February 23, 1999 - Governor Ventura finished his visit to Washington D.C. today after by meeting over lunch with Minnesota's congressional delegation. The Minnesota members of congress say they got along well with Ventura, but they disagreed over the federal governments' role in funding public schools.
February 24, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from community room at City Hall in Thief River Falls. Mark Steil hosts a discussion on farm crisis and its impact on small towns with guests Howard Pearson, Pennington County Extension Agent; and Bob Bergland, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
February 24, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from community room at City Hall in Thief River Falls. Mark Steil hosts a discussion on farm crisis and its impact on mental health with local farmers and Winnie Stoltman, counselor with the Disaster Response Network based in East Grand Forks.
February 24, 1999 - Members of St. Paul's Irish community say Governor Ventura must apologize for his comments on "The Late Show with David Letterman" last night. The Governor took this swipe at St. Paul as he explained why he preferred Minneapolis , the city where he was born.
February 25, 1999 - Governor Ventura offered an apology of sorts today for joking on national television that drunken Irishmen laid out the streets in St.Paul -- but he also accused the media of blowing the situation out of proportion. At the same time, some of Ventura's aides are hinting that other politicians are trying to use Ventura's gaffe for political gain.
February 26, 1999 - Jim Knipfel has walked on the dark side of life. As a young man, he was a heavy drinker, and a petty thief prone to start fights. He spent time in psychiatric wards after multiple suicide attempts. Finally, in his late twenties he started settling down, landing a job as a newspaper columnist, getting married and moving away from his wilder drinking buddies. But then Knipfel entered a literal dark side. His eyesight had always been poor, but doctors told him that he was going to be blind by age 35. Now almost completely blind, he recounts his wild years and his loss of vision in his new blackly comedic memoir Slackjaw.
February 26, 1999 - St. Paul business leaders welcomed Governor Ventura into their midst today. Ventura offended some St. Paul residents and Irish-Americans this week by joking on the David Letterman show that drunk Irishmen must have designed the streets in St. Paul. But Mayor Norm Coleman calls Ventura a huge asset to the city.
March 2, 1999 - Governor Ventura delivers his first State of the State today, less than two months after taking office. Republicans in the Minnesota House are also new to leadership, and have been taking their message to greater Minnesota since the session began. Republican leaders say their focus on tax cuts, education and government reform is resonating with voters, although their vision of a leaner state budget doesn't please advocates of certain programs. They traveled to Owatonna yesterday, and Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum went along.
March 4, 1999 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Paul Wellstone, DFL-Minnesota U.S. senator, from Washington D.C. Wellstone discusses issues facing congress now that Clinton impeachment trial is over. Topics include social security, Medicare, taxes, health care, education and more.
March 4, 1999 - DFL State Senator Steve Morse is resigning to take the number two job at the State Department of Natural Resources. In his 12 years at the legislature, Morse has been a champion of environmental causes and has won high marks with such groups as the Sierra Club and the Izaak Walton League.