June 17, 1999 - For the last seven decades watercolor artist. John Cody has been obsessed with the nocturnal insects few people see. Cody is known as the "Audubon of Moths"... creatures he says are misunderstood. More than sixty of Cody's moth paintings are on display at the University of Minnesota's Bell Museum of Natural History. Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr took a tour with the artist.
June 17, 1999 - Some regional legislators say they're feeling betrayed by Governor Jesse Ventura's liberal use of line-item vetoes for rural projects. Items receiving a gubernatorial veto include a new boiler at Winona State; and money for the flood control project near Willmar that's already received one million dollars in federal matching funds. And then there's the veto of a little-known adult education program in central Minnesota that helps rural immigrants get their high school equivalency degree or GED.
June 17, 1999 - Talk of Governor Ventura's presidential qualities was in the air at the state capitol yesterday after the San Francisco Chronicle ran a story claiming more Californians knew and like Ventura than their own governor. It turns out the newspaper story over-stated the case a little, but it forced Governor Ventura to explain once more that he has no intention of running for president in 2000.
June 17, 1999 - Today, June 17th, is the 90th birthday of former Minnesota governor Elmer L. Anderson. Few Minnesotan's who held public office are held in as high esteem as the 90-year-old Arden Hills resident.
June 17, 1999 - Olson faces a potentially long and complicated legal battle now that she's in custody. Leon Trawick, a Minneapolis defense attorney who worked on the high-profile Coppage trial, says the Minnesota phase of Olson's case is limited. The Ramsey County court is only responsible for making sure police have the right person in custody, that a valid California law was broken, and that she was in the area when the crime occured.
June 17, 1999 - Tonight, St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman will host the first in a series of community meetings to present his vision of a new downtown stadium for the Minnesota Twins. Organizers are promoting the forum as a chance to gauge public interest and receive community input -- but opponents of the Mayor's ballpark initiative remain skeptical.
June 17, 1999 - Kids and guns is the hot topic in Washington this week. After April's school shooting in Littleton, Colorado, members of Congress swamped a major juvenile justice bill with dozens of amendments to respond to the growing debate over gun control and causes of youth violence. The House took up the issue yesterday, and continues debate today. And as Emily Harris reports from Washington, members of Minnesota's delegations are finding it a very sensative topic.
June 17, 1999 - The 23-year-search for a suspected member of the group that kidnapped newspaper heiress Patty Hearst ended yesterday morning in St. Paul. FBI agents and police arrested Kathleen Soliah as she was driving near her home in the Highland Park neighborhood. The alleged former member of the Symbionese Liberation Army was leading a relatively quiet life as an actress and mother of three.
June 18, 1999 - There's no sign of snow in the weekends forecast, but winter... and the sound of roaring engines... will be a focus this weekend in Roseau. The northern Minnesota town of 23-hundred will host more than 15-thousand guests for a birthday bash.... for the snowmobile.
June 18, 1999 - Governor Ventura today invited people who support public financing for a new Twins stadium to donate their own money to the effort. On his weekly radio show today, Ventura said he intends to set up a state-run gift fund for new sports stadiums. Some state leaders have dismissed the surprise proposal as a joke, but the donation fund may undermine the current effort by Minneapolis and St Paul officials to build a new stadium with tax dollars.