NewsNight Minnesota; 3187; NewsNight Minnesota Episode from 07/25/1996; SD-Base

Tonight on NEWSNIGHT domestic abuse we all want to stop it but there's an angry debate on how drugs treatment experts in town for a conference this week are in our studio tonight celebrating farm implements they're not just for farming anymore and belly dancing it's not just for women anymore. All that and more coming up tonight on NEWSNIGHT. Diffuse night Minnesota is presented in part by Piper Jaffrey and its employees looking toward the future since 1895. Hello and welcome to NEWSNIGHT. We've got a show full of variety tonight so let's get right to it with stories making news today. And Lou Harbutt sitting in for Ken St. Louis. Thanks Cathy St. Paul police have a man in custody they think may be connected to the murder of four year old. The Vaishya Brantley. Saturday night Michael Johnson is in custody for shooting at another site for Amoco station just minutes before they shot was killed but police emphasize this is an ongoing investigation and they have not yet definitely connected the two incidents. Finally Minneapolis city attorneys have found an approach to domestic abuse cases. That's

winning more convictions. The city attorney gives credit to a new test model for investigating domestic assaults in North Minneapolis police officers are doing follow up investigations within 48 hours of the Nine one one domestic abuse calls Carolyn will has more from North Minneapolis state police officer Andrew Smith received training last February on how to collect needed evidence to get a domestic abuse conviction. Oh and then the final thing I take going with me is my camera time and date stamp for evidence purposes on the film. Usually I'm taking pictures of the victim's injuries bruises cuts he's seen his evidence work in court. The photographs are wonderful because. By time of course the trial victims usually recovered so you know you can describe a report that she had a bruise on her cheek and you know marks on her arm. But it's a lot better we can take the photographs and then you can see these very deep bruises that are really dark purple and a big swollen

a big cut. And you show pictures of how the door was broken in the table was smashed. And then you can inventory the evidence. So it's a lot better for the jury and it's a lot easier to get a conviction in the 4th precinct was chosen for the Minneapolis model because this area of north Minneapolis receives more than one third of the city's nine one one domestic abuse calls. Since police in this area started doing follow up investigations this spring 63 percent of the victims have been successfully contacted. Half of those cases resulted in convictions. Sixty three percent were successfully. Contact them for the fall of this year. The major players at the table today were pleased with the number so far the team includes city attorneys jailers counselors probation officers and victim advocates. But they pointed to a gaping hole in their plan through which the worst abusers are still getting away. They're the ones who flee the scene before police arrive. Gone arrivals are indicate some of the worst levels of domestic

violence. There are situations who are abusers have inflicted a lot of harm in the past. They have called their victims in terrorism. But to go on hunts for the fleeing abusers takes more time on an already overtaxed system. The Fourth Precinct hasn't received any extra money or officers to do these follow up investigations visits to the victim's homes are dependent on finding time in their already busy schedules. Today helping at a funeral for a 4 year old killed by gang fire. We'll be taking most of the fourth precincts time this afternoon. Officer Schmidt says when he does have time he gets a cooperative victim one out of four times. But then it's usually worth it. We get some of those on follow ups now so when we do get those cases on a fall of those victims you're really willing to talk. They're glad to have someone from out in North Minneapolis and Carolyn will for Newsnight Minnesota. And there is one other reason why the conviction rate is higher with a new program police officers can

collect the evidence and file the charges instead of waiting for victims to do the paperwork which frequently never happens. Several court cases involving big Minnesota companies to tell you about tonight Northwest Airlines could be two point six million dollars poorer. A jury in Minneapolis found that the airline had violated the Americans With Disabilities Act by firing a mechanic who had a bad shoulder. Northwest says it will appeal. Honeywell could be two hundred thirty four million dollars richer. A Los Angeles judge ruled that Honeywell does not have to pay off the industry's Lytton sued Honeywell for unfair business practices. The judge said Honeywell is guilty but the jury award is too high. And a new trial is necessary and BlueCross BlueShield can go ahead with its lawsuit against tobacco companies cigarette makers said the insurance company has no legal standing to sue for smoking related health care costs. The state Supreme Court disagreed and finally if you got some deep pockets and a yen for Law and Order has Appleton got a deal for you. The city's prison is for sale. Now you might

remember some reports we've aired on the prison built by Apple to create jobs for the locals. It's never worked out quite as planned. The city has had trouble with maintaining security. Accusations of inmate abuse and a real difficulty finding enough prisoners to make the lockup profitable. Those problems have been solved for the most part. Five hundred eight inmates now call the prison home and by the way the asking price is unknown. And we're told a Nashville based company is the most likely buyer. And Kathy those are the headlines that one of us what do you ask on a prison like that what kind of price. I wouldn't have any clue about that. But thank you Lou. This week's state report shows that cooler weather is helping keep corn leaves from curling during the midday heat. But promising corn and soybean harvest could deteriorate if we don't get some significant rain and soon. And it's the whims of the weather that have some farmers worried in light of the new federal farm bill. We talk to farmers at this week's Rose Creek farm show near Austin.

