April 20, 1999 - When Republicans took control of the Minnesota House, they talked about cutting government spending, and appointed one of their most fiscally conservative colleagues to chair the committee in charge of funding certain state agencies. Republican leaders then told State Government Finance Committee chair Phil Krinkie to spend one-hundred million dollars LESS than Governor Ventura proposed in his budget. Krinkie has gone even further, chopping another 40-million, and ruffling some feathers in his own caucus in the process.
April 20, 1999 - The St Paul City Attorney's office WON'T bring misdemeanor charges against a police officer who drove a van into a crowd of Holidazzle parade spectators last Winter. Two people were killed; 10 were injured. St Paul investigated the case for Minneapolis to avoid a conflict of interest. As Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the lawsuits are far from over.
April 20, 1999 -
April 21, 1999 - Last night, the board voted to undo a compromise that would have left the decision up to individual schools, but the board added a provision requiring parental consent.
April 21, 1999 - Students and teachers in Minnesota are among those struggling to understand Tuesday's shooting ramage in a Littleton, Colorado high school. The violent attack was a topic of conversation today in many classrooms. In the the Minneapolis suburb of Richfield, school officials and students were talking about the latest school tragedy and reflecting on their own preparations for a similar incident.
April 21, 1999 - A new report says Minnesota loggers are taking so much timber from the state's forests there won't be enough harvestable wood within a decade to support some of the state's timber industries.
April 21, 1999 - U-S Attorney General Janet Reno said she wishes the nation could see the success of Minneapolis ' Hawthorne neighborhood to give americans hope as they mourn the tragedy in Colorado. Reno visited Minneapolis today to speak to several groups including the Hawthorne neighborhood and at a national symposium on improving public safety.
April 22, 1999 - The school shootings in Littleton, Colorado, has re-opened a debate here in Minnesota over permits for concealed weapons. Governor Jesse Ventura is speculating so-called "concealed-carry" laws could have prevented the violence in Colorado. Opponents say more guns only lead to more bloodshed.
April 22, 1999 - The Colorado school shooting has prompted local schools to re-evaluate their security. In Minneapolis and St. Paul, high schools already have armed police officers stationed in the schools. Sargeant Joel Sandberg is the school liaison officer for Roosevelt High school in Minneapolis . He says there's been one shooting in the three and a half years he's been at Roosevelt and it wasn't even on school property.
April 22, 1999 - Governor Ventura is expected to take action tomorrow on a bill many cities say would take away some of their local planning powers. The bill would restrict cities' abilities to amortize and close businesses that no longer fit local plans, rather than condeMinnesota the businesses and buy them outright . City representatives say its just one of several bills this session that threaten local control. But the bills' authors say THEY're trying to protect constituents from LOCAL politicians abuse of power.