April 1, 1999 - A plan to train inner-city youth for careers in agriculture is moving through the state legisalture. The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council wants to build an urban agriculture high school in Saint Paul. The group is seeking 350-thousand dollars in start-up money. But some critics call the plan a boondoggle.
April 1, 1999 - On this special date, MPR’s Amy Radil reports that the Duluth Port Authority is scrambling to respond to unconfirmed reports of whale sightings in the Duluth Ship Canal. Biologists speculate a scarce food supply has driven a whale far inland during the spring breeding season. Authorities are trying to determine whether the whale poses a shipping hazard and how the marine mammal made its lengthy journey.
April 5, 1999 - Sun Country Airlines and the Metropolitan Airports Commission have all but agreed to a package of short term improvements to the Hubert H. Humphrey Charter Terminal at the Minnesotaeaplis/ St. Paul airport. The agreement will significantly cut Sun Country's leasing expeneses, while enhancing the airline's facilities.
April 5, 1999 - Many discipline problems at two Minneapolis schools are now resolved in student court, where students serve as the lawyers and jury. Organizers of the program at Webster Open School and Four Winds American Indian magnet school say student court is building leadership skills and reducing behavior problems. The program has also caught the attention of the nation's top law enforcement official.
April 6, 1999 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports the Minnesota Twins roster for 1999 season feature several unproven players who are new to Major League Baseball…the consequence of owner Carl Pohlad’s decision to slash the Twins' payroll over the winter. The move puts Twins management in the position of trying to raise interest in the team amid low expectations.
April 6, 1999 - If you step into a bookstore these days, chances are you'll encounter the Sunday morning talk shows in book form...former Clinton advisor George Stephanopolos is out with his tell-all about being a close Clinton aide. Newsweek's Michael Isikoff has written about his role as a reporter hot on the trail of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, and of course, Monica Lewinsky's book made quite a splash when it came out earlier this year. Washington Post book critic and columnist Jonathan Yardley is in Minneapolis for some speaking engagements. I asked him what he thinks of the latest round of inside-the-beltway books.
April 6, 1999 - The Saint Paul school board will let its high schools decide individually whether to provide birth control directly to students. Board members met until early this morning debating the controversial proposal to allow health clinics in those schools to distribute contraceptives. In a hastily concieved compromise, parents, teachers and students at each school will now vote on the issue.
April 7, 1999 - Minnesota's U.S. Senators Paul Wellstone and Rod Grams, give the annual Frank Premack Lecture sponsored by the University of Minnesota School of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Minnesota Journalism Center.
April 7, 1999 - The Minnesota Twins opened their 1999 season with a win, defeating the Toronto Blue Jays 6-1 at the Metrodome. The victory comes amid low expectations for this year's team which includes a large number of rookies. 10 of the 25 names on team roster are new to Major League Baseball. MPR's Michael Khoo reports the lack of star power hasn't dampened fan enthusiasm.
April 8, 1999 - This afternoon President Clinton and Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji signed an aviation pact that'll significantly increase passenger and cargo flights between the two countries. Among the biggest beneficiaries of the trade agreement will be Twin Cities based Northwest Airlines.