May 15, 1998 - While many farmers are enjoying perfect conditions for early spring planting there's an area in northeastern South Dakota into southeastern North Dakota where floods prevent farmers from getting to their fields. After years of wet weather, the water tables in this region are so close to the surface, that water is bubbling up from the ground. Recent heavy rains - with more than 12 inches in the past two weeks are making things worse. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports: Rolling plains and expansive prairie is the typical landscape in northeastern South Dakota. It's an area where excess water fills sloughs then runs into the creeks that feed some of South Dakota's few lakes. The Glacier Lakes watershed is saturated adn the water now covers nearly every road in Day County. The lakes have swollen and are covering up a
May 18, 1998 - MPR Political commentators Bob Meek and Tom Horner talk about the race for the governor's office, which is the first in decades where an incumbent is not running. Topics include upcoming Republican and Democratic primaries and conventions, tobacco settlement, sports stadium debate, and negative campaigning. Meek and Horner also answer listener questions.
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 18, 1998 - The clean up and development of polluted riverfront property in downtown Minneapolis is picking up steam. The area is part of the city's historic flour milling district. Developers are building apartments and townhomes for people they believe will be attracted by the central riverfront's scenery and location. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. audio . . . sfx wrecking ball Right now the neighbors are a little noisy. But the wrecking crew tearing down the old General Mills grain silos will leave soon. Then, developer Peggy Lucas' customers can catch a glimpse of what they've bought - an unobstructed view of the Mississippi River. Lucas' company, Brighton Development, is building apartments in the historic North Star Blanket fa
May 18, 1998 - Some state legislators and business leaders predict the "Year 2000 Bug" could have dire effects on the state. A special panel of legislators met today (MON) to evaluate the state's preparations for the bug, which is the result of a calendar shorthand that tricks many computers into confusing the year 2000 with 1900. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The ad hoc panel of legislators is eager to make sure Minnesota business leaders are taking the Year 2000 Bug seriously -- to that end, it invited national expert David Hall to outline what he sees as the potentially catastrophic result of all those computer clocks cranking over to zero-zero. Hall estimates at least 400 million clock-based microprocessors will have unpredictable problems because of the bug, and will compromise everything from databases to prisons: ((State of CA almost released a violent felon who just last year
May 18, 1998 - Political foes of Minnesota Attorney General and gubernatorial candidate Skip Humphrey say he should've disclosed all of the fees paid to attorneys in Minnesota's tobacco trial when he announced the settlement two weeks ago. The St. Paul Pioneer Press reported over the weekend the Robins Kaplan, Miller and Ciresi firm will receive at least 100-million-dollars more than Humphrey stated. Humphrey supporters say the fees are a non-issue because the tobacco companies agreed to pay them on top of the settlement. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: When Humphrey announced the tobacco settlement on June 8th, he proudly told supporters tobacco companies would pay attorneys fees *on top* of the 6 billion dollar settlement. He said tobacco companies would pay attorneys 440-million dollars or about seven percent of the settlement. But the Pioneer Press reported over the weekend that Humphrey was quoting only the fe
May 18, 1998 - In a surprise announcement, The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra appointed a new acting concertmaster. The selection of the violinist to lead the musicians in any orchestra is a complex, mysterious, process. Insiders expected the SPCO selection committee to take a year to choose a successor to Romauld Tecco, but they found someone they really wanted…Denver-based Steven Copes playing and they hired him on the spot.
May 18, 1998 - As many as 25,000 Twin Cities residents will be without power until tomorrow, four days after tornadoes and thunderstorms swept through the area. Northern States Power company says Friday's storms knocked out electricity to more than 400,000 customers in Minnesota and parts of the Dakotas. The utility says the storms affected more households than a l996 ice storm. Cleanup crews are hauling away debris and dealing with the thousands of downed trees caused by the storm. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. The beads of perspiration popping from John Schotzsnyder's forehead gleam in the midday sun. He welcomes a chance to take a break from storm clean up to show a visitor the damage to his Shoreview home and the trees on his lot. Several damaged boughs hang precarious
May 18, 1998 - (note: we aired this before we learned the meeting was cancelled. Also, cuts from this q/a were in circulation Friday so it's a dead horse now). Tom Clancy's bid to buy the Minnesota Vikings is on the agenda when a committee of N-F-L team owners meets in Miami tonight. The committee will consider the financing of the 200-million dollar sale to Clancy and more than a dozen other investors ... but NFL owners are not expected to vote on the proposed sale this week. There's been speculation in recent weeks that Clancy's deal might be unraveling. The best-selling author is going through a costly divorce that makes it unclear how much cash he can put toward a Vikings purchase. And some of the Vikings current owners have worried that one of Clancy's investors - Houston businessman Les Alexander - might eventually try to move the team to Texas. Alexander reportedly has the right of first refusal, meaning he could buy the team should Clancy decide to sell it. Wheelock Whitney, one of the Vikings ten current owners, plans to re-invest with the Clancy group. Whitney says it's premature to worry Alexaner would move the team to Houston:
May 19, 1998 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the small community of Comfrey, Minnesota. Following the destructive March tornadoes that struck the area, Mark Steil talks with residents and local officials about recovery, rebuilding, and remembering. The topic of small towns in general and their economic health is also discussed.