The old bill paid farmers not to plant. And it guaranteed a minimum price for the crops during a seven year transition. Farmers will still be paid but they can now plan to acres they once had to let life down low. After the seven year transition period. The new program puts farmers squarely at the mercy of the marketplace. Before that the program was restricted to. We had to plant. The crop by what the government would allow you to plant on it. It's tough to do that and it. Has been the American way it's what we would like to do it just more what I feel my farm can best produce to best. Actor for the best means for me. But I've heard they're still talking about amendments and sides to it. That could change and if they start changing the what we can plant the so-called Freedom to Farm Then I'm concerned over what I signed. But hopefully they'll. If they change it drastically they'll give us an out.

While market forces will drive farm prices in the future the other powerful force in farmers lives is one of the many or at least one farmer we spoke with felt that the government ought to keep that in mind. I think we need some type of a safety net either in in low rates here being able to. Put your corn on their lawn and then using it as a cash flow and buying it back at a later date. Selling at. Farmers a minority. When. You go to St. Paul or Washington and look. Don't the roles of Representatives. Not many are representing a constituency. Many are from rural areas and. We have been there fighting as hard as we can to make sure our interests aren't necessarily. Deliberately hidden there but not pushed aside and forgotten in all along the way thanks to Newsnight southern Minnesota correspondent Kevin Hanson for putting that report together that North American farm and power show wrapped up a three day run today girl among a family known thing that got to the point where whether they want to

bother with me cause I had a quote that. The pros will take to that point you end up in jail and I've been in two out of three. Police estimate that at least half of the people arrested for major crimes like murder and theft were using drugs when they committed the crime. And the problem is only getting worse not better. Women have closed one gender gap we shouldn't be too proud of women now abuse drugs at nearly the same rate as men. Marijuana usage by eighth grade kids doubled between 1991 and 1995 and white kids from two parent households account for the greatest part of that increase. Heroin is back in a big way. Nine rock stars have either 0 deed or died within the past year including two from the Twin Cities music scene. Michael Castle ring is president of the southern Minnesota alcohol and drug abuse counselors and co-founder of addiction recovery technologies. David Mack this is director of the Federal Center for Substance Abuse Treatment. Both are in town this week for a national convention of addiction treatment counselors and

welcome to both of you. David first question to you. What's trendy what's being used the most in terms of drugs and why. Well you give a great introduction and scoop me completely right. The only things I think that we might side is that in this one too. Heroin we're seeing nationwide or in certain pockets of the nation. Significant increases in methamphetamine abuse as well and it's not only eighth grade its eighth 10th and 12th graders who say marijuana abuse is either doubling or trebling as a result of the Monitoring the Future survey done by the University of Michigan. So we're alarmed by all of those data. Well what alarms you the most those that heroin usage the meth usage. Well luckily I don't have to be concerned what alarms me the most in the position that I have things alarm me equally certainly when you talk about marijuana abuse doubling or tripling the money among eighth grade eighth 10th and 12th grade is what you have to understand is the reason that the incidence and prevalence is going up is that the perceived risk is going down. So what troubles me is the messages that we're sending our

kids in the lack of unity relative to those messages from the federal government from the state government from local authorities from parents from clergy from schools from peers we seem to be involved in a jumble of messages that aren't giving kids a clear. Message and so that's especially troubling the news about heroin is troubling because we know that intravenous drug use is the most virulent conduit of HIV into the heterosexual community. So we can't ease the pressure either on the American public or on the Congress to it's supporting. I want to talk about messages just a minute minute but Michael I want to find out about Minnesota are we seeing the same trends here in the state. Absolutely. In southern Minnesota and northern I were finding that marijuana use among adolescents is increasing dramatically over the last two years and that the abuse of methamphetamines is equally progressing at the same rate the incidence and occurrences of use and problematic use in terms of criminal behavior and hospitalization increasing

