March 17, 1999 - US and Canadian wildlife officials are preparing to significantly reduce the population of snow geese. The estimated six million geese are destroying their nesting habitat in northern Canada. Hunters are being called on to shoot more geese in an extended spring season.
March 17, 1999 - Legislation banning the use of underwater video cameras for fishing is headed to the Senate floor, following an 8-to-5 vote today in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Supporters say the cameras change the nature of the sport, and put pressure on limited fishing resources, but manufacturers say the state is trying to put them out of business without any evidence the cameras are dangerous.
March 18, 1999 - Mark Yudof, University of Minnesota president, discusses the role of athletics at the University and the accusations of academic fraud in the Gopher men's basketball program. Yudof also answers listener questions.
March 18, 1999 - A "Talk of Minnesota" program, presenting the views of MPR listeners on the role of big time athletics at a university. Wendell Anderson, former Governor, University of Minnesota regent Gopher hockey player, joins the conversation.
March 18, 1999 - Almost every American has a photographic record of important moments in life. But what do these pictures, videotapes and home movies tell us about our selves and our families? Do they represent truth or do they disguise reality? Independent filmmaker and author Michelle Citron says they do both. Citron says to understand the messages behind the images... we need to challenge ourselves to look a bit closer at those endless videos of children's birthday parties and family vacations. Citron says like most American families, she has had ample opportunity to do just that.
March 18, 1999 - A Native American Cultural center struggling to get off the ground in Detroit Lakes is being evicted from the house it's using as a temporary office. City officials say it's an question of zoning regulations. But those who started the center say racism keeps them from finding a home in the community.
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.