March 19, 1998 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe kept up the pressure today (THURSDAY) on the supporters of public funding for the St. Paul hockey arena project. Moe says he believes the St. Paul city council failed to scrutinize the financial arrangements between the hockey team and the contractor building the arena, and he called for a "special inquiry" into the matter. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Supporters of state funding for the arena say Roger Moe's call for an inquiry is just another political manuever designed to embarrass St. Paul Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Norm Coleman. the House and Senate bonding conference committee was already planning to ask questions about the arena's financing, and they Moe is just trying to make a routine process seem more dramatic. St. Paul senator
March 19, 1998 - Minneapolis playwright Kim Hines tells the story of three prominent African American women of the time who are largely unknown to most Minnesotans. Hines has written monologues portraying the life of businesswoman Amanda Lyle, social worker Gertrude Brown, and attorney Lena Smith.
March 19, 1998 - State funding for a new Saint Paul hockey arena could be in jeopardy because of questions surrounding a deal between the Minnesota Wild Hockey Team and the company it chose to oversee construction of the arena. The team awarded the construction contract to Minneapolis -based M.A. Mortensen after the company paid the team's 100-thousand dollar NHL initiation fee. We get an update from John Knapp who lobbies on behalf of the Minnesota Business Partnership at the state legislature.
March 20, 1998 - "Images of Aging” Princeton survey shows working people think retirement will give them a chance for a fresh start, but most retirees say their lives are about the same or worse. This Midday program examines expectations upon retiring with guest LaRhae Knatterud, of the MN Dept of Human Service's Aging Initiative called "Project 2030," who discusses survey results and answers listener questions.
March 20, 1998 - Ward Connerly, University of California regent, speaks at an event sponsored by the Center of the American Experiment and the Minnesota Association of Scholars. Connerly’s speech is entitled “Racial Preferences: Inequities in the Name of Equality,” which focuses on affirmative action in college admissions.
March 20, 1998 - The economy is strong - unemployment is low...seems just the equation that MIGHT mean the end for the nation's food shelves. But many food shelf operators say it's likely they'll serve even MORE people this year because of welfare reform. There have already been reports of a jump in the number of new clients looking for food. At this point, the connection isn't conclusive, but food shelf operators believe they are in a unique position to gauge the effects of welfare reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports. It's the beginning of the month, the only down time here at St. Francis Food Shelf in Little Falls. By month's end, when paychecks have been stretched thin, there will be a long line of people waiting to pick up their monthly allot
March 20, 1998 - St. Paul legislators and the Minnesota "Wild" hockey franchise are looking for a way out of the standoff over the new St Paul hockey arena. Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe has made it clear that he intends to block state funding for the arena... but today (FRIDAY) the Wild and the St. Paul delegation did their best to outmanuever him. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The prospects of state funding for the hockey arena have been slipping fast over the past couple of days, as news reports of private deals between the Minnesota "Wild" and the M.A. Mortenson construction company have made the whole project seem vaguely tainted. Last night "Wild" CEO Jac Sperling tried to limit the impression of foul play by sending a ream of company financial papers to key lawmakers... something the team had refused to do until now... and this morning he went before the media to say the "WILD" has nothing to hide:
March 20, 1998 - The musician known as the king of the flute makes his Twin Cities debut tonight. Chen Tao is lauded in China as one of the country's most accomplished musicians. The New York Times calls him a 'poet in music. Chen and two other acclaimed Chinese musicians will perform a concert of traditional Chinese music tonight in Minneapolis, as Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff reports: The flute is usually thought of as a gentle instrument... best suited for melodies about love, flowers and spring. But 2,000 years ago in China, generals used flutes to fire up the blood of warriors on horseback:
March 20, 1998 - Like a church recipe book that weaves together parishioners' favorite banana breads, cobblers and bean dips....Eleanor Ostman's first cookbook, "Always on Sunday" samples some of her favorite recipes collected during her 30 years as Food Columnist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Ostman's newspaper column called "Tested Recipes", generated thousands of reader contributions over the years... including a submission by former Minnesota first Lady Lola Perpich, who started a lengthy controversy when she submitted a pie crust recipe which readers couldn't seem to make work. Ostman says she eventually learned how to eyeball a recipe to figure out if it had potential.
March 20, 1998 - Tobacco attorneys are celebrating a state supreme court ruling that blocked the release of sensitive tobacco files. The justices issued a stay while they consider whether those files should remain sealed and out of the state's lawsuit against the tobacco industry. Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: Tobacco company lawyers have fought hard to keep these 39-thousand documents under wraps because they say they are protected under attorney/client privilege. Philip Morris attorney Greg Little says the memos contain lawyer's views about the strengths and weaknesses of the case. And he says, divulging these files would seriously compromise tobacco's defense: (you don't want to turnover to your adversaries what you think about your strategy; how you plan on defending the case, how you plan on proce