proportionately the problems related to finding that chemical use is no longer a problem or at risk has decreased. As David pointed out is equally viewed by the rural folks as southern Minnesota predominately the kids and one of the things that I think to do to help with that whole thing is to help institute or reinstitute as it may be some of those programs that were designed or are being designed to help accentuate the problems and that chemical use is a dangerous proposition. So the whole just say no business from several years back. The whole war on drugs that we had. This didn't work. We've never had a war on drugs we haven't had a spat on drugs an argument on drugs or a disagreement on drugs. When you recognize that the Office of National Drug Control Policy estimates that people in need of treatment in this country could be upwards of twenty seven million. And our public funding stream treats less than two million people each year. You recognize that if in fact we use the parlance of the military engagement this is really not a war and there

hasn't been a war on drugs quite honestly. So we've been doing it. We've been looking at this problem totally the wrong way you think. Well no I think that well if we look if we've looked at it if we've bought this rhetoric about war on drugs we've been looking at it the wrong way to understand the problem is not to deal in absolutes. This is an illness a chronic relapsing condition. But folks feel I guess the rank and file feel the Congress feels that you ought to roll up your sleeves and fix it. That's all and so we say one thing but we behave another way we say it's a chronic relapsing condition but we behave as if it's moral weakness. And folks are not ill and that's why you get a 65 percent cut in when you're in a discretionary budget which is what my agency endured. And that's why the American people I think are led away from a better understanding of the nature of addiction and substance abuse. Let's talk about the people who are seeking treatment who are they who who are the people that are getting into treatment centers and who are you seeing in southern Minnesota. They're the same folks that you sit next to in the restaurants next to you in school

church or at home. They're very common people very ordinary folks run of the mill average Americans who are finding that because of alcohol and drug use are finding that they are in volved in and being. You're having the repercussions of a variety of problems that you would typically think of as being big city. And that's quite the contrary is true all across the all across southern Minnesota the problems related to drug and alcohol use appear to be equal opportunity with any part of the country. But as we're seeing a tightening in the health care system and the whole push toward managed care and having someone say you can get this treatment but not this treatment who really is getting into these treatment centers the people that really need it. I think the concept of managed care is sound one and one that the treatment industry has supported for a long time. The problem from our perspective as CD counsellors is that somewhere in the middle you have to remember that there's a person suffering from the effects of chemical dependency and oft times the human element is removed from the

concept of managed care which I think produces immediate roadblocks to effective intervention treatment and follow up. DAVID Well a number of issues generically. One of the problems with the managed care industry is that it doesn't address chronicity for behavioral health very well. Whether that chronicity meaning chronic illness involves mental illness or substance abuse the benefit tends not to fit the nature of the disease. His treatment is expensive. You keep coming back. Well treatment is actually the cheapest thing that you can do for every dollar you spend on treatment. Study in California suggested that $7 a save another cause primary health care costs lost productivity and regain productivity criminal justice costs so the cheapest thing that the society can do is to treat somebody even in the most expensive substance abuse chemical dependency treatment program is much cheaper than not treating. But this is an argument that tends not to be law it tends not to weigh heavily in the managed care arena because they are not concerned with the cost shifting. What that means is if another part of society

bears the cost of not treating that is the criminal justice system. It's not an issue for an industry that doesn't finance and doesn't provide services in that arena. So one of the things that we're trying to do in the federal government is to work with the Institute of Medicine right now toward establishing accreditation standards. For men it's behavioral health care organization such that the states will know better how to negotiate this for the public health in their states. We have about a minute left and this is probably an unfair question asked both of you but since you are in town talking about treatment and you we have a number of drug counselors in town. What seems to work the best when we start talking about treating drug addicts and alcoholism. From a local perspective an Iraq perspective in southern Minnesota we're finding great success with a combination inpatient and outpatient programs. The quicker that you can intervene and bring services to individuals the greater the outcome for success. You hear a lot of comments about family participation. We are strong advocates of family participation and try to include that in family programs

throughout southern Minnesota. But if a family is unwilling to or unable to participate still outcome for hope and recovery is possible quickly. We have a technology for matching patients with the proper treatment just as you do in the medical arena. If somebody has diabetes you prescribe insulin. If somebody has malaria you prescribe quinine and whatever the trick is to match clients match patients to the right treatment or treatment that we have right now that works beautifully well. The challenges in matching probably interest I wish I had more time. Thank you very much. Thank you. Rick Hall and it's about this win on one of my trips to Egypt I often buy several of them when I go to Egypt. Belly dancing. Yes it is a real artist specially in the Middle East where it's been

practiced for millennia. Cassandra sure has studied both modern and what she calls Oriental dance we call it belly dancing. This weekend she performs in a dance an opera extravaganza. NEWSNIGHT producers Patti Hagman and Jojo Kim caught up with Cassandra last week. Americans going belly dancing in what I call Oriental dancing traditionally was an improvisational dance done with the musicians in either a solid returns setting which is a festival after a day or a circumcision kind of celebration or a wedding celebration. The early part of the century after the Chicago World's Fair and they had the big

