May 14, 1998 - As the debate over how to spend Minnesota's tobacco settlement heats up, some of the discussion has shifted to the state's co-plaintiff - Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The insurer's share of 469-million dollars is now the subject of two class-action lawsuits filed this week. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
May 18, 1998 - [for use IF KOCH SIGNS for ATC tonight at 5:20. I will write alternate version for use if Koch does NOT sign by 5:20.] The Koch Refining Company and officials of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency have worked out final details of a 6.9 million dollar out-of-court- settlement. The agreement signed today requires Koch to begin agressive clean up of groundwater contamination at its Rosemount refinery south of the Twin Cities...but it comes years after the spills and leaks were first reported. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports. HOST OUTCUE The signing of the new cleanup agreement removes one barrier to a new air
May 19, 1998 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the small community of Comfrey, Minnesota. Mark Steil takes a closer look at new laws governing the regulation of feedlots in Minnesota…laws which give more control over feedlots to local governments. Steil talks with State Legislators Steve Dille and Gary Kubly, as well as local officials.
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.