August 30, 1999 - The comfort level in many schools changed forever last April when 14 students and a teacher died in Colorado's Columbine High School. The school year ended last spring under a cloud of fear and confusion. Threats and rumors of violence disrupted the routines in many Minnesota schools. Most Minnesota students return to school this week, and school administrators say they're trying hard to assure parents their children will be safe.
August 30, 1999 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on a Minnesota Citizens Forum on the farm crisis held at the State Fair. A panel of elected officials from the federal, state and local levels talked about ways to help rural Minnesota survive, ranging from a government buyout of surplus commodities to more money for technology.
August 31, 1999 - Minnesota House Speaker Steve Sviggum talks about the House GOP's recently announced priorities. Sviggum also answers listener call-in questions.
August 31, 1999 - Back in St. Paul, volunteers are collecting money for Olson's legal defense fund. Mary Sutton is an old friend who's serving on the committee. She says they've raised 22-thousand dollars so far.
August 31, 1999 - Minnesota schools are having an increasingly hard time hiring good principals. Superintendents say fewer people are applying for principal jobs, and many of those applicants lack the experience needed to meet the growing demands of the job. It's a nationwide trend that some predict is reaching crisis proportions.
September 1, 1999 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe will join us to talk about DFL priorities for the next session, and to respond to the Republican tax cut priority. Moe also answers listener call-in questions.
September 1, 1999 - MPR sports analyst Jay Weiner will be in the studio to discuss Vikings Owner Red McCombs' demand for a new stadium or he'll move the team, and the proposal from Major League Baseball owners to drop the small market teams (like Minnesota). Jay is a sports writer for the Star Tribune newspaper.
September 1, 1999 - American RadioWorks presents the documentary “The Fertility Race,” a summary of compiled reports on series about the social implications of infertility and the advanced reproductive techniques designed to correct the condition.
September 1, 1999 - Shareholders of both Honeywell and AlliedSignal today approved the New Jersey based company's 15 billion dollar buyout of Honeywell. At the Honeywell headquarters, which the company has put up for sale, CEO Michael Bonsignore told shareholders the company had to do something dramatic to retain control of its own destiny.
September 1, 1999 - Minnesota schools begin a second year of classes this week under the graduation standards system, known as the Profile of Learning. The complex system of applied-learning requirements was expected to be dumped or dramatically altered during the legislative session, but neither happened. Now, school districts and teachers are expected to push ahead and make the Profile work. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire looked at how one district is coping and filed this report.