March 18, 1998 - Tobacco attorneys say they'll ask the Minnesota Supreme Court to review an order releasing nearly 40-thousand secret industry documents for the state's lawsuit against the tobacco companies. State's attorneys believe this cache of files details damaging conduct by the top levels of the tobacco industry. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 8175 | TIME: 1:46 | OUTCUE: "...SOQ --------------------------------------------------------- The appeals court said the tobacco companies failed to show good reasons why the documents should be kept confidential. So barring a review by the State Supreme Court, the industry will have to turn over these files by noon Thursday. This ruling is the latest setback for an industry that's fought hard to keep these files confidential. Tobacco companies claim these 39-thousand documents should be kept secret under attorney/client privile
March 19, 1998 - An economist told jurors in Minnesota's tobacco trial that tobacco companies conspired to prevent the development of a less-harmful cigarette because doing so would throw the industry into a dogfight of competition. The testimony boosts State and Blue Cross Blue Shield claims that tobacco companies broke anti-trust laws by supressing research into smoking and health. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Economist Adam Jaffe told jurors the internal company documents show the tobacco companies have violated anti-trust laws by conspiring to restrict competition since 1953. Jaffe is a professor at Brandeis and has also served on the president's council of economic advisors. He told jurors tobacco companies underst
March 19, 1998 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe kept up the pressure today (THURSDAY) on the supporters of public funding for the St. Paul hockey arena project. Moe says he believes the St. Paul city council failed to scrutinize the financial arrangements between the hockey team and the contractor building the arena, and he called for a "special inquiry" into the matter. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Supporters of state funding for the arena say Roger Moe's call for an inquiry is just another political manuever designed to embarrass St. Paul Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Norm Coleman. the House and Senate bonding conference committee was already planning to ask questions about the arena's financing, and they Moe is just trying to make a routine process seem more dramatic. St. Paul senator
March 20, 1998 - Ward Connerly, University of California regent, speaks at an event sponsored by the Center of the American Experiment and the Minnesota Association of Scholars. Connerly’s speech is entitled “Racial Preferences: Inequities in the Name of Equality,” which focuses on affirmative action in college admissions.
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 20, 1998 - Like a church recipe book that weaves together parishioners' favorite banana breads, cobblers and bean dips....Eleanor Ostman's first cookbook, "Always on Sunday" samples some of her favorite recipes collected during her 30 years as Food Columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ostman's newspaper column called "Tested Recipes", generated thousands of reader contributions over the years... including a submission by former Minnesota first Lady Lola Perpich, who started a lengthy controversy when she submitted a pie crust recipe which readers couldn't seem to make work. Ostman says she eventually learned how to eyeball a recipe to figure out if it had potential.
March 20, 1998 - Tobacco attorneys are celebrating a state supreme court ruling that blocked the release of sensitive tobacco files. The justices issued a stay while they consider whether those files should remain sealed and out of the state's lawsuit against the tobacco industry. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Tobacco company lawyers have fought hard to keep these 39-thousand documents under wraps because they say they are protected under attorney/client privilege. Philip Morris attorney Greg Little says the memos contain lawyer's views about the strengths and weaknesses of the case. And he says, divulging these files would seriously compromise tobacco's defense: (you don't want to turnover to your adversaries what you think about your strategy; how you plan on defending the case, how you plan on proce
March 23, 1998 - As part of the Minnesota Citizens Forum on education, in partnership with the Star Tribune, KTCA-TV, and the Minnesota Journalism Center, this program reports on forum and presents MPR listeners' views on education and the Gubernatorial campaign. “Profile of Learning” was a key topic.
March 24, 1998 - For an assessment of this first phase of the trial, we called Hamline University law professor Joe Daly. He's been a frequent observer in the courtroom, and says he's been impressed with the way the state laid out its case: Joe Daly teaches at Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul. Sun 28-MAY 11:55:02 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
March 24, 1998 - Saint Paul for Tuesday March 24-th. plus, news cuts for news!!!!! Minnesota's welfare recipients are quickly being moved into a system that's VERY different from the one to which they have become accustomed to. The state's new welfare law emphasizes WORK and penalizes those who do not comply with the new rules. State's were mandated by the federal government to reform the welfare system as we have known it. THIS month, about one thousand of the state's 50-thousand welfare recipients had their checks reduced by ten percent for failing to show up to orientation sessions which explain how the new system works. They are being given a second chance to attend, but as Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, if they fail to show up AGAIN, their benefits will be cutback even FURTHER: Let's say you receive welfare payments.