December 8, 1998 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman talks with Ilean Her, director of the state’s Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, about Hmong community leaders release of a proposal seeking state dollars to help Minnesota's South-East Asians population. Several recent tragedies in the Hmong community prompted the initiative which will be presented to the legislature. It calls for mental health, education, violence prevention, and self-sufficiency programs.
December 10, 1998 - A new poll by MPR and the Pioneer Press indicates most Minnesotans do NOT want Congress to impeach President Clinton. 62 percent of respondents say impeachment is the wrong course of action. 19 percent say Clinton should be impeached, but NOT convicted... Only 14 percent say the President SHOULD be convicted -- and thereby removed from office. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more: On the streets of downtown St Paul, the attitude is one of general disgust with Clinton -- but disagreement over the appropriate punishment. (street bkgrd sfx) ((CHARLES: I don't know if I can't trust him, b
December 10, 1998 - It has taken 7 years but a former pornographic bookshop in Minneapolis, is now a community theater..... opening it's first holiday show. Some of the actors now performing were once outside on the sidewalk protesting against the store. The Central City Theater-- on the corner of 4th and Lake was once known as the Lake Street Bookstore-- but it's now part of what the city hopes will be a turnaround of troubled Lake Street. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports.
December 10, 1998 - An advisory panel is expected to tell lawmakers today to scale back the state's high school graduation requirements. The committee of educators and business people has been studying ways to imrpove the controversial "Profile of Learning"...and subjects like art, music and physical education might not make the cut. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire... The state's plan for helping Minnesota students succeed after high school was simple: set up statewide testing to make sure students were learning the basic skills...then create a system to measure how well students could demonstrate what they've learned. These higher standards, known as the Profile of Learning, ignited a firestorm of controversy. Complaints range from
December 10, 1998 - It has taken 7 years but a former pornographic bookshop in Minneapolis , is now a community theater opening it's first holiday show. Some of the actors now performing were once outside on the sidewalk protesting against the store. The Central City Theater-- on the corner of 4th and Lake was once known as the Lake Street Bookstore-- but it's now part of what the city hopes will be a turnaround of troubled Lake Street.
December 11, 1998 - An advisory panel is asking legislators for a major overhaul of the state's high school graduation standards. The committee of business people and educators wants to scale back the controversial Profile of Learning...eliminate state performance guidelines...and require 11th graders to pass a test before earning a dimploma. But some members of the committee say it slashed the program without knowing whether it was working. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... The Profile of Learning is the state's system to measure how well students apply what they've learned. Students are required to meet 24 performance standards in 10 broad subject areas. Critics call it a bureaucratic mess that's difficult to understand. The committee that's been stud
December 11, 1998 - The Minneapolis City Council has passed a budget that will raise city property tax levies for the first time in five years....but councilmembers say residents won't have to pay more out of their own pockets. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports: Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton got just about everything she asked for in her 842-million dollar 1999 budget. But she had to work for it. Last night she scolded councilmembers who threatened not to pass it, saying it contains MONEY FOR projects they want: 35:41 "I don't think anyone can sit around this table and say the things included in this budget are not in the interests of the city of Minneapolis. From Armitage Park to Central Park to the riverfron
December 11, 1998 - U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone has all but announced he's running for President. The two-term Democrat says he's going to make the final decision over the holidays -- after he gets a chance to discuss it with his family. But in a speech to supporters and financial backers last night (THURS), Wellstone made it sound as though he's already embarked on the campaign trail. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports:
December 11, 1998 - A federal panel has given the go-ahead for a major rebuilding and expansion plan for the Dakota, Minnesota, and Eastern Railroad. The approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board is no surprise---the board rarely denies applicants. But the decision is the first major hurdle cleared by D-M and E since the company announced its 1.4-billion dollar plan last spring. Now, both opponants and supporters say they're looking ahead to the next big decision that scrutinizes the proposal's environmental impacts. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports. In keeping with their agressive opposition to the railroad's proposal, Rochester-area officials organized a press conference barely a half-hour after the Surface Transportation Board announced it's decision. Olmstead County board chairman Paul Wilson says the ruling points out the need to ch
December 12, 1998 - Our Voices of Minnesota series features Minneapolis astronaut Colonel Bob Cabana who is commanding the Space Shuttle Endeavor, which is set for launch Thursday morning to begin building the International Space Station. He speaks with MPR’s Mark Zdechlik. Program begins with NPR report on the mission of International Space Station.