February 17, 1999 - The February edition of our Voices of Minnesota series, featuring three pioneering Minnesota doctors: Dr. John Wild, who developed ultrasound for detecting breast cancer; Dr. Arne Anderson, a founder of the Minneapolis Children's Medical Center; and Dr. Betty Jerome, the first director of Teenage Medical Service in Minneapolis.
February 10, 1999 - Two distressed areas of Minneapolis are in line for up to $100 million in federal funds. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo told Minneapolis officials at the former Sears site along Lake Street today the designation 'Empowerment Zone' means grants and tax credits for business owners. The program may also include money for cleaning up brownfields, creating parks and expanding after-school activities. Neighborhood residents are enthusiastic but they also have a 'wait and see' attitude.
February 10, 1999 - The unpaid medical bill at Minnesota's largest public hospital is growing. Hennepin County Medical Center is treating a growing number of patients who have no health coverage. Hennepin County officials says filling the funding gap shouldn't be the responsibility of county taxpayers alone.
January 27, 1999 - Remember lead poisoning? Years ago scientists delivered the ominous news that lead from peeling paint and polluted soil was poisoning millions of Americans children. Years later, after education and a lot of clean-up, the threat is greatly diminished. But not among poor people who live in America's inner city neighborhoods. A one-of-a kind program in Minneapolis ' Phillips neighborhood teaches people how to avoid lead poisoning and helps them clean up lead contaminated houses.
January 21, 1999 - Five companies are vying for the right to develop one of the Twin Cities' largest and most controversial pieces of real estate. The land on Minneapolis ' near north side was the object of a housing discrimination case. A $117 million out of court settlement included demolishing two public housing projects and redevelopment of the land. But a major component of the case - replacing the public housing that was demolished - is behind schedule.
January 19, 1999 - The contrast of good times and a burgeoning population of homeless people doesn't jibe. How is it that with the economy chugging along nicely the homeless population is increasing? Many assume some of the homeless choose their existence. But people who work with them scoff at the assumption. They cite poverty, a housing shortage and untreated mental illness as the real reasons people become homeless. A small Minneapolis program called Spectrum helps the most vulnerable homeless people - the mentally ill who live outside in the winter.
January 13, 1999 - Tax rebates, tax cuts, tax credits. How in the world will Minnesota lawmakers have time to hear anything else this session? Well, they will hear a myriad of other proposals - including a bill to shut down for one month the Twin Cities freeway ramp meters. The ramp meters are those devices which during rush hours control the lives of legions of motorists.
January 8, 1999 - A growing number of Minnesota lawmakers say something needs to be done to supply more affordable housing in the state. So far, no bills have been put in the hopper. But there are plenty of ideas circulating including tax cuts for property owners and tax credits for people who invest in affordable housing.
January 6, 1999 - Experts say farm chemicals are the big source of Mississippi River pollution. But farmers point the finger right back at urban areas and say city dwellers need to do more to clean up their act. Tens of millions of dollars are being spent to upgrade the Twin Cities sewage treatment system to do just that. The goal is to remove phosphorous from sewage. Environmentalists applaud the action as a step in the right direction. But they say the Mississippi's health will improve only when more far reaching steps are taken to restore the river's ecology.
January 6, 1999 - This January edition of Voices of Minnesota features MPR’s Dan Olson interviews with Dean Abrahamson, medical doctor and professor at University of Minnesota, and Eville Gorham, recently retired professor of ecology at University of Minnesota. Abrahamson discusses global warming, and its present and future impact on the Minnesota region. Gorham, who discovered the harmful influence of acid rain, discusses the past and current state of this pollution problem on the global environment.