Digitization made possible by the State of Minnesota Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, approved by voters in 2008.
May 13, 1997 - Thousands of businesses in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota hurt by flooding have applied for government disaster loans. For many, the weeks after the flood have been spent analyzing whether they can stay in business. Mark Steil of Mainstreet Radio reports: The flooding Chippewa River left a big hole in the ground near a convenience store/gas station in Montevideo. Standing on the lip of the pit, six feet deep....bordered by twisted, broken pipes; station operator Jeff Knutson says it once contained gasoline storage tanks:
May 14, 1997 - MPR’s Karen-Louise Boothe reports that a bill banning same-sex marriage in Minnesota appears likely to pass this legislative session. A ban successfully passed out of a joint House-Senate conference committee, which included it in the omnibus health-finance bill.
May 14, 1997 - As residents of Grand Forks clean up their flooded homes, many are having trouble finding electricians to repair damaged wiring. City officials are encouraging out-of-town contractors to come help meet the demand, but up to five-thousand homes remain without power. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... The level of frustration over Grand Forks' electrician shortage spilled over at this week's city council meeting. As city officials debated whether to waive a 105-dollar licensing fee for contractors from out of town, residents still without power got testy. Todd Nedberg, who owns property in downtown Grand Forks, urged council members to make it easy for electricians to do
May 14, 1997 - A new independent report says the Army spraying over the Twin Cities in the 1950s and 1960s probably didn't hurt anyone's health. The Army says it was testing how biological warfare substances might disperse in the air, so it sprayed zinc cadmium sulfide over several neighborhoods as well as the Chippewa National Forest. The substance is fluorescent, and can be traced easily. But cadmium's also carcinogenic, although that wasn't known at the time. When details of the spraying were revealed a couple of years ago, many people worried about the health impact, including Representative Martin Sabo, who successfully pushed for a million-dollar study. That study, by the independent National Research Council, is now complete.
May 14, 1997 - Reporters are running out of synonyms for the word "standoff" to describe the K-12 education funding situation at the state capitol. Governor Carlson says he'll settle for nothing short of education tax credits; legislative leaders say tax credits are the ONE thing they won't give him. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on this legislative game of chicken: Teachers unions and other supporters of the current public schools system are tired of losing ground at the capitol. Two years ago, they watched lawmakers cave in to the Governor and put a cap on K-12 spending... and in the years before that, they lost fights over charters schools and open enrollment. But House Majority Leader Ted Winter says this year will be different: ((We dug in on this last year and the year be
May 14, 1997 - Federal regulators have rejected the planned $6 billion dollar merger of Northern States Power and Wisconsin Energy Corporation. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission gave the companies three months to work out a new plan for the merger, which would create the nation's tenth largest investor owned utility. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
May 15, 1997 - Midday looks at Governor Arne Carlson's insistence that tax breaks for education expenses, including private school costs, be part of any education funding bill passed by the legislature. On this Talk of Minnesota, listeners call in and comment on whether the governor should stick to his guns or be willing to compromise.
May 15, 1997 - The next three Fridays, the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis is screening 23 regionally-produced films and videos in the 1997 Film and Video Showcase. This year, there were double the number of submissions from the local filmmakers. One of those is Peter Syvertsen (SEE-vert-sen), who made a 17-minute film called "26 Summer Street", based on a William Carlos Williams short story. Peter Syvertsen (SEE-vert-sen)'s "26 Summer Street" shows May 16th, in the third and final Friday night of the Walker's 1997 Film and Video Showcase. The showcase of short movies actually begins tomorrow night, and includes Chuck Smith's "Once Again", Hayden Groom's "Family Tree", and Mary Ahmann's "The Last Goodbye". Sun 28-MAY 19:29:01 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
May 15, 1997 - Another milestone in the post-flood recovery of Grand Forks occurred this week with the beginning of summer school at the University of North Dakota. The state's second-largest employer, U-N-D didn't sustain the level of flood damage suffered by the city's downtown, yet university officials say it will take several years for the campus to return to full strength. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat of Bobcat)
May 16, 1997 - Minnesota Zoo officals still don't know why the six sharks introduced to one of their new aquariums died. And today, they say they may never know the cause. The "Discovery Bay," exhibit is to be the largest and most expensive new attraction at the Apple Valley zoo since the zoo opened twenty years ago. That opening has now been placed indefinitely on hold amid efforts to find out what's wrong with the aquarium. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.