May 6, 1999 - A new newspaper has been stirring things up in Duluth, among city officals and developers, and possibly some journalistic ghosts. The RIPSAW has been harshly critical of Duluth's latest economic development project, and its developers have threatened a libel suit against the paper. It's all reminiscent of the LAST Duluth Ripsaw, a 1920's scandal sheet shut down by the state legislature after blasting one too many public officials.
May 13, 1999 -
May 19, 1999 - On this Midday, a look ahead to light rail transit in the Twin Cities. With the legislature having approved funding, what will we see, and when? Guests Peter McLaughlin, the chair of the Metropolitan LRT Joint Powers Board; and John Byrd, assistant general manager for Rail Operations at Metro Transit provide details on plans.
May 20, 1999 - Saint John's Abbey and University sits alone off 1-94, just west of Saint Cloud --- isolated from nearby towns. After a big campus fire in the late 1930's, it became clear that Saint Johns needed a fire department of its own to respond to campus emergencies fast. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the Saint John's Firemonks.
May 20, 1999 - Inaction by the state legislature on the controversial Profile of Learning means it returns intact next fall for a second school year. Teachers throughout the state have struggled with the new graduation standards.
May 20, 1999 - In about 18 months the Metro-area will have two more area codes.
May 20, 1999 - The Red River between Minnesota and North Dakota flows north into Canada through what was once a vast wetland. For generations, farmers in the valley built dams and straightened rivers to protect their land from flooding. Now, such flood control projects are languishing, unable to get permits or funding. Environmental groups and government agencies are trying to convince farmers to try new, more environmentally friendly tactics in their decades-long battle against water.
May 20, 1999 - Low income people enrolled in Minnesota's public health care programs are having an increasingly difficult time getting access to dental care. MNCare and other medical assistance programs don't fully reemburse dentists for treating patients on public assistance. Such patients are finding it increasingly difficult to find dentists willing to treat them, especially in rural areas. The Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill just approved by the Minnesota Legislature directs nearly $3.2 million dollars toward the problem, but some say it's only a band-aid for an issue that's reaching crisis proportions.
May 20, 1999 - A farm in southwest Minnesota probably is not the first place you'd expect a professional mezzo soprano to call home, but that is exactly what MPR’s Mark Steil found when talking with Gary Overgaard, a farmer, and his wife Emily Lodine, an opera singer.
May 20, 1999 - Nearly half of Northwest Airline's unionized employees continue to work without new contracts, more than two and a half years after the agreement that cut their pay expired. Typically airline employees threaten to strike as a way of putting pressure on management. But an alternative tactic often referred to as "CHAOS" is growing in popularity among some unions. "CHAOS" involves small scale SURPRISE work interruptions designed to trigger domino effects. Northwest's flight attendants are threatening a version of CHAOS if negotiations break down. The union the airline's mechanics voted to join is an even more enthusiastic proponent of the strategy.