March 23, 1999 - The Brooklyn Park City Council is expected to vote tonight to approve an outdoor Amphitheatre project for the Minnesota Orchestra. The 19-thousand seat amphitheater would host about 50 summer concerts. Eighteen would be orchestra performances, the rest would be pop music. But whether it's Pachobel or Prince, neighbors are concerned it'll be just plain noisy. Brian Timerson handles noise problems for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He says any amphitheater will probably require special permission to exceed legal noise limits.
March 23, 1999 - Note time reference in intro. The crash of the Cirrus SR 20 this afternoon is raising serious concerns for Duluth-based Cirrus Design in addition to a lengthy investigation by Federal authorities. Prospects were bright for Cirrus when its new single-engine airplane was approved by the FAA last year, and orders brisk for the single-engine, four-seater aircraft. But now the cause of the crash, and the consequences for the company, are unclear.
March 23, 1999 - A St. Paul manufacturing plant is back on-line today after its chemical disposal tank in released noxious fumes yesterday. There were no serious injuries. But the leak forced the temporary evacuation of nearby homes and businesses and snarled rush-hour traffic near the intersection of Snelling Avenue and I-94.
March 23, 1999 - Environmental groups released a study today saying there is no need for a four lane bridge over the St. Croix River near Stillwater. The current crossing is a two lane, historic lift bridge that often causes traffic snarls and delays. The study by a consultant at the University of California at Davis says a two lane bridge would be adequate for at least 20 years, and Minnesota Department of Transportation traffic projections showing the need for a larger bridge are seriously flawed.
March 23, 1999 - On a 77-to-51 vote, the Minnesota House has passed a bill allowing voters to propose new laws and repeal existing ones. Supporters say giving citizens the power of initiative and referendum - as 24 states have done - will increase voter participation, but the issue faces strong opposition in the D-F-L-controlled Senate.
March 23, 1999 - Just about every where you go in Minnesota there's a shortage of workers, with one exception - Minnesota's prison system. Thousands of able-bodied inmates live inside state prison walls. 830 work for Minnesota's taxpayer supported prison industries. And Corrections officials want to create more jobs. They say prisoners don't make trouble when they're working. And the prison system also needs to meet a state mandate to make prison industries self supporting.
March 23, 1999 - A plan to build a transit hub in south Minneapolis gets another public hearing tonight. Metro Transit wants to create a place where riders can converge to board freeway express buses headed to either downtown Minneapolis or to the suburbs. Proponents say the transit hub is part of a plan to help slow the growth of freeway congestion. Opponents object to the noise and disruption a transit hub will cause in their neighborhood.
March 23, 1999 - Minnesota is one of the few states in the nation with a seatbelt gag rule. That rule bans information about whether a person was wearing a seatbelt as evidence of fault in personal injury lawsuits or in lawsuits against automakers. Some opponents say the law is outdated and now penalizes as many people as it was designed to protect.
March 23, 1999 - Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is suing American Family Mutual Insurance for consumer fraud and deceptive advertising. Hatch says the Wisconsin-based company failed to fully reimburse customers for damage sustained by last year's storms.
March 24, 1999 - The Brooklyn Park City Council has approved an outdoor amphitheater for the Minnesota Orchestra. The decision was welcomed by Orchestra officials, but the project faced strong opposition from many area residents who fear the venue will host noisy pop music acts.