April 6, 1999 - Minnesota's U-S Senators, DFLer Paul Wellstone and Republican Rod Grams, made a rare joint appearance for a journalism awards ceremony at the University of Minnesota. The intended topic of discussion was the impeachment procedure and policy in the 1999 Congress. But talk quickly turned to the conflict in Kosovo. The two senators are known for disagreeing with each other. As Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports, last night was no exception.
April 7, 1999 - Minnesota's U.S. Senators Paul Wellstone and Rod Grams, give the annual Frank Premack Lecture sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Minnesota Journalism Center.
April 7, 1999 - The Minnesota Twins opened their 1999 season with a win, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 at the Metrodome. The victory comes amid low expectations for this year's team which includes a large number of rookies. 10 of the 25 names on team roster are new to Major League Baseball. MPR's Michael Khoo reports the lack of star power hasn't dampened fan enthusiasm.
April 7, 1999 - The Republican leadership of the Minnesota House suffered a setback yesterday when it failed to get enough votes to pass its first big spending bill. The legislation was supposed to make up for budget shortfalls in state spending on things like unanticipated legal bills, and Republican leaders assumed it would pass without difficulty. Instead, a group of dissident Republicans joined with Democrats to defeat the legislation, and some lawmakers say the vote undermines Speaker Steve Sviggum's control of the House.
April 8, 1999 - House Republicans say they want to make up for years of neglect in general education spending for Minnesota schools. Republican leaders announced today their plan to increase education spending by nearly one billion dollars over the next two years.
April 12, 1999 - This week marks Governor Jesse Ventura's 100th day in office. The former wrestler is arguably the country's most well-known governor, and so far he's riding high in the opinion polls.
April 13, 1999 - MPR’s Eric Jansen reports on community complaints regarding Minneapolis Police Department’s CODEFOR program. Minneapolis’ mayor and police chief say CODEFOR has dramatically reduced crime in the city. Critics and civil rights groups claim the computer-assisted program that targets neighborhoods based on crime patterns encourages police harassment and makes some residents feel like prisoners in their own homes.
April 13, 1999 - Governor Ventura has warned legislators that he has no intention of calling a special legislative session if they don't finish major tax and spending bills by the May 17 adjournment date. Ventura is especially concerned with the fate of his tax rebate legislation, which has been stuck in a conference committee for two months.
April 13, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura went head-to-head with critics of his transportation programs earlier today. During a speech in downtown Minneapolis , members of the Libertarian party heckled the governor for his support of light-rail transit in the Twin Cities.
April 13, 1999 - A new Minnesota Public Radio/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll shows most Minnesotans still think highly of Governor Ventura after his first 100 days in office. His approval rating has dipped significantly from the last poll taken before he took office, but he still gets high marks from a majority of voters. Most like his plain spoken style and agree with him that people should rely on themselves--not government--to solve their problems. But a significant number of people also say it's too soon to judge the governor's performance, and they'll wait before they make up their minds about Ventura.