Play53min 59secThe American Dream for someNovember 14, 2007 2:15 PMTwo out of three Americans are making more money today than their parents did in the '60s, but for African-American men, that statistic is much lower.
Play3min 58secBeltrami County youth suicide rate highest in the stateNovember 14, 2007 1:21 AMBy Tom RobertsonBeltrami County health advocates are reacting to a report showing the county has the highest suicide rate in the state for young people. Agencies are reaching out to schools, but drastic funding cuts are making it a challenge.
Play53min 53secOrphans of the AIDS epidemicNovember 12, 2007 2:13 PMJournalist and author Melissa Fay Greene tracks the tragic impact of AIDS in Ethiopia, and the efforts of one Ethiopian woman to care for orphans of the epidemic.
New fight over Big Stone power plant centers on carbon costsNovember 12, 2007 2:00 PMBy Stephanie HemphillBackers of a proposed coal-fired power plant near Ortonville go back to regulators this week with a new plan.
One employer eases a vet's deployment and reintegration to civilian lifeNovember 11, 2007 3:00 PMBy Mark ZdechlikSome business go to great lengths to help employees and their families when they're called up for military service. That assistance, says one central Minnesota man, helped make his deployment and transition back to civilian life, more manageable.
What is a DBE?November 9, 2007 5:06 PMBy Dan OlsonThe Disadvantaged Business Enterprise, or DBE, program was put in place by the federal government nearly 30 years ago, to encourage businesses owned by minorities and women to bid on government contracts.
Excerpts from Joanne Wagner's whistleblower lawsuitNovember 9, 2007 5:01 PMJoanne Wagner is the former director of MnDOT's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity. Wagner filed a whistleblower lawsuit against the agency in July 2007, claiming she was demoted after she recommended against awarding a contract to Granite and McCrossan. She settled her suit in early November for $170,000, and is leaving the agency. Here are excerpts from her lawsuit.
A timeline of the MnDOT projects in questionNovember 9, 2007 4:33 PMThis timeline shows the progress on two major MnDOT contracts which are now under scrutiny by federal investigators for inadequate hiring of minority and women-owned businesses.
Play9min 01secMnDOT falls far short on goals for hiring women and minority contractorsNovember 9, 2007 4:00 PMBy Dan OlsonWomen and minority-owned businesses in Minnesota have missed out on tens of millions of dollars worth of state highway and transit contracts, in possible violation of federal law. The federal government has launched an investigation, and a MnDOT employee filed a whistleblower lawsuit, saying she was threatened with firing because she brought the issue to her supervisor's attention.
MnDOT admits it hasn't met DBE goalsNovember 9, 2007 12:52 AMBy Dan OlsonThe Minnesota Department of Transportation has fallen short for years on its own goals for hiring minority and women-owned businesses on construction projects.