February 4, 1999 - King Hussein is returning to Jordan after a little over a week of treatment for a re-lapse of lymphatic cancer at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. The monarch's plane left Rochester early this afternoon... the King's private physician says the 63 year old monarch suffered internal organ failure and is in critical condition. Hussein has been a regular visitor to the clinic since 1992. His visits can push Rochester onto the international stage. But while the King's presence has an impact on some businesses and city departments, most Rochester residents who've come in contact with the royal family seem determined to help guard their privacy.
February 5, 1999 - Snowmobiling is big business in Minnesota. About 70 percent of the 200-thousand snowmobiles sold last year were made in Minnesota. The sleds are sleek and fast with hi-tech suspension and built in handwarmers. It's a long ways from the humble roots of the snowmobile industry. Thirty years ago snowmobiles were little more than a motorized metal sled. Those early machines are now in great demand. Collecting and restoring antique snowmobiles is becoming an industry all its own.
February 5, 1999 - One of the Twin Cities smallest venues for theater has gotten significantly larger. The Jungle Theater is moving from its somewhat cramped quarters on Lake Street a half block away to a new, renovated building it purchased last year. While The new Jungle will be able to accomodate more people and mount grander more lavish productions, its founder says the ambience and intimacy of the old Jungle will remain.
February 5, 1999 - The Minnesota House has approved a Republican-sponsored plan to send $1-point-5 Billion dollars worth of rebates to Minnesota taxpayers. The plan bases the rebates primarily on a person's income level -- an approach bitterly opposed by the Democrats.
February 5, 1999 - Sam Costa is an arts instructor in the Minneapolis public schools and a dance choreographer. When his students learned he'd been diagnosed with terminal cancer, they wanted to do something to assist him. Last night, they organized a benefit dinner for Costa and invited a special guest.
February 5, 1999 - Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch today unveiled what he calls the "Fairness in Health Care" act, designed to give patients and doctors more control over treatment. Hatch's bill would allow doctors to decide whether treatment is medically necessary, and let patients sue insurance companies for damages if coverage is denied. But health insurers argue the legislation will drive up premiums.
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.