February 5, 1999 - When the midnight bell tolls December 31st, there's a good chance some city employee who drew the short straw will be standing next to a water pump or some other piece of equipment, praying it functions normally as the year 2000 begins. The y2k computer bug has crawled onto the radar screen of small government, and most are taking it seriously.
February 8, 1999 - The owners of Canterbury Park Race Track in Shakopee are trying to revive a plan for casino gambling. A year and a half ago lawmakers rejected a casino proposal that was linked to a new Twins stadium. This time backers are NOT talking about a stadium. Instead they say most of the revenue could be used for anything from reducing taxes to increasing spending on education. The governor says he's open to the idea.
February 8, 1999 - The DFL-controlled Minnesota Senate has passed a one-billion-dollar version of Governor Ventura's sales tax rebate plan. Senate Republicans tried to defeat the sales tax rebate approach, which they call unfair to the state's wealthier taxpayers. The Republican alternative -- rebates based on INCOME taxes -- has already passed in the House, which means Senate and House negotiators now have to find a way to reconcile the two plans.
February 8, 1999 - South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu brought his message of peace and forgiveness to Minneapolis today. Tutu won the nobel peace prize in 1984 for his efforts to end Apartheid. In 1995, he chaired South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Comission, the panel which worked to bring justice to those who suffered under apartheid. Today in Minneapolis , the Archbishop told an audience at Westminster Presbyterian Church what the truth and reconciliation hearings revealed about human nature.
February 8, 1999 - The Minnesota department of transportation has temporarily halted an archeological survey of land in the path of the proposed highway 55 reroute in Minneapolis. A crew was scheduled to begin survey work this morning, but left the site at the request of highway opponents.
February 8, 1999 - A new report finds 12-hundred Ramsey County families on a waiting list for subsidized child care - an all-time high. Ramsey County officials are calling for more state funding for child care, arguing the issue not only affects the working poor, but businesses competing for workers in a tight labor market.
February 8, 1999 -
February 9, 1999 - Today at Central High School in St. Paul, the teachers who were willing to talk on tape said they generally liked the profile of learning. Marty Hawthorn is a Math Teacher at Central who does not want to go back to what he sees as an outdated, rigid emphasis on basic skills. Hawthorn has used many of the Profile's so-called "performance packages" in his classroom. In one project his students used their math skills to put together a budget for an archaelogical dig. They also measured shards of pottery and used mathmatical formulas to figure out the size of the original objects. Hawthorn says the Profile of Learning has improved math teaching.
February 9, 1999 - Later this morning Minnesota Public Radio will broadcast a conversation between residents of north Minneapolis and Crookston. You might think a small rural Minnesota community and inner city Minneapolis would be much more different than alike. But folks in the northwestern community of Crookston and people in North Minneapolis say they've found common ground.
February 9, 1999 - When 911 operators recieved the call last December of a natural gas explosion in St Cloud, they immediatley called the Gold Cross ambulance dispatch in Rochester. Late last year, ambulance dispatch services in St Cloud were closed and operators at the Mayo Emergency Communications Center, which owns Gold Cross, took over. The push to integrate the state's emergency services has gained momentum over the past few years as companies try to consolidate resources and equipment.