March 18, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Amy Radil reports on the U.S. Coast Guard's Mackinaw and the debate to replace it. The 55-year-old ship is the biggest icebreaker on the Great Lakes, and always greeted enthusiastically by commercial shippers and idle boat watchers alike. The U.S. House approved spending 130-million dollars to replace the Mackinaw, but its fans are nothing if not loyal, and are trying to keep it around.
March 22, 1999 - St. John's University in Collegeville unveiled the first page of an equisite handwritten Bible today at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. It will take six years to finish the new St. John's bible commissioned at a cost of about $3 million dollars. The University calls it a Bible for the 21st century. It's a Roman Catholic text based on the widely used "New Revised Standard Version." Queen Elizabeth's calligrapher, Donald Jackson, will oversee the massive project and its team of international calligraphers. He says the new St. John's Bible will still use a traditional text...but it will be coupled with non-traditional images likely to appeal to today's readers.
March 22, 1999 - State officials are rejecting a proposal for unlimited open enrollment among Twin Cities schools because they say it's "unworkable." The Minnesotaeaplis NAACP wants to eliminate metro area enrollment boundaries as one step in settling its education adequacy lawsuit against the state. The state has now responded with its own settlement proposal, and few of the NAACP initiatives are included.
March 23, 1999 - The Brooklyn Park City Council is expected to vote tonight to approve an outdoor Amphitheatre project for the Minnesota Orchestra. The 19-thousand seat amphitheater would host about 50 summer concerts. Eighteen would be orchestra performances, the rest would be pop music. But whether it's Pachobel or Prince, neighbors are concerned it'll be just plain noisy. Brian Timerson handles noise problems for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He says any amphitheater will probably require special permission to exceed legal noise limits.
March 24, 1999 - Scott Strand, former deputy counsel in the Minnesota State Attorney’s office, discusses a treaty rights ruling from the Supreme Court regarding hunting and fishing. Program includes a debrief from MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki on the history of case.
March 24, 1999 - Norm Coleman, St. Paul mayor, discusses the state of the city and answers listener questions.
March 24, 1999 - The Brooklyn Park City Council has approved an outdoor amphitheater for the Minnesota Orchestra. The decision was welcomed by Orchestra officials, but the project faced strong opposition from many area residents who fear the venue will host noisy pop music acts.
March 25, 1999 - The Minnesota House has voted 94 to 37 for a hunting and trapping season for the gray wolf once the animal comes off the endangered species list. Members approved the bill at the urging of Northern Minnesota legislators who said wolves in their districts are coming into increasing conflict with people. Minnesota wolves are expected to be removed from federal protection sometime in the year 2000.
March 25, 1999 - You may not know his name, but you probably know his work. Ralph Rapson has put his mark on the Twin Cities as only an architect can -- in the buildings many of us see and live with nearly every day... the Guthrie Theater, the Cedar West highrise apartments, and many houses for people of modest and not so modest means. Perhaps most importantly -- he was head of the University of Minnesota school of architecture for 30 years --- educating the architects of the future. And now opening this weekend the first major retrospective on Rapson career along with a new book on his life and work.
March 25, 1999 - Northern States Power Company today announced plans to merge with Denver-based New Century Energies. The deal would create a company with more than six and a half BILLION dollars in revenue and customers in 12 states and several foreign countries. Finalization of the merger will require the approval of numerous state and federal regulators.