February 11, 1998 - President Clinton is expected to commit to a tough tobacco settlement today. The proposal would impose a $1.50 tax-per-pack and give very little protection from further lawsuits to the industry. Doug Cogan is director of the Tobacco Information Service, which tracks the industry for investors. He says the debate will come down to how much legal immunity to grant the industry.
February 11, 1998 - American athletes have begun winning gold in Nagano. American skier Picabo Street won the women's super giant slalom. And Jonny Moseley took a gold medal for the U-S in the freestyle moguls competition. Jay Weiner is a sports writer for the Star Tribune. He checks in from Nagano.
February 12, 1998 - Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports on the 2,500 striking Honeywell workers who vote on a proposed contract, possibly ending their walkout now in its 11th day. The terms of the proposed settlement are not being made public but union officials say Honeywell modified what had been the company's final offer. Central to the negotiations since the first contract was rejected, has been the union's opposition to Honeywell putting together a separate compensation package for new employees. Such arrangements often called "Two Tier," contracts, have been dividing workforces for two decades in the United States.
February 13, 1998 - Whatever the outcome of the Minnesota tobacco trial, the government is already tightening regulations on tobacco. After launching an investigation in 1994, the Food and Drug Administration decided smoking posed enough of a health threat - especially to teenagers - to warrant stricter regulation. Mitch Zellar is associate commissioner of the FDA. He says before the FDA could regulate nicotine, it had to show tobacco companies intended it to act like a drug.
February 16, 1998 - Jay Weiner reports from the Olympics in Nagano on men's hockey, Minnesota ski jumper, speed skater Amy Peterson, and women's figure skating.
February 16, 1998 - Today is President's Day, the day we honor the legacy of Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. When Washington became President he appointed Alexander Hamilton as the first Secretary of the Treasury. These days politicians talk a lot about the importance of balancing the budget and reducing debt, but Hamilton had a different view. He called the national debt a blessing and Hamilton's Blessing is the name of a new book that looks at the role of the national debt through history. Author John Steele Gordon talked to Bob Potter about how this tradition of borrowing got started.
February 17, 1998 - The United States upset Canada 3-1 in the first ever women's Olympic ice hockey final earlier today. Sandra Whyte set up a pair of powerplay goals and ended the high drama with an empty net third score with eight seconds remaining to set off a wild and emotional U.S. celebration on the ice. Karyn Bye has been the leading scorer on the US team. She is also a native of River Falls, Wisconsin, where schoolkids and residents have been cheering her on for the last week. Patrick McCardle is the Principal at Greenwood Elementary School in River Falls and a good friend of Karyn Bye. He joins me now.
February 17, 1998 - When Norm Coleman officially announced his candidacy for governor on Sunday he said he would seek the endorsement of the Republican party and promised that he would not run in the primary if he didn't get the endorsement. Four out of the five republican candidates for governor have made that pledge at a time when many pundits were suggesting that the endorsement process had become almost meaningless in the political process. Carleton College Political Science professor Steven Schier discusses the current state of the endorsement process.; When Norm Coleman officially announced his candidacy for governor on Sunday he said he would seek the endorsement of the Republican party and promised that he would not run in the primary if he didn't get the endorsement. Four out of the five republican candidates for governor have made that pledge at a time when many pundits were suggesting that the endorsement process had become almost meaningless in the political process. Carleton College Political Science professor Steven Schier discusses the current state of the endorsement process.
February 18, 1998 - Last night the Norwood Young America School Board voted to fire teacher Robert Pannier who has been charged with Criminal Sexual Conduct. Meanwhile, The Minnesota Department of Children, Families and Learning says it will begin spot checking teachers' records and reviewing all new license applications in order to ease worries over teacher credentials. The department is responding to the revelation that Pannier forged his transcript to get a job. Commissioner Bob Wedl joins me now.
February 18, 1998 - A new airline will begin scheduling flights from the Twin Cities to Europe in April. Icelandair is announcing plans to offer service to England, Scandinavia and continental Europe with stops at its hub in Keflavik, Iceland. Northwest Airlines and its partner KLM already dominate Twin Cities-to-Europe routes. Joining me to discuss the new venture is Gunner Ecklund of Icelandair.