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.
April 5, 1999 - Many discipline problems at two Minneapolis schools are now resolved in student court, where students serve as the lawyers and jury. Organizers of the program at Webster Open School and Four Winds American Indian magnet school say student court is building leadership skills and reducing behavior problems. The program has also caught the attention of the nation's top law enforcement official.
April 5, 1999 - The Red River water levels are falling today in Grand Forks, but the National Weather service is predicting a second crest on Sunday. Ice is now off most of the Red River, speeding the flow of water north to Lake Winnipeg. Rain and snow fell across northwest Minnesota and eastern North Dakota over the weekend, and more is forecast this week. The extra precipitation could prolong the high water for a week or more.
April 5, 1999 - Every spring for thousands of years, people have noted the first leaf buds opening, the first insects hatching, and other signs of the changing seasons. The study of seasonal plant and animal activity is called "phenology."---a field which in the past has often been dismissed as old fashioned. Now, scientists realize such observations can be a valuable tool for studying global climate change.
April 5, 1999 - American Indians say a court ruling that the Washington football team's use of the name "Redskins" is derogatory means the team will no longer profit from souveniers bearing the trademark. Three judges with the U. S. Patent and Trademark office said the name Redskins violates a federal law which denies trademark protection to names that disparage or defame a group of people.