May 19, 1998 - [note: Koch signed late Monday afternoon so this story is good for Tuesday m.e.] Officials for the Koch Refining Company will take their request for a new, flexible air quality permit before the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizens board today, for a second time. The permit could allow the company to expand operations at its Rosemount Refinery, at a time when it's under increasing fire for widespread contamination in Minnesota and in other states. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Koch Refining Company's request for a new air quality permit first went to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizen
May 19, 1998 - The environmental safety of the Koch Refinery is in question again. Concerns about possible health risks from air emmissions from the refinery have delayed the company's request for a new air quality permit. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency citizens board plans to take a second look at a massive study that assured local citizens the air around Koch's Rosemount refinery was safe to breathe. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. Koch Refining Company's request for a new, flexible air quality permit had already been under intense scrutiny because of the company's poor environmental track record. The permit could allow Koch t
May 21, 1998 - A Duluth agency which has insulated homes and paid heating bills for low-income people for twenty years, is shutting down this week. The Community Action Program, or CAP, has been in trouble for months. CAP board members, management and union members are bitterly divided over the elimination of programs. As a result, low-income people in Duluth could lose an agency that helps them survive the winter. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports from Duluth. For months, board members at Duluth's Community Action Program have complained that the agency's management has not provided complete financial information. Last Friday, however, board members learned CAP has had cost overruns of $130,000, and is suspending its energy assistance program for at least thirty days. The program helps low-income people pay the
May 21, 1998 - More than 125 Native American tribes from across the nation are represented at a tribal environmental conference underway at the Prairie Island Dakota Community. One session addressed a key issue facing Prairie Island and other tribes - the storage of nuclear waste on or near their lands. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... One Prairie Island official says the most ominous issue facing the tribe is its nuclear neighbor. Northern States Power Company's Prairie Island plant sits less than a mile away from the reservation, along with its seven dry casks storing spent nuclear fuel. Whether tribes should accept nuclear waste for storage has been hotly debated across the country - Robert Hold
May 21, 1998 - US Attorney David Lillehaug today said he'll resign, paving the way for a likely bid for Minnesota Attorney General. Two other DFL candidates for Attorney General say Lillehaug would bring much-needed visibility to the race, but both criticized the US attorney's record. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
May 26, 1998 - Critics unleashed a new round of attacks today on Attorney General Skip Humphrey for letting private lawyers earn half a billion dollars from the state's tobacco lawsuit. Republican gubernatorial candidate Allen Quist says not only is the law firm's $566 Million dollar fee too big, it's also ILLEGAL under Minnesota statutes. But a non-partisan law professor says Quist does NOT have much of a case against Humphrey. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has the story: Allen Quist never liked Skip Humphrey's tobacco lawsuit. He thinks the lawsuit is the wrong way to fight youth smoking, and he doesn't like the state's contingency-fee arrangement with the private
May 26, 1998 - The federal government has awarded more than $21 million dollars to the city of Minneapolis for housing and community development. Federal officials say Minneapolis is an example of what they want cities to do to get federal housing money. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.
May 27, 1998 - With the announcement of the U's Cancer Center winning a prestigious designation from the National Cancer Institute, Dr. John Kersey, Director of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center talks about the latest developments in cancer research and treatment. Dr. Kersey answers listener questions.
May 28, 1998 - A local company has come up with a new method for washing food that it hopes will significantly reduce food-borne illness. St. Paul-based Ecolab president and CEO Al Schumann says washing fruits and vegetables with periocidic acid kills more germs on fruits and vegetables than the usual chlorine wash. Ecolab president and CEO Al Schumann. Ecolab says the periocidic acid poses no threat to consumers and isn't harmful to the environment. Sun 28-MAY 11:03:01 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
May 28, 1998 - Former US Attorney David Lillehaug and state Senator Ember Reichgott Junge formally entered the campaign for Minnesota Attorney General yesterday. They join former state Commerce Commissioner Michael Hatch in the DFL race. The leading Republican candidate, state Representative Charlie Weaver, says he's content to watch the Democrats battle it out before the September primary. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.