June 29, 1999 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman visits Camp Ajawah to profile a new Girl Scout troop in Minnesota. It's not like most other Girl Scout troops in the state because Troop 2675 is for Southeast Asian girls. Born in the United States and growing up in the Twin Cities, these new girl scouts, who are mostly Hmong, are experiencing and learning in ways often unavailable in traditional Hmong homes.
June 30, 1999 - Garrison Keillor gives a speech at the spring commencement for the Class of 1999 at the University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts. Keillor talks about growing up, what’s next for the graduates, and doing good in the world.
June 30, 1999 - Star Wars is coming to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The museum is one of six sites chosen to host a Smithsonian traveling exhibition of costumes, props, production artwork and models from the archives of Lucasfilm. The museum hopes the exhibit "Star Wars: The Magic of Myth" will draw a quarter of a million people, which would set a museum record. And if the crowds admire a few paintings and the jade mountain while they're there, all the better. To those who wonder if "Star Wars" belongs in the museum, MIA curator Lotus Stack says the movie is an important artistic statement.
July 1, 1999 - The Minnesota Vikings are launching a statewide campaign for a new stadium. The team rejected a proposal from the Minnesota Sports Facilities Commission to turn the Metrodome into a football only stadium for less than half the cost of building a new one. Instead, the Vikings want a 70,000-seat roofed football-only stadium that would cost at least 400- million dollars. Vikings owner Red McCombs says he thinks Minnesotans are behind him.
July 1, 1999 - The Minnesota Zoo has announced plans to build a four and a half million dollar exhibit honoring the family farm. Zoo officials say the farm will help city kids better understand the importance of agriculture. Critics say it looks like another money-losing venture for the state facility.
July 2, 1999 - Judy Dwarkin, director of public relations at the Humane Society, talks about the first annual "Dog Day at the Dome." 150 dogs will gather for the Twins game event that includes a parade around the field and a dog owner look-alike contest. Dwarkin says the dogs won't be disappointed.
July 2, 1999 - The Fourth of July is a mere four days away -- that means small-town parades, back-yard barbeques, and, yes, fireworks. Fireworks have been illegal in the state since 1941, but each year Minnesotans flock to Wisconsin and return with bottle rockets, sparklers, and firecrackers. Governor Jesse Ventura says they should be able to make those same purchases here at home. But others warn legalizing fireworks will only lead to more accidents and injuries.
July 2, 1999 - Even as cost estimates for a proposed light rail transit system rise, Minneapolis and St. Paul residents continue to show strong support for the idea. A new poll commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio, the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and KARE-TV shows well over two thirds of those responding to the survey support light rail.
July 2, 1999 - Minnesota Twins officials have thrown their support behind St. Paul efforts to build the team a new ballpark. Mayor Norm Coleman had said he needed a commitment from the team before he asked St. Paul voters approve a .5% sales tax increase to pay for the project.
July 2, 1999 - MPR’s John Bischoff visits carillonneur David Johnson at House of Hope church along Summit Avenue in St. Paul, as he prepares for July 4th concert. Johnson discusses the instrument and how to play it.