March 20, 2001 - A House committee will consider a bill later this week to allow grocery stores to sell wine. 32 states around the country allow wine to be sold in the supermarket. Critics of bill say that it will make it harder to keep alcohol out of the hands of underage drinkers. Joining us on the line is Barb Sykora (sih-CORE-ah), the sponsor of the bill and a Republican from Excelsior. State Representative Barb Sykora, a Republican from Excelsior.
March 20, 2001 - St. Paul NAACP and Chief Finney meet to discuss racial profiling in the city.
March 21, 2001 -
March 21, 2001 - Governor Jesse Ventura said he's strongly considering asking the Legislature to change state law to bar teachers from striking. At an education forum in St. Louis Park, Ventura suggested putting teachers in the category of Essential State Employees, same as policemen and firefighters.
March 22, 2001 - Minnesota's Health Department says the state's tuberculosis rate is rising even though the national rate is on the decline. 178 cases were diagnosed in 1999, the second largest number of cases in the past 20 years. The health department says a large number of the cases involve immigrants from countries don't have the ability to diagnose and treat the disease. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
March 22, 2001 -
March 22, 2001 - A change in the state's liquor laws attracts a lot of interest. The Wine with Dinner Bill allows grocery stores over 10,000 feet to sell wine. Would it encourage or prevent easy access to minors?
March 22, 2001 - Police are still hunting today for a 29-year old fugitive who is wanted in three states. Anthony Zappa evaded police and the FBI on Tuesday after a search at the Mall of America turned up empty. The mall was closed for eight hours after Zappa was spotted on a security camera. Zappa is a federal fugitive wanted on firearms and other charges. Authorities say he has a flair for staying one step ahead of his pursuers. Nick O'Hara is a former FBI agent and former head of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. He has been involved in similar searches, including the one for serial murderer Andrew Cunanan in 1997. O'Hara in on the line now.
March 26, 2001 - Friday is the first committee deadline at the Minnesota Legislature. That means most bills will have to clear policy committees in at least one house by the end of the week to stay alive. Joining us with a preview of the week ahead is Minnesota Public Radio's Capital Bureau Chief, Laura McCallum.
March 26, 2001 - The Equal Rights Amendment is getting another chance in Congress. Last week, more than 160 members signed onto the legislation... which would give women equal protection under the consitution. The E-R-A was first introduced in 1923, and despite its repeated RE-introduction, has never achieved the level of support necessary for ratification. 4th district representative Betty McCallum is one of the bill's sponsors this session. She says its time to make the E-R-A a reality: