Minnesota at the Grammys, sex trafficking victims, and a major winter storm looms

Minnesota Orchestra patron Judy Dayton and Mayor R.T. Rybak hosted a concert at the Minneapolis Convention Center to mark the Minnesota Orchestra's Grammy nomination for best orchestral performance on Friday, Feb. 1, 2013. (MPR Photo/Euan Kerr)by Phil Picardi, Minnesota Public Radio,
Hart Van Denburg, Minnesota Public Radio
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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Today on the MPR News Update we look forward to the Grammy's on Sunday night and the possibility of a win by the Minnesota Orchestra. We visit a ranch in southeastern Minnesota where young victims of sex trafficking find refuge. And our radar's up for what might be a major winter storm hitting the state at the end of the weekend.

GRAMMY WATCH: Members of the Minnesota Orchestra on Sunday afternoon will learn if its highly acclaimed recording of the Sibelius 2nd and 5th Symphonies has won the coveted Grammy for Best Orchestral Performance. Now entering the fifth month of a musician lock-out, a win for the orchestra would be some good news amid the labor strife. Euan Kerr reports.

GRAMMY WATCH 2: Minnesota's Okee Dokee Brothers "Can You Canoe?" will be up for best children's album at this Sunday's Grammy Awards. The album was written while the duo, Justin Lansing and Joe Mailander, were on a months-long trip on the Mississipp River from Minnesota to Missouri. Lansing and Mailander -- who aren't actually brothers, grew up together in Colorado exploring the outdoors -- and they want their family-friendly music to help kids and parents do the same. Listen to them here.

HEARTLAND GIRLS' RANCH: To combat the growing problem of sex trafficking, Minnesota is changing how it views underage victims. Advocates are asking lawmakers to help support safe housing that's not juvenile detention. The Heartland Girls' Ranch, founded more than 20 years ago as a place for abused or neglected girls, is one such healthy refuge from sexual exploitation. Sasha Aslanian reports from the ranch, and photographer Jennifer Simonson offers a look inside.

NEW HAT IN STADIUM RING: Tim Nelson, on the new Stadium Watch blog, says that days from the scheduled selection of a builder for the new Vikings stadium, Minneapolis-based Kraus-Anderson says it's among the final contenders to win the job from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority.

WEATHER EYE: Confidence is growing for a major winter storm to take aim at Minnesota, the eastern Dakotas and northwest Wisconsin this weekend, with areas of the upper Midwest likely to be buried in heavy snow Saturday night and Sunday, meteorologist Paul Huttner says. Meantime, a storm poised to dump up to 3 feet of snow from New York City to Boston and beyond beginning Friday could be one for the record books. Most airlines were giving up on flying in and out of New York, Boston and other cities in the Northeast Friday.

WHY DOES HE DO THIS STUFF? Extreme cold thwarted Arctic explorer Lonnie Dupre's third attempt to become the first person to summit Alaska's Mount McKinley solo in the dead of winter. The 51-year-old North Shore resident told his support crew that he made his decision to abort his climb while it was 35 below zero in a snow cave he had built at the 17,200-foot level of the 20,320-foot mountain, North America's tallest peak. Dupre is now in Homer, Alaska recuperating from the climb. He joined editor Michael Olson for a live chat on Friday.

IMMIGRANT POLITICAL TRENDS: U.S.-born children of Hispanic immigrants are more likely than their parents to identify themselves as Democrats as they integrate into American life, maintaining strong ties to their cultural heritage while casting themselves as liberal on social issues. A wide-ranging study released Thursday by the Pew Research Center lays bare some of the difficulties for the Republican Party following elections last November, when President Obama won with support from 80 percent of nonwhite and ethnic voters.

FLU DEATHS: Minnesota's death toll from influenza has reached 127, Lorna Benson reports. Still, even though the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed 15 additional flu-related deaths in the state last week, less than half as many as the 36 flu deaths in the previous week. That and several other signs indicate that the worst of the outbreak continues to wind down.

SAND MINE STUDIES: Two state agencies are calling for a broader and more detailed environmental study on two proposed silica sand mines in Winona County. The recommendation comes as some legislators are considering the possibility of a statewide study of the potential environmental and health effects of the booming industry. Two Winona County landowners are applying for permits to mine silica sand. More from Stephanie Hemphill here.

INFANT DROWNING: Brandt Williams reports that the Hennepin County Attorney's office Thursday charged a Minnetrista man with criminal vehicular homicide: Jonathan Markle's infant daughter died when the car he was driving fell through the ice on Lake Minnetonka last month. Markle, 41, was allegedly drunk at the time. http://minnesota.publicradio.org

PRONE RESTRAINT: A Minnesota Department of Education report, put together with help from educators, school officials and mental health experts, is recommending schools be allowed to continue the use of a controversial physical restraint, used to subdue or calm agitated students, until 2017. Tim Post says current state law would ban the practice, called prone restraint, this August. Some advocates of disabled children worry the move puts students in danger. Almost like a wrestling hold, it is used on students who threaten to hurt themselves or someone else.

PAY RAISE: Thousands of state employees may soon get a raise. State senators Thursday approved a new contract that includes a 2 percent pay hike. The House, which is also controlled by Democrats, is expected to vote on the contract sometime next week.

