July 22, 1999 - Texas Governor George W. Bush stopped in Minnesota last night to raise more money for his presidential campaign. The campaign aimed to raise at least half a million dollars at a fund-raiser in a private home in Orono. Bush also stopped briefly at the "Sharing and Caring Hands" charity services center in downtown Minneapolis .
July 22, 1999 - Opponents call them "motorheads" and complain about noise and fumes. But the sport of off-roading is exploding in Minnesota, with thousands of new all-terrain vehicle users hitting the state's trails each year. Along with motorbikes and four-wheel trucks. These high-powered machines come under the heading of "off highway vehicles... or OHV's," and their use is largely unregulated in the state. The Department of Natural Resources is working on giving OHV users their own places to ride. Tonight the first planning meeting for the state's second OHV recreation area will be held in the town of Virginia, even as some people living near the state's first OHV park continue to protest they don't want it.
July 23, 1999 - Concordia College in Moorhead has gained an international reputation for its foreign language immersion summer camps. Most of the language villages are nestled in the woods of northern Minnesota. But this summer, for the first time, students from around the world are coming to Moorhead for an english language camp.
July 23, 1999 - The Department of Children, Families and Learning is offering school districts a way to get around the requirements of the Profile of Learning, but so far there are few takers. The state's top education official says the lack of interest might mean schools are learning to live with the complex system of graduation standards.
July 23, 1999 - A legislative audit of Governor Jesse Ventura's state-paid security for his book tour has touched a nerve with the governor and his wife. Ventura got a copy of the auditor's letter yesterday, and last night WCCO television played portions of a voicemail Terry Ventura left on Republican lawmaker Carol Molnau's answering machine suggesting the first family might cancel all of its security. Republican Representative Dan McElroy chairs the Legislative Auditor's commission. He says the first family is overreacting.
July 23, 1999 - Governor Ventura is speaking tonight at the annual convention of the national Reform Party, in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the party's third annual convention, and many party activists are hoping this meeting will mark a turn-around for a political movement that's generally been in decline since Ross Perot's failed presidential bids in 1992 and 1996.
July 23, 1999 - For more than 60 years, the six Ojibwe Indian Bands that make up the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe have been governed by a constitution imposed by the federal government. Now the tribe is considering a draft constitution of its own making. But the document is taking harsh criticism, and some are worried that it would do more harm than good. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson has the story, the second in a two-part series on the Minnesota Chippewa Tribe.
July 26, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is a profile of the Mayo brothers.
July 26, 1999 - Federal Officials could decide as early as today whether the July 4th storm qualifies Northeastern Minnesota for disaster aid. The Storm caused extensive flood and wind damage across much of Northeastern Minnesota. Resort owners and residents of the Gunflint trail say they need help in removing downed trees and clearing trails.
July 26, 1999 - A long-standing fight between commercial and environmental interests over the future of the Mississippi River is flaring up again. The Army Corps of Engineers is conducting a series of meetings beginning today in St. Louis. Agency officials will present alternatives for improving barge traffic they say will help shippers and therefore farmers by keeping shipping costs low. But opponents, including major environmental organizations, say the cost of renovating the aging navigation system doesn't add up if environmental concerns are factored in.