February 10, 1999 - It's been two months since a Minneapolis Police van accelerated out of control into a crowd of Holidazzle parade watchers killing two people and injuring several others. Investigators found nothing wrong with the van. Minnesota Public Radio has learned tests conclusively showed the driver had NO alcohol in his blood at the time of the accident. Other tests apparantly found traces of medicine, but not enough to impair the police officer.
February 10, 1999 - On a bi-partisan vote, the House Education Policy Committee has approved legislation to repeal the controversial Profile of Learning. The bill scraps a ten-year-old, multi-million dollar plan for ensuring Minnesota high school graduates can apply the knowledge they've gained in the classroom. It also creates a new back-to-basics approach that lets local districts decide how to teach students.
February 10, 1999 - Governor Ventura had a more peaceful conversation today with Fred Grandy about welfare. Grandy is the head of Goodwill Industries International. The former Republican Congressman from Iowa now oversees a charity that serves two-hundred thousand people each year. Half of them are moving from welfare to work. Governor Ventura has been relatively silent about his views on welfare reform, and Grandy says that's exactly why he wanted meet with him.
February 10, 1999 - An encounter between Governor Ventura and a group of college students turned into a shouting match at the state capitol today.
February 10, 1999 - It's been a little over three years since the Bosnian war ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. But Yugolsavia's tension is far from over. Today brought another round of peace talks, this time between ethnic Albanians who want indepence for Kosovo and Serbs who want Kosovo to remain part of Yugoslavia. Throughout the war and the fragile peace of the past few years, many have pointed to the so-called "ancient ethnic hatreds" among Croats, Serbs and Muslims as the main reason for the conflict and the incredible attrocities committed on all sides. Former Balkans Bureau Chief for the New York Times, Roger Cohen, says that theory is far too simplistic. In his new book "Hearts Grown Brutal", Cohen says the war was not inevitable as some in the International community have suggested.
February 10, 1999 - Muslim leaders in Rochester say cultural insensitivity is prevalent among administration and faculty in the local public school district. A national Islamic group contacted the media after a Rochester Mayo High School teacher who works primarily with immigrants said two traditionally-dressed Muslim students looked like "terrorists".
February 10, 1999 - A new study concludes Minnesota is paying a high price to subsidize low-wage jobs. A Washington D.C.-based public policy group analyzed more than 500 economic development deals, and found almost a fourth of the deals cost more than 35-thousand dollars for every job created. The study is sparking debate over whether the state should set limits on corporate subsidies.
February 10, 1999 - The unpaid medical bill at Minnesota's largest public hospital is growing. Hennepin County Medical Center is treating a growing number of patients who have no health coverage. Hennepin County officials says filling the funding gap shouldn't be the responsibility of county taxpayers alone.
February 10, 1999 - Two distressed areas of Minneapolis are in line for up to $100 million in federal funds. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Andrew Cuomo told Minneapolis officials at the former Sears site along Lake Street today the designation 'Empowerment Zone' means grants and tax credits for business owners. The program may also include money for cleaning up brownfields, creating parks and expanding after-school activities. Neighborhood residents are enthusiastic but they also have a 'wait and see' attitude.
February 11, 1999 - University of Minnesota officials say they need state help to head off a funding crisis in medical education and to improve physician training. They say cuts in federal support and smaller profits from patient care are threatening the future of the Academic Health Center. The U asked for 37-million dollars to overhaul its curriculum and an annual 60-million dollar boost from a state endowment to fund medical education and research. Governor Ventura provided the money in his budget. But his plan hinges on putting the state's tobacco settlement money in the bank, a plan many legislators oppose.