July 14, 1999 - Dakota Indians held a ceremony today on an old pioneer farm in Falcon Heights near the State Fairgrounds. The Gibbs farm has long been a historic site, but today's ceremony marked an expansion of the Jane Gibbs' story, to include her relationship with the nearby Dakota indians. Gibbs was born in New York, but at the age of 6 she was kidnapped by missionaries who brought her to Minnesota. The missionaries worked near Lake Harriet and there Jane met Dakota indian children, many of whom became her friends. Priscilla Farnham is the executive director of the Ramsey County Historical Society. She says when Jane grew up and became a pioneer farm wife, she rekindled her friendship with the Dakota.
July 14, 1999 - U.S. Forest Service officials are expected to announce soon whether they'll allow further use of chainsaws and low-flying aircraft in the storm damaged Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Both have been authorized during the initial search and rescue effort in the area, but sawyer crews have nearly completed their exploration of tree-choked portages.
July 14, 1999 - A new poll commissioned by Minnesota Public Radio, KARE-11 T-V, and the St. Paul Pioneer Press shows Governor Jesse Ventura's approval rating holding steady. A clear majority of respondents say the governor is doing a good or excellent job in office. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports, a growing number are concerned about Ventura's extracurricular activities.
July 14, 1999 - The City of Saint Paul is adopting competitive bidding for its city service jobs. City administrators say the move will help the city save money and keep down property taxes. Union representatives say Saint Paul administrators are taking the action without considering its workers.
July 15, 1999 - The Grand Opening of the new Science Museum of Minnesota adjacent to the Mississippi River in downtown St. Paul is just five months away. Construction crews and museum employees are busy finishing the building and installing exhibits. Members of the media got a chance, yesterday, to see inside the building.
July 15, 1999 - Thirty years ago when Minneapolis was clearing land for downtown office buildings and parking lots it seemed like science fiction to predict that people would one day want to live downtown. But that's what is happening. Young professionals and an aging population of empty nesters are fueling housing demand in neighborhoods around downtown. One result is the cheap housing many low income residents rely on is disappearing.
July 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura's announcement that he'll referee a pay-per-view wrestling event next month has tongues wagging on the political talk shows. The governor will donate one hundred thousand dollars to charity, but it's likely he'll pocket a far greater amount -- a million dollars or more according to some estimates. While there's no law saying the governor can't earn extra money on the side, Charles Lewis the executive director for the Center for Public Integrity says the Governor's extra curriculars are crossing the line.
July 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura lost one of a member of his cabinet today. David Jennings, the commissioner of commerce, announced he's stepping down to take a job as president of the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. Jennings who's a former Republican House Speaker says he wasn't disatisfied with working for Ventura. He just saw another opportunity that was too good to pass up.
July 15, 1999 - A new political poll shows Minnesotans would vote for Texas Governor George W. Bush over Vice-President Al Gore --if the Presidential election were held today. The results put Bush ahead of Gore among likely Minnesota voters, but they also have Gore running ahead of presidential hopeful Elizabeth Dole.
July 15, 1999 - Residents of Isabella and Burntside Lake in northeast Minnesota have long wanted to trade their unpredictable radio phones for regular phone service. Now their wish has been granted. Following an investigation, the state's Public Utilities Commission ruled the local phone service provider, GTE, MUST supply the residents with standard phone service and at regular rates, something people in the area southeast of Ely say they've been too long without.