March 31, 1999 - A part time carpenter and social worker in Minneapolis can now call himself....author. Philip Martin's first book, entitled "The Zen Path Through Depression," applies his 24-years as a student of Bhuddism to an affliction affecting millions. The book arose from Martin's own serious bout with depression, and his discovery there wasn't much written offering a spiritual response to the illness.
April 1, 1999 - A plan to train inner-city youth for careers in agriculture is moving through the state legisalture. The Minnesota Agricultural Education Leadership Council wants to build an urban agriculture high school in Saint Paul. The group is seeking 350-thousand dollars in start-up money. But some critics call the plan a boondoggle.
April 1, 1999 - Minneapolis went the month of March without a single murder ... and police say the homicide rate for the year is down substantially from last year. Police credit CODEFOR, a computer-assisted program for pinpointing high-crime areas. But some community groups say CODE FOR enforcement is too aggressive, leading to harassment of innocent citizens.
April 1, 1999 - The quest for jail space has become a perpetual issue for cities and counties around the state. Stiffer penalties and growing populations have filled jails to capacity; some counties spend hundreds of thousands a year driving prisoners back and forth to other locations. Now six central-Minnesota counties are asking the legislature to fund a study for a regional jail a 200-bed facility to catch the overflow, and take the pressure off county lockups.
April 1, 1999 - Heavy rain and snow are forecast across the Red River Valley for the next two or three days. The National Weather Service says the precipitation will prolong the flood crest in areas from Grand Forks and north by nearly a week. Grand Forks officials say they can handle the extra water, but in many rural areas north of the city people aren't as optimistic.
April 1, 1999 - On this special date, MPR’s Amy Radil reports that the Duluth Port Authority is scrambling to respond to unconfirmed reports of whale sightings in the Duluth Ship Canal. Biologists speculate a scarce food supply has driven a whale far inland during the spring breeding season. Authorities are trying to determine whether the whale poses a shipping hazard and how the marine mammal made its lengthy journey.
April 2, 1999 - Black leaders of dozens of organizations and churches are calling upon people to participate in a planned March for Freedom, Justice and Equality tomorrow. The march was planned out of concern over Governor Jesse Ventura's recent cabinet appointments. Critics say the state's top administration officials fail to represent the diversity of Minnesota's population. Black leaders are ESPECIALLY concerned over the lack of any African American appointments.
April 2, 1999 - Nearly everyone at the Capitol seems to agree the state should beef up its commitment to public education this year. Governor Ventura set aside nearly half of the new spending in his budget for education, and both Republicans and Democrats say they back more money for schools. But agreement on how much to spend, and how to spend it, has so far eluded lawmakers, who have different ideas on the most efficient way to fund public schools.
April 2, 1999 - A Chautauqua Lecture by Trudee Able-Peterson-Hoefler, an internationally known advocate for street kids. She is a North Dakota native, who moved to Minneapolis where she worked as a prostitute, and ended up in New York City where she turned her life around. She is the author of two books, Children of the Evening and Children of the Street.
April 5, 1999 - Sun Country Airlines and the Metropolitan Airports Commission have all but agreed to a package of short term improvements to the Hubert H. Humphrey Charter Terminal at the Minnesotaeaplis/ St. Paul airport. The agreement will significantly cut Sun Country's leasing expeneses, while enhancing the airline's facilities.