January 13, 1999 - Governor Ventura filled three of the most important and visible jobs in his administration today. The commissioners of the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Agriculture, and the Department of Children, Families & Learning.
January 13, 1999 - A Senate committee today approved a repeal of Minnesota's contentious ban on snowmobile studs. Angry snowmobilers warn of more accidents and lost tourism dollars if they can't use the carbide-tipped studs, while trail users argue studs will hack up the state's paved trails.
January 13, 1999 - Tax rebates, tax cuts, tax credits. How in the world will Minnesota lawmakers have time to hear anything else this session? Well, they will hear a myriad of other proposals - including a bill to shut down for one month the Twin Cities freeway ramp meters. The ramp meters are those devices which during rush hours control the lives of legions of motorists.
January 13, 1999 - A national higher education faculty study released this week is calling for a redefinition of tenure and adding more accountability to sabbaticals. The yearlong study, conducted by a coalition of Washington-based higher education associations, was designed, in part, to address growing public concern about the efficiency, effectiveness and affordability of public higher education.
January 14, 1999 - Governor Ventura today proposed a sales tax rebate plan which he says will get more money to the middle class than the House Republicans' income tax rebates would. Republicans say they'll keep an open mind, but they don't like the limits Ventura is putting on the size of rebates for wealthy Minnesotans.
January 14, 1999 - The state chair of the Minnesota DFL is calling for a major party overhaul, in the wake of November election losses. Dick Senese's plan would streamline the caucus system, gut the party endorsement, and even change the party's name. Some party activists are already raising objections over the proposal.
January 14, 1999 - State legislators have begun discussing ways to lower class sizes in Minnesota schools. Governor Ventura says class-size reduction is among his top priorities. He's convinced it can help students learn. But some researchers question the impact of class sizes on learning, and the Governor's goal could be more than the state can afford.
January 14, 1999 - The 1999 Minnesota House includes 21 freshmen, 14 of them Republicans, who helped their party gain the majority for the first time in thirteen years. Most of the Republican gains came from suburban districts, although one D-F-L'er won a traditionally-Republican suburban seat. Ann Lenczewski of Bloomington is considered a moderate Democrat. She's landed a plum assignment on the House Taxes Committee.
January 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura has outlined an education agenda that could add hundreds of millions of dollars to K-12 education. The Governor is also taking a new approach to his plan for lowering class sizes in the early grades.
January 15, 1999 - Sun Country Airlines says it will go head to head with Northwest Airlines. Sun Country plans to offer low-fare, daily non-stop service in June to ten popular destinations. Sun Country is tiny compared to Northwest, the dominant airline in the Twin Cities market. But their announcement follows a year in which Northwest's dominance has been broadly criticized, and government regulators have stepped up their scrutiny of competitive practices in the twin cities air travel market.