March 20, 1998 - St. Paul legislators and the Minnesota "Wild" hockey franchise are looking for a way out of the standoff over the new St Paul hockey arena. Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe has made it clear that he intends to block state funding for the arena... but today (FRIDAY) the Wild and the St. Paul delegation did their best to outmanuever him. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The prospects of state funding for the hockey arena have been slipping fast over the past couple of days, as news reports of private deals between the Minnesota "Wild" and the M.A. Mortenson construction company have made the whole project seem vaguely tainted. Last night "Wild" CEO Jac Sperling tried to limit the impression of foul play by sending a ream of company financial papers to key lawmakers... something the team had refused to do until now... and this morning he went before the media to say the "WILD" has nothing to hide:
March 23, 1998 - The parent company of Minnesota Public Radio announced today it is selling it's for-profit catalog operations to Dayton Hudson Corporation for $120 million. Dayton-Hudson officials say buying the Rivertown Trading Company will give the retailing giant new sales expertise in the mail-order market and potentially on the internet. Most of the profits of the sale will go to MPR's permanent endowment fund...which becomes the largest in public broadcasting. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephen Smith reports: Sun 28-MAY 11:55:34 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
March 23, 1998 - Minnesota's gubernatorial candidates will be stepping in to tricky territory when they try to outline their education proposals, judging by comments at a recent Minnesota Public Radio/Star Tribune/KTCA TV citizens forum on education. Citizens complained that the state's education system isn't meeting the needs of today's children and demanded the next Governor do something about the problem. But many said the problem with schools is that theyre being micromanaged by the state. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports on the mixed messages and candidate questions that came out of the forum. TAG: Tune in to Midday this morning at 11 for more on education and the governor's race. We'd like to know what education qu
March 24, 1998 - With the announcement yesterday that Minnesota Public Radio is selling its for-profit catalog company, the Rivertown Trading Company, to the Dayton Hudson corporation, MPR's financial footings become substantially stronger. The 120 million dollar deal means that MPR's endowment fund will become the largest in all of public broadcasting. MPR officials say the event is good news for network and its listeners, but there may be a risk to its fundraising.
March 27, 1998 - This week, the Minnesota House passed a bill strengthening the state's Shield Law. As it's currently written, the Shield Law protects journalists' confidential sources from subpeona ... But NOT reporters unpublished notes, videotapes and photographs. The bill's supporters say changing the shield law to include protections for unpublished material would allow journalists to work more independently from law enforcement. The bill does include an exemption though, when the reporter is the only one with critical evidence that could not be obtained elsewhere... then it can be supeonaed. Barbara Cochran, President of the Radio-Television News Directors Association--or RTNDA-- says that's a pretty significant loophole. She says tough shield laws are critical to journalists' integrity. | D-CART ITEM: 9753
March 30, 1998 - Governor Carlson traveled to Saint Peter today to survey damaged caused by tornadoes yesterday. The Governor says he hopes to have a request for disaster aid to the federal government and state Legislature within a week. Emergency crews are working to restore power and phone service, and Authorities say it may be Friday before some residents of St. Peter have their electrical power back. Bob Julius is with the Southern Minnesota Municipal Power Agency in Rochester, which serves Saint Peter. He says only the most crucial parts of Saint Peter have had the electricity restored.
March 30, 1998 - Hennepin County, once looked to as a national leader in how it handles its trash, is starting to fall behind. The county's waste-to-energy incinerator is burning all it can .....and as the amount of garbage continues to climb, more and more is ending up in landfills. State law and the federal Environmental Protection agency regard landfills as the most environmentally harmful way of disposing of garbage. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 9608 | TIME: 6:07 | OUTCUE: "...soc --------------------------------------------------------- It's a fact of life in the garbage business---- when times are good, people buy more stuff...which means they throw out more trash. Bruce Wuolle
April 1, 1998 - MPR’s Gretchen Lehmann profiles the historical impact of the “Willmar 8” and how it will be remembered by future generations. Lehmann interviews a member of the “Willmar 8” and two academics.
April 3, 1998 - (THIS ONE... a little long for news, maybe drop-in for ATC as "leg update") House negotiators may block $87 million in state money for the Minneapolis Convention Center unless the Senate relaxes its opposition to the Saint Paul hockey arena. Minnesota Public Radio's Maritn Kaste reports: The deadlock over the Saint Paul hockey arena is beginning to put other projects at risk. The Senate opposes the arena, so House negotiators are now saying they'll block the Minneapolis project, too. The threat is probably a bargaining tactic, but it worried Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton enough for her to rush over to the capitol earlier this afternoon to do damage control. House Speaker Phil Carruthers says he does not necessarily endorse his negotiators' tactics, but he thinks the Senate should be more fair to Saint Paul:
April 6, 1998 - Many businesses in the tornado battered town of Le Center plan to resume operations this week. Le Center's industrial park south of town and a nearby mobile home park were hardest hit in the storms. The town has been successful at luring small manufacturing firms which brought an estimated 400 jobs to Le Center. As Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports, repairing as much as 15 million dollars worth of tornado damage is an added challenge for small companies struggling to expand their businesses.