in the face of financial losses exacerbated by last week's terrorist attacks. Officials from the U.S. airline industry testified before a House Transportation Commitee in Washington today, asking for a 17.5 billion dollar aid package. Minnesota Congressman James Oberstar, the ranking Democrat on the committee, said he wants the government to act fast to protect the industry from financial ruin.
September 13, 2001 - Some people are already cancelling travel plans for this weekend and into next week. George Wozniak is the President of Hobbit Travel in Minneapolis. He says his office has received many calls.
September 12, 2001 -
September 5, 2001 - Healthcare premiums increased more than sixteen percent last year, according to a survey released today by the state health department. Its the third sharp jump in as many years and puts the price of premiums at their highest point in a decade. Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says part of the problem lies with consumers:
September 4, 2001 - Hamline University students will soon begin pairing up with volunteer lawyers to help free people who may have been wrongly imprisoned in Minnesota and the Dakotas. The program -- called the Innocence Project -- is a joint venture between the university and the state's continuing legal education group, All District Education. The Innocence Project is modeled after a program of the same name at Yeshiva University in New York. Since 1992, students at Yeshiva have represented or assisted in over 36 cases where convictions have been reversed or overturned. Former Ramsey County Public Defender, Jennifer Kramer, will chair the local project. She says she doesn't know how many Minnesota prisoners may be innocent, but contends even one is too many:
August 30, 2001 - (to follow scheck) Former state epidemiologist Mike Osterholm says Minnesota State Fair organizers are wise to take such strong precautions against the spread of infectious diseases, in particular Foot and Mouth:
August 29, 2001 - The Mayo Clinic is preparing to test an experimental Alzheimer's vaccine. Researchers hope the vaccine will stimulate the body's immune system to fight the disease, which causes memory loss, dementia and eventually, death. Dr. Ronald Peterson is director of Mayo's Alzheimer Disease Center. He says the vaccine represents a new strategy for treating Alzheimers patients:
August 28, 2001 - A Hennepin County judge is considering whether to require police to offer a clear reason for searching a motorist during a routine traffic stop. Currently, a police officer can ask for consent to search whether or not they suspect another crime. Assistant public defender James Kamin (CAME-in) asked for such a requirement saying that if officers can't articulate why they searched a motorist, the evidence should be thrown out of court. He says this standard could potentially cut down on racial profiling. If the judge accepts Kamin's reasoning, Minnesota would be the first state in the nation to set such a standard. Dean Edward Butterfoss, a constitutional and criminal law professor at Hamline University says a clear reason would have to meet specific guidelines.