February 16, 1999 - Two weeks ago, Governor Ventura got permission to carry a concealed weapon at the capitol. Ventura said he wanted the gun permit because his state security guards can't be with him at all times. The decision continues to generate a lot of local discussion. Here's a sampling of opinion gathered at one St. Paul gas station.
February 16, 1999 - Minnesotans had a chance to question Governor Jesse Ventura, and other state leaders, last night over issues of Education. The Minnesota Citizen's Forum was broadcast on KTCA-TV and Minnesota Public Radio. It was also covered by the Star-Tribune newspaper. All three media outlets were SPONSORS of the event.
February 16, 1999 - A new report on conflict of interest laws for public officials ranks Minnesota in the bottom third among states. The Center for Public Integrity - a Washington-based non-partisan watchdog group - found a number of weaknesses in Minnesota's laws requiring state legislators to disclose their financial interests. The report comes in the wake of an ethics finding that Senator Dallas Sams improperly concealed a consulting payment from the University of Minnesota.
February 16, 1999 - The State Department of Children, Families and Learning plans to issue its new desegregation rule today, a controversial policy several years in the making. The new rule does away with 25 years of racial quotas, and tries to address trends such as "white flight," the desire for community schools and increased immigration into Minnesota's rural areas. Essentially the state says separate CAN be equal. In so doing, many critics charge the state with gutting its own mandate.
February 16, 1999 -
February 16, 1999 - Thousands of Northwest Airlines ground workers are voting today on a tentative agreement that could resolve the contract dispute they've been working under since the fall of 1996. The same workers rejected the last tentative agreement their union leaders reached with management last summer.
February 16, 1999 - The White Bear Lake milk processing plant linked to listeria contamination will re-open tomorrow. State agriculture officials say they couldn't determine the exact cause of the contamination, but they're satisfied with the plant's clean-up and employee training plans.
February 17, 1999 - Tobacco companies are confirming the presence of cadmium, ammonia, lead, formeldehyde, and arsenic in most cigarettes. In compliance with a new Minnesota law, 65 companies have filed information with the state health department on over seven-hundred brands of cigarettes. The vast majority contain at least trace amounts of these toxic substances in their lit cigarettes. Health researchers say its well-known that cigarettes contain harmful chemicals. Dr. Harry Lando, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota, says the public disclosure may just make some smokers more aware of what they're inhaling.
February 17, 1999 - The government's fraud case against Piper Jaffray got underway in a Minneapolis court room yesterday. The securities and Exchange commission is suing Piper and 5 current or former employees for their handling of a mutual fund whose value plunged because of investments in derivative securities.
February 17, 1999 - MPR's Kathryn Herzog has this Mainstreet report on concerns of nuclear power plants and Y2K. Of all the alarming scenarios related to possible computer failures in the year 2000, perhaps most critical to public health is the safety of America's 103 nuclear power plants. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission says the Y2K computer bug poses little threat to safety systems at nuclear reactors, but some nuclear power opponents say the utilities back-up plans for Y2K are not good enough to ensure the public's safety.