May 31, 1999 - In the western United States the LYNX -- a large cat with big whiskers and snowshoe-like paws -- has become the latest focus for wilderness disputes, and Minnesota will soon be forced into the fray. This summer the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service will rule on whether to add the lynx to the federal endangered species list in the entire lower 48 states. While environmental activists in Minnesota are supporting a listing... the state DNR is dead set against it. At issue is whether such a listing could alter logging, road-building and other activities in the name of lynx habitat.
May 31, 1999 - This year marks the 100th anniversary of the VFW--the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It's an organization of veterans, for veterans. Its members visit VA hospitals and care centers and raise money for disabled vets. As Minnesota public radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports, the VFW is facing challenges that threaten its survival as it moves into its second century.
May 31, 1999 - Today is the deadline for developers of a long-vacant block in downtown Minneapolis to submit further details of their plans. City leaders have been trying for more than a decade to develop notorious Block E across from the Target Center. The developers, already on their third deadline extension, were still scrambling late last week to line up a crucial tenant for the $100 million dollar retail and entertainment complex they envision.
June 1, 1999 - Pleasure travelers can expect to pay more for a plane ticket this summer. Continental raised its fares by 4 percent over memorial day weekend. Every major airline, including Twin Cities based Northwest, has followed suit. This is the third time U-S airlines have raised prices this year. Terry Trippler is an airline expert who runs the website onetravel-dot-com. He says that given the current market for airtravel, this latest fare increase is not surprising.
June 1, 1999 - Democrat Senator Paul Wellstone gathered a group of community leaders in Minneapolis today to discuss the impact of domestic violence on children. He's seeking information for legislation he's proposing to help reduce children's risk of becoming violent themselves--when they witness abuse at home.
June 1, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports that creating a performance hall is not just design and construction...acoustical engineering has become a science all its own. With the opening of the Washington Pavilion of Arts and Science in Sioux Falls, the city's oldest high school is the shell of the country's newest and only multi-use center. It houses a children's science and discovery center, a visual arts center, and a performing arts center.
June 1, 1999 - The members of a 1974 Hopkins high school woodworking class are gathering in Owatonna today, to commemorate a special anniversary: 25 years ago an airplane built by students under the guidance of a skilled and visionary teacher made its first flight. The ambitious project remains a highlight in the memories of many of the students; for others, it was a life-changing event.
June 1, 1999 - There's an old saying about when you are up to your knees in alligators, it is sometimes hard to remember the original object was to drain the swamp. There are people in Northern Minnesota who can legitimately use the saying in regard to tens of thousands of acres of land which have been a political football for almost a century, ever since settlers tried to drain it. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, it seems there could be a resolution in sight of the future of the so-called consolidated conservation lands.
June 1, 1999 - For 16 years Sun County Airlines has been flying in and out of the Twin Cities as a "charter" airline. Today Sun Country begins "scheduled service" -- with flights to 16 destinations, 11 of them non stops from the Twin Cities. Market watchers say travelers will find bargains galore as Northwest responds to its new competition.
June 2, 1999 - Mainstreet Radio’s Marisa Helms reports on the Brainerd High School Choir and their year-end performance of Sarah Hopkin’s “Past Life Melodies.” All year long, the choir's been working on the unique piece featuring aboriginal sounds from Australia. The decidedly NOT-WESTERN music has been educational in all sorts of ways.