December 25, 1997 - This PRI Special, “It’s a Wonderful Christmas,” presents the book “The Greatest Gift: A Christmas Tale” by Philip Van Doren Stern, and read by Andy Williams. Originally created as a Christmas card by author, the story became known as the source material for the classic Capra film “It’s a Wonderful Life”.
January 2, 1998 -
January 2, 1998 - Minnesota's new Criminal Gang Strike Force has been in business for two months now, with 40 full-time agents dedicated to tracking the activities of the Twin Cities' suspected criminal gangs. That effort is now going statewide, as the Strike Force gets ready to set up regional bureaus in cities like Duluth and Moorhead. Politicians say the anti-gang effort is long overdue in Minnesota's small towns and rural areas, but some local law enforcement experts say they're not so sure outstate Minnesota requires a big-city-style anti-gang offensive.
January 2, 1998 - Protesters with the environmental group "Earth First!" briefly stopped a logging truck in the Superior National Forest today, but allowed it to pass when they learned it wasn't involved in a controversial timber cut. The protesters have returned to block the logging of 110-year old trees at the site called "Little Alfie." Other environmentalists filed suit today in Minneapolis Federal Court, seeking an injunction to keep loggers away from the old trees.
January 3, 1998 - A Minnesota lawmaker is flying to North Carolina on Sunday to take a closer look at what may be the future home of the Minnesota Twins. A North Carolina businessman is negotiating to buy the team... but State Representative Kevin Knight of Bloomington says he thinks the deal is a ploy to force the Minnesota Legislature to pay for a new baseball stadium. Knight told Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste that the trip to North Carolina will help him prepare for the NEXT stadium fight, when the Minnesota Legislature meets later this month.
January 3, 1998 - There are many disappointed football fans in Minnesota this morning, after the Vikings lost their playoff game to a superior San Francisco 49ers team at 3Com Park yesterday. Minnesota Public Radio's Jon Gordon reports that there are a few long faces in the San Francisco Bay Area as well.
January 5, 1998 - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources holds the first of twelve public hearings today to gain input on managing the wolf when it returns to state control. That could be as soon as next year. Timberwolves were placed on the endangered species list in 1974. Since then, the population has recovered and wolves have extended their range to cover the northern half of the state.
January 6, 1998 - Twin Cities officials are doing their best to mix business with politics! It's their attempt to propose hosting the Democratic National Convention in the year two-thousand. As Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports, Twin Cities officials face a January 16th deadline and find themselves up against some stiff competition. A number of OTHER U.S. cities are making similar bids.
January 6, 1998 - A report released by the Governor shows crime is down in Minnesota and the state is a safer place to live.
January 6, 1998 - Around 200 angry landowners at a hearing in Thief River Falls forcefully told state officials they want changes in the laws protecting wolves. The Timberwolf will likely be removed from the Federal Endangered Species list next year... and the Minnesota DNR is gathering input at 12 public hearings around the state on how to manage the wolf population.