OFFICER CRIMINAL SEXUAL CONDUCT CHARGES: A Minneapolis police officer who lives in Andover is facing criminal sexual conduct charges involving several young girls. Anoka County Sheriff spokesman commander Paul Sommer says the department started the investigation several weeks ago. Brandt Williams reports that authorities discovered that the man allegedly used social media websites to contact several girls between the ages of 12 and 14.

PHOTOS OF THE WEEK: Want to see what we're talking about? Check out this week's MPR News photos of the week.

Phil Picardi is a newscaster for MPR News, and occasionally fills in as Morning Edition host when Cathy Wurzer is away.

Hart is the morning online editor at MPR News.

View the original article here

All clear in New Prague; a bill for sex abuse victims; cross-border frac sand comparisons

Hundreds of New Prague Middle School students are led to be picked up by their parents after the school was evacuated over what turned out to be a hoax on Wednesday, March 20, 2013. (MPR Photo/Tim Post)by Phil Picardi, Minnesota Public Radio,
Hart Van Denburg, Minnesota Public Radio
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Today on the MPR News Update we're following the hoax call that led to a school lockdown in New Prague, the fate of gun control in the Legislature, the DFL budget plan, frac sand mining regulations in Minnesota and Wisconsin, 'culturally responsive' teaching, and more.

NEW PRAGUE: There were some scary moments this morning at New Prague Middle School, where officials called for a 'code red' lockdown after reports of a possible school shooting. Then we learned that a 12-year-old boy was arrested after police say he falsely reported the incident.

GUN CONTROL LAWS: A leading gun control supporter at the Minnesota Capitol said he is giving up on legislation that would require universal background checks for gun buyers. "What I have fought for since the session started, I am relinquishing that," said House DFLer Michael Paymar after failing to muster the votes in the committee he chairs to pass the measure.

WOMEN AND GUNS: The Daily Circuit's Kerri Miller made a trip to Bill's Gun Shop and Range in Hudson, Wis. Tuesday in preparation for today's show on women and guns. We'll have a full post later today about Kerri's experience, but we wanted to share some photos with you this morning.

DFL TAXES: Minnesota House Democrats say they want the state's wealthiest residents to temporarily pay an income tax surcharge to eliminate a funding delay to the state's schools. The Democrats released a budget outline Tuesday that also includes a permanent income tax increase similar to the one proposed by Gov. Mark Dayton. They are looking to increase taxes by roughly $2.4 billion to restore delayed payments to schools, erase a $627 million budget deficit and spend more on a variety of state programs.

CROSS-BORDER FRAC SAND: Doug Losee, who oversees environmental regulations for Mankato-based Unimin Corp.'s sand mines in Minnesota and Wisconsin, can sum up the differences between the two states' frac sand mining regulations by describing how much room the two states' environmental studies take up in his office. "The Minnesota files really take up a bookcase. And for the most part, Wisconsin I can fit in a filing cabinet."

BILL FOR SEX ABUSE VICTIMS: The child sexual abuse allegations involving a Shattuck-St. Mary's teacher have become a focal point for state lawmakers backing a bill that would make it easier for victims of past abuse to file lawsuits against institutions that failed to protect them. The Minnesota Child Victims Act goes before the House Judiciary Committee today. It faces opposition from the Minnesota Religious Council, a lobbying group that represents many of the largest religious organizations in the state.

'CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE' TEACHING: All the bleak statistics about Minnesota's achievement gap became personal to fifth-grade teacher Jen Engel, when she realized that gap was playing out in her own classroom. The 43-year-old, who is white, is one of several teachers who are learning how to be what educators describe as "culturally responsive" to her students as part of a Twin Cities program offered by St. Mary's University of Minnesota.

NATIVE MOB: A federal jury in Minneapolis has found three men guilty of multiple racketeering charges for their affiliation with the gang known as the Native Mob. After deliberating for more than five days, the jury found guilty on several counts Wakinyon McArthur, 34, who is the alleged head of the Native Mob, Anthony Cree, 26, and William Morris, 25. The trial lasted six weeks and included testimony from more than 200 witnesses.

WALLEYE LIMITS: Fishing regulations for walleye on Mille Lacs will be much tighter this year. The new rules just announced Tuesday by the Department of Natural Resources let anglers keep up to two walleye that are between 18 inches and 20 inches long, or one in that range and one trophy walleye over 28 inches.

MINN. MARKS IRAQ WAR ANNIVERSARY: The Iraq War, which started 10 years ago today, left a lasting imprint on the men and women who served and on their families. One Minnesotan who served in the war, 31-year-old guardsman 1st Lt. Jesse Pope, arrived in Baghdad on Halloween in 2004. Pope is one of thousands of Minnesotans living with recent memories of combat. There are almost 48,000 veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan in Minnesota.

PRESCHOOL THESPIANS: Bubbles, feathers and brain development are all elements of a production by the Children's Theatre Company. The CTC is now focusing on developing plays for toddlers. The CTC has become a national leader in work which child experts say is a perfect match for the educational needs of preschoolers.

STADIUM DRINKING: The University of Minnesota lost almost $16,000 last year on alcohol sales at home football games, despite selling more than $900,000 worth of beer and wine. The school released the figures to The Associated Press after a records request, which showed it incurred significant expenses from its first season selling alcohol stadium-wide at TCF Bank Stadium.

Phil Picardi is a newscaster for MPR News, and occasionally fills in as Morning Edition host when Cathy Wurzer is away.

Hart is the morning online editor at MPR News.

View the original article here