June 8, 1998 - intro: The Mille Lacs 1837 Treaty case will get its day in the US Supreme Court. Minnesota Public Radio's Leif Enger reports. tape runs :58 The 1837 Treaty preserving the hunting and fishing rights of 8 chippewa bands was upheld through seven years of lower court decisions and appeals; it was described as an epic losing streak for the state. But with the Supreme Court's decision to review, one of the landowners' attorneys challenging the treaty says the momentum has turned. Randy Thompson is encouraged by what he calls a string of recent court setbacks for Indian tribes, including one announced today making it harder for tribes to avoid taxation on re-purchased reservation land. Randy: "I think it's a trend in which the courts are saying, We're gonna take a very hard look at these Indian law cases and decide them on the issues we think are presented."
June 8, 1998 - As the DFL Convention at St. Cloud State's National hockey Center wound down Sunday morning, Mike Freeman and Ruth Johnson ... on the heels of thei
June 8, 1998 - It had none of the hype and fanfare of the D-F-L state convention, but Minnesota's third major party quietly held its state convention over the weekend. Reform Party delegates met in Brooklyn Park to endorse three candidates for statewide office - Jesse Ventura for Governor, Alan Shilepsky (shih-LEP-skee) for Secretary of State and Jim Dunlop for Treasurer. They also tackled the hotly-debated issue of whether to unite with supporters of former Presidential candidate H. Ross Perot. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... (nat - buzz of delegates)
June 8, 1998 - This spring has been a once in a lifetime experience for Minnesota farmers. The weather has been almost perfect. Crops were planted so early the old rhyme "knee high by the fourth of July" could be a huge understatement. But the good news from the fields is not matched at the market place. In fact U.S. Agriculture Secretary Dan Glickman will be in Minnesota and North Dakota today (monday 6/8) to talk with farmers about their economic problems. The price farmers receive for their corn, soybeans, and wheat are low and headed lower. American farmers are producing more than this nation or the world can use. The problems come as a historic change in the federal government's role in agriculture is about to take place. Two years ago congress passed landmark legislation known as "freedom to farm." It will end most federal farm support payments after 2002. With the current downturn, farmers wonder if the disappearance of the federal safety net will cause a wave of farm consolidations and bankruptcies during the next decade. In the first of a series of reports on what some are calling the new midwestern farm crisis, Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports on concerns raised by "freedom to farm:"
June 8, 1998 - Minneapolis based Norwest corporation announced today it is merging with San Francisco based Wells Fargo and Company, and moving the headquarters to California. The 34 billion dollar deal creates the nation's 7th largest banking company. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports. In recent months many observers have expected a Minneapolis bank to announce a merger with Wells Fargo, but most speculation focused on Norwest's neighbor, US Bancorp. Norwest officials have been saying they felt no pressure to be part of a big merger, despite a wave of mega-deals this year in the banking and financial services industries. Still more surprising was the decision to put the new company's headquarters in San Francisco. The new Wells
June 8, 1998 - Saint Paul: 1992 was dubbed the "Year of the Woman" in national politics, with more women winning congressional seats than ever before. But when the 103rd Congress convened, women only made up ELEVEN percent of the House and SEVEN percent of the Senate. THIS election year pundits say it's the "Year of the Woman" in Minnesota politics. Women dominate the slate of DFL endorsed Candidates for statewide office following this weekend's state party convention in St. Cloud. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, women STILL have yet to gain a spot at the TOP of the DFL party ticket:
June 8, 1998 - A coalition of Hmong agencies and Ramsey County have announced a 10-year plan to curb violence in the Hmong community. While the plan is more a call to action than a series of concrete recommendation, organziers say it is historic because it represents the first time the Hmong community has acknowledged violence is a problem. MPR’s Chris Roberts talks with some of those involved with plan.
June 9, 1998 - Midday presents a Mainstreet Radio special broadcast on what's being called the "New Midwestern Farm Crisis." The program contains reports on farming issues, including insurance, scab plant disease, government programs, global markets, and Freedom to Farm Act.
June 9, 1998 - Norman Ornstein, Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and respected political analyst, addresses Minnesota Meeting. Ornstein’s speech was titled, " Getting Big Money Out of U.S. Politics: What We Can Do Now." Speech is followed by a question and answer period. Minnesota Meeting is a non-profit corporation which hosts a wide range of public speakers. It is managed by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
June 9, 1998 - With President Clinton's signature now affixed to the massive transportation bill, two Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness portages become mechanized. Motor vehicles such as trucks will be allowed to pull boats across the narrow forest paths between fishing lakes. Now the US Forest Service will have to determine just how to allow trucks back on the portages and who will get to operate them.