February 18, 1997 - A Minnesota-Iowa border flap has erupted over a perceived slight to Iowa's largest city. Minnesota Governor Arne Carlson said during the weekend that Des Moines is dead. Iowa Governor Terry Branstad sought an apology yesterday, but it was rebuffed. Carlson later hedged on his remarks, noting that his wife is from Iowa and proud of her heritage. Des Moines mayor Arthur Davis has offered Governor Carlson a tour of his city, and Carlson is apparently considering the offer. James Lileks, a columnist with the St. Paul Pioneer Press, has been watching the situation.
February 18, 1997 - On its rail lines across the country Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad plans to increase train speeds through towns to sixty miles per hour. Many towns and cities now have ordinances limiting train speeds but the Federal Railroad Administration has given BNSF the okay to increase speeds. Some North Dakota communities are trying to put the brakes on the plan. Minnesota Public Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports.
February 18, 1997 - Many people are pretty sick of winter by now. But at least one group will be sorry to see it end. The "Courage Alpine Ski Program" has changed the lives of many disabled people who used to dread winter. Minnesota Public Radio's Kathleen Hallinan takes a look at the nearly 30 year old program that started in southeastern Minnesota.
February 18, 1997 - The Twin Cities metropolitan area is the third most spread out in the country. It sprawls more than Phoenix or Dallas or even Los Angeles, a city notorious for its seemingly endless suburbs. Unlike states such as Florida or Oregon , Minnesota has no state wide land use planning to direct its growth. Bills that would take the first steps in that direction are expected to be introduced this session at the state capital, but no one expects easy solutions. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.
February 19, 1997 - Another winter sports season is wrapping up for Minnesota high school teams. State tournaments in gymnastics, wrestling, hockey and basketball are just weeks away. But far from the noise and sweat of gymnasiums and ice arenas, other high school teams are also preparing for tournament competition. The Minnesota State High School Quiz Bowl tournament is scheduled March 6th and 13th in Burnsville. Quiz Bowl teams stress brains over brawn and pit some of the area's brightest students against one another in competition as fierce as any athletic event. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
February 19, 1997 - Minnesota's quarter of a million snowmobilers could pay more for registering their machines and be required to buy a ten dollar permit to ride on state trails. As Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports the measures passed their first hurdle at the legislature when members of a house committee endorsed them.
February 19, 1997 - Evergreen Media Corporation is buying Dallas-based Chancellor Broadcasting Company and Viacom's ten radio stations for a total of $1.76 billion dollars. Chancellor owns seven Twin Cities radio stations. They are KFAN-AM, WBOB-FM, KEEY-FM, KTCZ-FM, KTCJ-AM, KDWB-FM and KQQL-FM. Once the deals are completed, the new company will be known as Chancellor Media Corporation. It will own 103 radio stations in 21 major markets. Tom Taylor, who edits "Inside Radio", a radio industry newsletter, says listeners won't be likely to notice the difference right away and he says it's the next logical step in a recent pattern.
February 19, 1997 - Mediators trying to write new a management plan for Voyageurs National Park have again found themselves stuck on an old issue: the use of snowmobiles within the Park. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports from Duluth: After meeting for months and finding solutions to dozens of management questions, the 12 active members of the Voyageurs Mediation panel have found themselves split over the single most contentious surrounding use of the park: snowmobiling on the park's largest land area, the Kabetogama Peninsula. Mediators agreed in January that the snow machines should be allowed on the peninsula's chain-of-lakes trail, but they parted over a proposal to limit
February 19, 1997 - A panel of state lawmakers has recommended schools administrator Dave Metzen join the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents -- DESPITE allegations of sexism in the candidate selection process. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Allegations of male chauvinism stirred up the otherwise placid process of selecting new University Regents at the state capitol on Tuesday. Roseville Representative Mindy Greiling complained to the news media that lawmakers from the Ramsey County area had passed over Roseville school superintendent Carol Ericson for one of the vacancies on the Board of Regents -- even though Greiling says Ericson WAS CLEARLY the best candidate. The group of lawmakers instead endorsed another school superintendent, David Metzen of South St Paul. Women's political lobbying groups quickly picked up on Greiling's complaint... Judith Schotzko, president of the Minnesota W
February 19, 1997 - Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is endorsing a continued role for the federal government in funding scientific research, which he says is crucial to making computers easier to use. In a speech to the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Gates said Microsoft is planning to double the size of its basic research division over the next several years.