July 2, 1997 - One of Minnesota's top health officials is threatening to quit, if lawmakers don't approve an executive pay increase by the end of August. State epidemiologist Michael Osterholm says the pay dispute has severely limited the health department's recruitment program AND is ruining morale. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports: Osterholm says he has nothing to gain from the executive pay bill. His 96-thousand dollar salary was approved two years ago through a special legislative exemption after lawmakers heard that Osterholm was being courted by other health departments and private employers. But Osterholm says few of his lesser-known colleagues have any hope for a special exemption...instead their salaries are tied to their department's executive pay.
June 19, 1997 - ** TOP WITH LATEST ON TOBACCO SETTLEMENT ** The chief negotiator for states in talks with cigarette companies on a settlement of lawsuits said tremendous progress had been made today... but there's still no announcement of an agreement....although some anti-tobacco attorneys says a deal is imminent. Minnesota Attorney General Hubert Humphrey the Third says negotiators should slow down the rapid pace of the talks. Humphrey says tobacco companies are hoping for a speedy agreement, so they won't have to release incriminating documents that could work against them in the courts. Some of his colleagues have criticized Humphrey for his hard-line position on talks....but Humphrey says he's just trying to make sure that some 33-million documents Minnesota has collected for its case....see the light of day: | WATCH LEVELS...A BIT HOT IN SPOTS ****
June 10, 1997 - It was fun and games at the Minnesota Children's Museum today as "Sesame Street" characters Rosita and Maria entertained a group of children from Hennepin County Head Start. But interspersed between the songs and dances was a very serious message about lead poisoning. More than 4,000 Minnesota children have elevated levels of lead in their blood. At least 439 of those kids have levels so high they're at risk of brain damage and even death. The "Sesame Street" tour is the first "all-out" lead awareness campaign in the state. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, for years a Minneapolis neighborhood has waged it's own quiet war against lead.
June 5, 1997 - The Broadway music show "Rent" opens tonight at the Ordway in St. Paul. Tickets for the show have been going fast, but the best seats in the house are still up for grabs. "Rent" producers have set aside 28 seats in the front two rows and they're selling them cheap. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the catch is you have to buy them the old fashion way, by standing in line.
May 28, 1997 - More than a hundred outraged veterans came to the capital today to voice their opposition to the balanced budget agreement passed by Congress last week. As part of the budget, more than two BILLION dollars is being cut from the Veterans Administration...which is mostly for health care. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, some veterans fear the cuts will do irrepairable damage to a medical system already struggling to compete in today's health care market. Initially, the V.A. thought Congress would freeze its spending for the next five years. But, in what some veterans describe as back room politics, Congress and the President decided at the last minute to cut more t
May 23, 1997 - Residents of Texas can now sue their managed health care plans if they've been injured by benefit delays or denials. Texas is the first state in the nation to pass such a law. Supporters say the law allows patients to hold their health plans accountable.... but Critics warn it will lead to a rash of lawsuits and ultimately higher health care costs. So far, there has not been any similar proposal in Minnesota. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the state's managed health plans are coming under more intense public scrutiny and regulation:
May 16, 1997 - Talk therapy is the dominant treatment for alcoholics in most chemical dependency programs today. This approach suggests alcoholics use liquor to mask mental and emotional problems. Some so-called "alternative chemical dependency treatment programs" are challenging that notion. Instead, some believe alcoholism is a physical disease with intense physical cravings. At a relatively unknown treatment center in Minneapolis' Uptown district, one woman has carved out a loyal following among her now-sober patients by feeding them massive doses of vitamins and nutrients. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the focus is on fixing the alcoholic's chemically battered body before treating their mind.
May 13, 1997 - It was supposed to be a simple case of trading places: prominent theatre critic Jayne Blanchard of the St. Paul Pioneer Press would produce her own play to see what it's like to be on the other side of the critic's pen. But just a week into her new production "The Obituary Bowl" playing at Jungle Theatre... Blanchard is in an all-out war to save her day job. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports: This week, Jayne Blanchard filed a sex discrimination suit against the St. Paul Pioneer Press. It's the latest move in a strange series of events for Blanchard, who's worked at the paper since 1992. In her suit, Blanchard says she was severely punished for producing a p
May 12, 1997 - The tiny northwestern Minnesota town of Ada is in the midst of a medical crisis. The city lost its only clinic, hospital and nursing home to flooding last month. The facilities are doubly important because together they comprise the town's biggest employer. At first, Ada heard it would probably get enough federal funds to rebuild the hospital. But recent visits by federal inspectors have not been so optomistic. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, the hospital's future is now in doubt: Ada was one of the first communities to be hit hard by flood
May 8, 1997 - By the end of this week, residents in East Grand Forks, Minnesota may be able to drink their water straight from the tap. The city's more than 8-thousand residents have been without drinkable water since flooding shut down their water treatment plant three weeks ago. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, city crews and an army of volunteers have been working around the clock to fix the problem and are now only days away from making life a little bit easier for everyone. 253 - Driving...Car doors slamming...10-4 clear Saint Paul Water Department tester Mary Hiber (HIGH-burr) drives through