April 14, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura offered his own assessment of his first 100 days in office during Minnesota Public Radio's Midday program today. Ventura says he takes pride in his smooth transition, the quality of commissioners he's named, and his budget. When MPR host Gary Eichten asked him about mis-steps and comments that have riled people, the governor said he has no regrets.
April 14, 1999 - Governor Ventura and Senate DFLers spent the day down-playing the significance of the surprise tax cut passed last night in the Minnesota House. House DFLers and Republicans joined forces to approve tax cuts and rebates worth more that $1-point-4 Billion dollars a year but Ventura and Senate leaders say the House went too far.
April 14, 1999 - The long-stalled debate over tax relief took a surprising turn last night when House DFLers joined forces with the Republican majority to approve across-the-board income rate tax cuts. The DFL proposal also includes the Senate's version of one-time sales tax rebates and more than $70 Million dollars in property tax aid for farmers. The House DFLers' sudden cooperativeness took Republican leaders by surprise -- and put Senate DFLers on the defensive.
April 14, 1999 - Jesse Ventura became CEO of a 24-billion-dollar business when he was sworn in as Governor 100 days ago. Ventura's management style is simple - he says he'll hire the best people to run state agencies and give them the authority to carry out his policies. It's a shift from previous administrations, and one that's getting largely positive reviews from his staff and legislative leaders.
April 15, 1999 - The Minnesota Twins end a three-game stand in Detroit tonight. So far the teams have split the series at a game a piece. With a little over a week of play under their belts, the Twins have 3 victories and 5 losses on their record. We figured now is a good time to check in with baseball analyst Kevin Hennessy to rate how the Twins are doing.
April 15, 1999 - Arsenic in drinking water is a growing concern among environmental epidemiologists in Minnesota. It's estimated that two-thirds of all drinking wells in the state exceed acceptable levels for arsenic set by the Environmental Protection Agency. The University of Minnesota's Water Resources Center held a conference today in Morris to discuss the potential dangers of naturally-occuring arssenic and possible solutions to the problem.
April 15, 1999 - During last fall's campaign, Governor Jesse Ventura often talked about lower taxes and smaller government, positions that struck a chord with business leaders. But after the governor's first 100 days, there's some cautious grumbling in the business community, that they heard a republican philosophy but are seeing Democratic policies.
April 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura has named thirteen new people to the sixteen member Metropolitan Council, dramatically changing the makeup of the regional body. He chose people from business, inner city neighborhoods, agriculture and minority groups. One of the new council members, Matthew Ramadan, the director of the Minneapolis Northside Residents Council, is Ventura's first African American appointee.
April 15, 1999 - The Human Rights group AMinnesotaesty International is increasing its presence in Macedonia, Montenegro and Albania to document war crimes and monitor treatment of Kosovar refugees. AMinnesotaesty-International USA executive director Bill Schulz is in Minneapolis for the group's annual meeting.
April 15, 1999 - A Minnesota Public Radio/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll finds fewer than ten-percent of those polled want to scrap the Profile of Learning, a new set of high school graduation standards. Most Minnesotans polled would rather see the Profile changed, or given more time to work. The results run counter to sentiment in the Minnesota House, which voted earlier this year to scrap the Profile entirely.