February 26, 1999 - A push to pass tougher financial disclosure laws for state legislators and lobbyists may be dead this session. An ethics expert from Rutgers University says such laws rarely produce valuable information for the public, and infringe on the privacy of citizen legislators. A House committee killed a disclosure bill this week, and it faces an uphill battle in the Senate.
February 26, 1999 - There's a busy special election season ahead in Minneapolis . City council member Steve Minnesota is leaving his post to become commissioner of Public Service in the Ventura administration. The annoucement follows by a few months Mark Andrew's decision to leave his Hennepin County Commissioner job. Minnesota has been the lone voice of political dissent on the DFL controlled City Council. His departure opens up a council seat in the city's affluent 13th ward.
February 26, 1999 - Computer experts warn without precautions, the transition to the year two thousand could disrupt computer operations which could have a domino effect on the economy. Some estimates have big business globally spending as much as 500 BILLION dollars to prepare for Y2K. Now there are increasing efforts to help ensure small businesses without technology departments and budgets for consultants, are also protected.
March 1, 1999 - MPR’s Michael Khoo visits the Majestic Ballroom in Cottage Grove on the venue’s last night open. Khoo interviews ballroom dancer patrons as they kick up their heels one last time. For a quarter century, the Majestic has entertained the fancy footwork of those dancers with a taste for polkas, waltzes, and foxtrots.
March 1, 1999 - Voters in the Pipestone/Jasper school district must decide soon whether to build a new school or repair the old one. The state fire marshall has set a deadline for action, and calls the situation serious. This is a scenario many school districts are encountering as their buildings age and the cost to update and improve increases.
March 1, 1999 - Governor Ventura hasn't ruled out a run for the White House in 2004. He joked about it during his National Press Club address last week where he was the toast of the town. Some suggested his future is on the national stage. Nancy Snow is a political scientist at New England College and the executive director of Common Cause in New Hampshire. She's been keeping tabs on the candidates hovering around New Hampshire for the 2000 race. We asked her what she thinks of Ventura's idea to sell merchandise to fund his political career, and whether he has what it takes to run for president.
March 1, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura gives his first state-of-the-state address tomorrow, and many people in northern Minnesota will be interested in what he has to say. Residents there are generally optimistic about the state's job market and economy, but are concerned about how the Governor perceives the area of the state outside the Metro area.
March 1, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura delivers his first state of the state address tomorrow. Leaders across Minnesota will be listening for any surprises in the speech but they've already begun to get a sense of what programs the governor thinks are important from the budget proposals he released last month. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe spoke with leaders in Rochester about what they want from the new governor.
March 2, 1999 - A year-long search for a superintendent has ended in the Saint Paul school district, and school board members say it was worth the wait. The board voted unanimously Monday night to hire Patricia Harvey. The urban education consultant and former Chicago schools administrator will replace Curman Gaines, who stepped down last summer after seven years on the job.
March 2, 1999 - Governor Ventura delivers his first State of the State today, less than two months after taking office. Republicans in the Minnesota House are also new to leadership, and have been taking their message to greater Minnesota since the session began. Republican leaders say their focus on tax cuts, education and government reform is resonating with voters, although their vision of a leaner state budget doesn't please advocates of certain programs. They traveled to Owatonna yesterday, and Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum went along.