Midway and then you know it appeared in vaudeville as the Hoochie Coochie sort of thing by performers that had no idea of what the dancing or the customer the music or anything should be like that that has been very prevalent for many many years and there's still a lot of remnants of that today. Women will often come up to me after a performance and face they were pretty good but you know I saw this dancer in Denver and she bounced a sword on her head while she rolled 50 quarters of her stomach and that's a real belly dancing and I'd like to know. I just want to scream actually at that point and say I'm. That's a very nice circus trick but how did she dance. Technique is important but it's also very important to have musicality rhythm and emotional expression and those things are extremely highly valued as much as the dance technique itself. I think that not everyone who takes her class to imagine

performing. No not everybody wants to perform. I would say that 2 percent out of 4 comes to class once to either want to or are can be good enough. 2 percent want to and 1 percent should. That's my 2 percent would like to perform and other people actually theirs. Over the last 15 16 years there's always been one man in class some play taking requests. This lady's dimples are there is a vocabulary that you took. That's the aesthetic. For instance something like this with a circular movement and the ripple through the fingers is in the vocabulary something like this with the flowery fingers which is Flamenco is out of the vocabulary. Once you learn the vocabulary and you understand the music and you know the music well enough you can go out with your vocabulary and perform in imper improvised.

Thing going to Egypt I've been in Morocco. I go every couple years. There's no way to check yourself back. The purity and the strength of your aesthetic without going to the Middle East and seeing traditional dance. I mean I have run into a few artists that they know only Arabs can do it or you know that's in that vein but none of the really great artists I've ever known that that no one else can do this dance I mean that how you have to be born there. But it has to be done right with love and care and you have to understand what you're doing and you have to understand the culture and where it comes from and you must understand the original feeling of it and that's very important. Thank you. Cassandra sure performs with a flamenco Indian African dancers and more at

Opera millenniums goddess songs seven songs seven dances celebrating seven different Greek goddesses. If you're interested it's at the Southern Theatre in Minneapolis beginning this evening and running through Sunday night. Well now maybe you like watching ability and sing in public. Maybe you don't. There's a way for you to tell us what you do and don't want to see it's the viewer comment line every night after the show people just like you call in and sound off. This week it was a veritable cornucopia of stories that get your fingers twitching over the phone pad including door to door checks on pet licenses. The new fake fat called Olestra and the veracity of women wearing nose rings. No kidding. I'm wondering what you're going to do. He might come in and you're going to have my read or what I get. I mean what I'm wondering about is

all this concern about the product not the question and how much of the product people are eating. I mean is it one bank to bank. I can't imagine a company putting a product out that's going to make people dance. I think I'd like to hear someone ask one of these people. Simple enough I would think. Thank you. Just to which I think it's really disgusting There's a. Disorder where your nose ring. She lacks credibility. Yeah I can imagine you like your work.

Wow. We don't pass judgment on the calls or the callers we just pass them on to you. Obviously we are interested in just about anything you have to say. 6 1 2 2 2 9 1 4 3 0 that is 6 1 2 2 2 9 1 4 3 0. We can't lend you a shoulder to cry on but we've certainly got an appealable year or two. Well nothing to cry about in this weather forecast though expect we'll expect pretty good weather partly sunny skies across the state of Minnesota no mention of showers and high should be in the low 70s up near Canada 80 down around Iowa. Now if you're watching NEWS NIGHT You've obviously not a fan of the Olympics so you'll be happy to know that although I will be here tomorrow night at 7:00 o'clock for your politics and public affairs fix Eric and I will try to provide a pleasurable escape from the gold medal media though I do love those equestrian events in fact I'm taking one right now. Anyway we'll see you tomorrow night. Till then here's a little of the new Wizard of Oz production playing for houses and many many accolades at the Ordway theater Good night.

Oh oh oh. Tonight Minnesota possible by the contributors to the two campaigns program funded with major grants from one Foundation and the McKnight foundation. Tonight's broadcast of NEWSNIGHT Minnesotan presented hard by quicker Geoffry and its employees

looking toward the future since 1895 arts reporting on NEWSNIGHT Minnesotans made possible with grants from the National Endowment for the arts and from Target stores they can then move from to the Dayton Hudson funding.