April 18, 1997 - MPR’s Bob Potter interviews Grand Forks police official Byron Sieber about flooding in the town and a mandatory evacuation order.
April 18, 1997 - John Rabe reads from "Frederick Manfred"
April 18, 1997 - Ska, the root of reggae, is out of the shadows again with the announcement that Chelsea Clinton favors a ska band. Beyond the beltway, there's a ska fest going on tonight in the Twin Cities. It's Ska Fest '97, featuring FluxSkaPacitor, The Siren Six!, and Let's Go Bowling. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts brought in rock historian Jim DeRogatis and Siren Six! saxophonist John Reinick for a short history lesson in Ska.
April 18, 1997 - Elect Met Council - 5:00 / DO / ME / MD
April 19, 1997 - Living in an artists loft may be your secret dream...this weekend you'll get the chance to see if the reality lives up to your expectations. Over 160 artists are opening their lofts and displaying their work as part of this weekend's ST. PAUL ART CRAWL. Craig Thiesen is a photographer living in the Northern Warehouse. He says even as a young artist he always dreamed of living in a Lowertown loft. He says loft living may not be as exotic as people think.
April 21, 1997 - President Clinton wants all children reading by third grade. His two-point-75 billion dollar "America Reads" proposal would place one-million tutors, including thousands of college students, in elementary classrooms throughout the nation. Minnesota colleges are making plans to get their students involved in the project. These volunteer tutors face a tough assignment helping children reach their proper reading level. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... 5604 (Sound of readers) In the library at Richard R. Green Central Park Elementary school
April 21, 1997 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the major impact Red River flooding has had on Grand Forks, North Dakota. The Red River will crest today in Grand Forks at 54 feet - more than double its normal depth. The flood has forced the evacuation of Grand Forks and the city across the river, East Grand Forks, Minnesota. Over the weekend, there was also a big fire in Grand Forks. Fire trucks couldn't get to it, so helicopters dumped buckets of floodwater on the fire.
April 21, 1997 - Bonnie Wallace says the way things worked on the Fond du Lac reservation when she was a teenager there 30 years ago is the Bureau of Indian Affairs told boys they'd be auto mechanics and the girls would be hair dressers. Today on our Voices of Minnesota interview we hear Bonnie Wallace talk about education for American Indians. Wallace left the reservation as a young adult. Now, she's back as chair of the board for the tribal college. She talked recently with Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson about attitudes toward American Indians when she was growing up.
April 22, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil reports that the Minnesota legislature is considering a measure which changes how rights of way are managed. Utilities can run their cables and pipes under our roads because they're part of the right of way. Some city officials say the companies leave a mess when they're through. A compromise before the legislature gives cities more control over rights of way but leaves a major issue unsettled…rent.
April 22, 1997 - The Legislature is getting closer to figuring out your tax bill for next year. The Senate finished work on its tax reform package today (Tues), which cuts property taxes by almost 2 Billion dollars over three years. At the same time, the House Taxes Committee has unveiled its own tax reform package, which makes more modest cuts. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Senate Taxes Chairman Doug Johnson has been fighting for a week to keep his huge tax reforms together -- and so far, he's succeeding. His combination of deep cuts in property taxes for business and apartment buildings and generous property tax refunds for homeowners withstood a barrage of amendments from Senators trying to change the mix -- including a fierce battle on Monday over the new "business activity tax" which pay