July 8, 1999 - Fifty years ago the University of Minnesota began hosting foreign students in a special agriculture exchange program. This week in St. Paul, current students and aluMinnesotai from 68 countries met for a global summit on agriculture. We invited two of the participants to our studios. Damian Murphy is a sheep farmer in Australia. He's studying at the University this year, and farming in Eden Prairie this summer. Frederick Frederickson participated in the U program three decades ago, and now runs a dairy farm in Denmark. He says farmers worldwide are all in the same predicament.
July 8, 1999 - The St. Paul woman accused of being Symbionese Liberation Army bombing suspect Kathleen Soliah has agreed to waive extradition to California. The woman who has lived under the name Sara Jane Olson for more than 20 years will sign the extradition papers tomorrow that will send her to Los Angeles to face charges for crimes she's accused of committing in 1975.
July 9, 1999 - 90 thousand fans are expected to pack the Rosebowl Stadium for the Women's world cup soccer final tomorrow. The U-S will play China in a match-up that is likely to be extremely close. China has two of the best offensive players in the tournament, but if past games are any indication, they will have trouble getting the ball past US goalkeeper Briana Scurry. Scurry is a Minnesota native, who honed her soccer skills on the Anoka High School team. Dave Tank was her coach at Anoka. He says he's not surprised Scurry has come this far.
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.