December 2, 1998 - For St. Paulites it's getting to be old hat, but Minneapolitans are just getting used to the idea of a new area code tentatively approved by state regulators. The Public Utilities Commission picked 9-5-2 as the new area code for Minneapolis, Richfield and the Fort Snelling area. The move comes a month before callers in St. Paul and other east Twin Cities area communities must begin using the 6-5-1 area code instead of 6-1-2.
December 3, 1998 - MPR's Brent Wolfe has this Mainstreet report on the study of tundra swans. The Upper Mississippi River between Wabasha and La Crosse is a temporary home to as many as 15,000 tundra swans, as they stop off here each winter enroute from their breeding grounds along Alaska's north slope to their wintering grounds on the Chesapeake Bay.
December 3, 1998 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports on Governor-elect Jesse Ventura touring the state’s Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Hundreds of state employees gave an enthusiastic welcome to Ventura as he visited the two state agencies that oversee Minnesota's environment.
December 4, 1998 - Governor-elect Jesse Ventura's visited the University of Minnesota and the offices of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. While talking to U of M administrators about his preparation for taking office, Ventura acknowledged college students played a big part in the Reform Party candidate's election.
December 7, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports that archeologists have unearthed what's thought to be a 1,000-year-old sacred site on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. The site contains dozens of ancient bear skulls, and predates the arrival of Ojibwe Indians to the region.
December 7, 1998 - MPR’s Martin Kaste reports that Minnesota's future First Lady is planning a populist party to mark her husband's inauguration. As honorary chair of the Inaugural Committee, Terry Ventura has nixed the traditional black-tie gala, and has opted instead for a rock-and-roll-style blowout in the Target Center.
December 8, 1998 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that the first poll since the election gives Governor-elect Jesse Ventura high marks for his performance so far. Nearly half the people polled for Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press consider Ventura a needed breath of fresh air in state government, although the other half say it's too soon to judge.
December 8, 1998 - MPR’s Martin Kaste reports that Governor-elect Jesse Ventura says he intends to keep working in the entertainment business, even after he takes office. Ventura is in the process of closing a deal to tell his life story in a ghost-written autobiography. Ventura calls it a "standard" book contract, and he says he doesn't think he's cashing in on being the governor-elect.
December 8, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Leif Enger reports on how various retailers are adjusting to a warm winter in the region. It’s nightmare weather if you sell snowmobiles or downhill skis for a living…but not bad if you prefer bicycling, or fishing from a boat.
December 14, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Tom Robertson attends an early morning ritual in Bemidji, as locals of Swedish descent keep the Santa Lucia tradition alive with an annual celebration said to be one of the largest of its kind in the U.S.