January 20, 1998 - Northwest Airlines wrapped up 1997 with a record profit of almost 600 MILLION dollars. Its the fourth consecutive year of strong profits.
January 21, 1998 - DFL lawmakers want to give the state the power to takeover failing public schools. That provision is part of carrot and stick bill offering rewards to schools where test scores increase and penalizing schools where scores decline. Supporters of the plan says it's high time schools face consequences for poor performance. But some educators say making threats and blaming schools won't help children learn.
January 21, 1998 - A bill that would pressure banks to offer a low-fee checking account got its first hearing at the state capital today. The bill is one of several proposals to limit bank fees that will come up in this legislative session. Supporters said fees have gotten excessive. Opponents did not have a chance to testify.
January 21, 1998 - The House Judiciary Committee today voted to lower the legal blood-alcohol limit for Minnesota drivers. Anti-drunk-driving campaigners say a lower limit would save lives; opponents say it's a step toward Prohibition.
January 21, 1998 - President Clinton is expected to recommend this month that a moratorium be placed on logging road construction in some National Forests. It's unknown if Minnesota's Chippewa or Superior National Forests might be affected, although bills to stop federal subsidies for roads in all National Forests are likely to be presented again in Congress. Minnesota loggers are worried about the direction a moratorium would represent, while environmentalists say it's a first, necessary step toward more responsible forest management.
January 21, 1998 - As jury selection continues in Minnesota's lawsuit against the tobacco industry, the stand taken by the state Attorney General's office has garnered national attention. But one key aspect of the case has received little coverage - the involvement of the state's co-plaintiff, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. It remains the only private health plan in the country to sue tobacco, and the company hopes its gamble will pay off in health care savings.
January 21, 1998 - The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce last night announced its priorities for Minnesotas 1998 Legislative session and the group's top priority is a property tax cut for businesses. That sets up a showdown between labor and business. Just last week, the AFL-CIO called for an end to business tax cuts.
January 22, 1998 - Look for larger boats and plenty of fishing and sailing gadgets at this year's Boat Show. The annual event, which showcase the latest in the boating industry, got underway last night in St. Paul. Most boatmakers and retailers say 1998 is shaping up into a great year for boat sales. But not everyone is optimistic.
January 22, 1998 - There were no patients at the Women's Health Center in Duluth today. Executive Director Tina Welsh said the heightened pressure of the anniversary of Roe V. Wade would have necessitated spending even more money on security to protect the patients and staff. Instead, a donor showed up and gave the clinic four-thousand dollars...a hundred dollars for each protestor who picketed out front. Welsh's clinic is the only abortion provider in greater Minnesota. It serves women from northern Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan. For seventeen years, Welsh has fought to keep her clinic open. She's lost her lease twice, has to fly physicians up from the Twin Cities, and says she spends a hundred-and-ten thousand dollars a year on security. Welsh says twenty five years after Roe v. Wade, ensuring abortion is available, is a daily battle.
January 22, 1998 - Minnesotans may not realize that the state's tobacco lawsuit has the potential to affect their personal finances. In all likelihood, a large number of Minnesotans have financial stake in the cigarette industry, through the stock holdings of their pension funds, or mutual funds, and even simply as state taxpayers. And Minnesota's lawsuit against the industry is expected to have a potentially powerful impact on tobacco company stocks.