May 20, 1998 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports on Obertstar-Vento compromise over motor use in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wildnerness. Northern Minnesotans hope the compromise will settle long standing disputes over the region. Congressman Jim Oberstar's proposal to allow trucks on two wilderness portages has been entered into the transportation bill now under consideration by a Congresional Conference Committee. It has Congressman Bruce Vento's reluctant support after the addition of a provision removing some lakes from motor access.
May 21, 1998 - Andrew Latham of Macalester College, and Joe Dowling, Artistic Director of the Guthrie Theater and a native of Ireland, discuss the upcoming Northern Ireland peace accord vote, known as the “Good Friday” agreement. Lathan and Dowling also answer listener questions.
May 21, 1998 - The Minnesota Orchestra is considering building an outdoor amphitheater in Brooklyn Park. Orchestra officials say the northern Twin Cities suburban location is attractive because there are thousands of acres of undeveloped land. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. audio . . . (Minnesota Orchestra music) The Minnesota Orchestra wants to bring in more money. To do that, the Orchestra wants to build an amphitheatre that can seat more summer ticket buyers. The Orchestra sells lots of seats for its popular Sommerfest and Cabaret Pops concerts. But Orchestral Association president David Hyslop predicts a new amphitheatre will draw nearly twice as many people as Or
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 21, 1998 - Airline industry experts expect tomorrow to be the busiest day in aviation history. The experts say more than two-million people are expected to get on a plane at the start of the Memorial Day weekend. For the week ending next Tuesday, more than 12-point-five million people are expected to fly to their destination. The Air Transport Association, representing the biggest U-S carriers, says the proportion of seats filled on flights systemwide could be as high as 83 percent. Amy Rea (Ray) is a travel analyst with Schilling Travel in Minneapolis. She says the high numbers predicted by the industry surprise her. Amy Rea, a travel analyst with Minneapolis-based Schilling Travel.
May 21, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio's Catherine Winter reports on Cass Lake-Bena school district, a small district on the Leech Lake Reservation that has struggled with racial tension for years. The district is trying to serve its Native students better, but the case is still not settled.
May 22, 1998 - Larry Buboltz, Director of the Rural Minnesota Concentrated Employment Program, and Earl Wilson, Deputy Commissioner of the MN Dept of Economic Security, discuss summer jobs. Topics include what's available, who can get them, what employers are looking for, pay and skills required, and the job market.
May 22, 1998 - Tobacco legislation in the U-S Senate faces a roadblock, as Senate members have signaled their opposition to limit the industry's liability from lawsuits to eight billion dollars a year. Meanwhile, Senate conservatives have attacked the bill's tax increases. The tobacco bill's chief author, Arizona Senator John McCain, says he will continue to push the legislation. Those price increases are the subject of current television ads sponsored by the tobacco industry. The ads feature portrayals of working people who smoke asking why Congress is singling them out for another tax. David Logan, law professor at Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina says the ads are a smart strategy by the tobacco industry.