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 But NOT reporters unpublished notes, videotapes and photographs. The bill's supporters say changing the shield law to include protections for unpublished material would allow journalists to work more independently from law enforcement.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.
April 7, 1998 - Light rail transit advocates are closer to winning legislative approval for an LRT line in Minneapolis. Lawmakers trying to iron out Minnesota House and Senate spending differences are being told the operating cost of bus and rail service along Hiawatha Avenue are about the same. Advocates say answering the operating cost question is a big step toward convincing lawmakers and the governor that LRT from downtown Minneapolis to the airport is feasible. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. The agreement reached in a legislative conference committee gets at the long running controversy over what is cheaper to operate - bus or LRT. Minnesota Department of Transporation director of intergovernmental policy Bill Schrieber says his agency and the Metro
April 9, 1998 - Hennepin County Commissioner Peter McLaughlin, who also chairs the Seven County Rail Authority; and Art Leahy, general manager of the Metropolitan Council Transit Operations, discuss legislative passage of light rail project in the Twin Cities. McLaughlin and Leahy also answer listener questions.
April 10, 1998 - State lawmakers refused to enact limits on bank service charges this legislative session. In the last several years, consumer groups have issued numerous reports blasting banks for increasing fees and adding new ones at a time of record industry profits. As Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports, legislative proposals to reign in bank fees drew more attention and support this year than they have in the past, but none survived. Jordan Ash says he's actually encouraged. Ash is the banking organizer at the activist group ACORN. He's the point man in ACORN's campaign to force banks to reduce bounced check and other fees the group says unfairly hit low
April 10, 1998 - SEVERAL OF SAINT PAUL'S CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE HAPPY TO HAVE FUNDING OF A NEW DOWNTOWN HOCKEY ARENA RESOLVED. MOST SAY THE DEAL MINIMIZES THE CITY'S FINANCIAL RISK IN THE 130 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS... IN THE WANING WEEKS OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION - WITH A REQUEST FOR HOCKEY ARENA FUNDING LANGUISHING BEFORE LAWMAKERS - SOME OF SAINT PAUL'S ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE SOBERED BY THE PROSPECT OF HAVING TO COME UP WITH NINETY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THE RIVER CENTRE ARENA. BUT A LATE-NIGHT LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGH AND A REVISED DEAL WITH THE MINNESOTA WILD HOCKEY TEAM NOW HAVE CITY HALL DENIZENS CELEBRATING. CONGRATULATORY REMARKS AND BACK-PATTING MAR