July 9, 1999 - The US Justice department has approved Cargill's purchase of arch rival Continental Grain Company's grain business. To win that approval Cargill agreed to sell grain handling facilities in 9 cities. The Justice department says the requirements are designed to prevent the combined companies from artificially lowering prices paid to farmers. Critics have said the acquisition would give Cargill too much power in the market.
July 9, 1999 - Agriculture experts from around the world gathered in St. Paul to talk about the future of farming. The University of Minnesota conference comes at a time when farmers are facing unprecedented pressures resulting from plunging prices, rapidly changing technologies, and increasingly stiff competition in world grain markets. The challenge For US policy makers is equally tough, for taking care of farmers at home may clash with equally important objectives -- one of these is inducing Foreign countries to open their markets more fully to American agricultural exports. ANOTHER is get them to end or lower subsidies for their own farmers that may crowd American farmers out of other export markets.
July 9, 1999 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on a tornado that hit the southeastern town of Lewiston, Minnesota. Hughes talks with residents about their experiences as the storm passed through.
July 9, 1999 - The National Weather Service has confirmed a strong tornado ripped through the southeastern town of Lewiston Minnesota last night. There were no injuries, but a two block section of mainstreet was badly damaged. City administrator Robert Reece says officials are trying to keep people off main street while they assess the damage and clear debris.
July 9, 1999 - Preliminary testing on some of the human bones found on Donald Blom's Carlton County property, indicate they do not belong to missing Moose Lake teen Katie Poirier. The findings were revealed during Donald Blom's arraignment on Federal firearms Charges.
July 9, 1999 - The St. Paul woman known as Sara Jane Olson acknowledged today she IS Kathleen Soliah, a former member of the radical Symbionese Liberation Army. Soliah will fly to California next week to face charges of planting pipe bombs under police cars in the mid-70s.
July 9, 1999 - There was music and food to create a warm welcome in Minneapolis today for Gordon Linton, head of the Federal Transit Administration. He's the man who'll make the final decision later this year on federal funding for the proposed Hiawatha Avenue light rail transit line. Linton told the light rail supporters their planning and support for the line equals any of the dozens of other cities seeking funding from his agency.
July 12, 1999 - The Guthrie Theater's 1998-99 season broke attendence and subscription records, drawing 360-thousand people last year. With nearly 28-thousand subscribers, it's got one of the largest subscription bases of any non-profit theater in the country. Following the Guthrie's annual meeting today, Artistic Director Joe Dowling told Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts the success reflects the community's investment in the Guthrie.
July 12, 1999 - The Minnesota Twins' pledge to deal with St. Paul only hasn't stopped Minneapolis leaders from working on plans to build the baseball team a new stadium in their city. They claim their plan is much more likely to win state approval, if they can get local constituents -- and their council colleagues -- to buy it.
July 12, 1999 - The St. Paul Companies announced it's getting out of the personal insurance business and cutting hundreds of jobs at its downtown headquarters. The insurance giant is selling its personal insurance divisions to Metlife because it thinks it can make more money focusing on commercial insurance products. 17 hundred people work in the company's personal insurance operation -- 500 in Minnesota. . Metlife says it will retain all of them through the end of the year and that after that it will keep as many as possible.