July 26, 1999 - Soccer is the fastest growing sport in Minnesota, spurred especially by its popularity among immigrants and baby boomers. In St Paul alone an estimated 12 thousand young people are playing organized soccer this season. There are thousands more who are just playing, scrounging for any available patch of ground to kick a ball around. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports this demand for soccer space in St Paul is intensifying --creating alliances between diverse communitities.
July 26, 1999 - The new Gophers basketball coach says he'll make academic achievement a top priority. Gonzaga University head coach Dan Monson signed a seven-year contract with the University of Minnesota over the weekend. University officials say Monson's committment to good grades was a key factor in their decision to hire him.
July 26, 1999 - Note host outcue Governor Jesse Ventura has dominated media coverage since he took office in January. But another state official elected last November has also gotten a fair number of headlines. Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch has spent his first seven months on the job publicly taking on banks, H-M-O's and insurance companies. But behind the scenes, Hatch has quietly restructured his agency, firing a number of long-time employees and trimming the size of the office. Hatch says every new administration makes changes, but some of those who have been forced out say he's created an atmosphere of fear in the office.
July 26, 1999 - Republicans in the Minnesota House, who found themselves in the majority this year for the first time in over a decade, have formed a task force to search for ways to cut government spending. The group will scrutinize the state budget for inefficiencies, and examine how the state spends money. But budget experts say finding any significant savings is tougher than it sounds.
July 27, 1999 - St. Paul business leaders today announced a campaign to build public support for a new downtown ballpark for the Minnesota Twins. Meanwhile, leaders in the west metro area have faced continuing difficulties getting a proposal out of the starting gates. But today, at least, Hennepin County avoided having the brakes put on development of a ballpark proposal. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports on the latest developments in the stadium debate.
July 27, 1999 - Common Cause Minnesota says St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman is illegally using city resources to support passage of a ballot initiative for a new Minnesota Twins ballpark. Later today, the watchdog group plans to file complaints with the State Auditor and the Ramsey County attorney's office calling for an investigation.
July 27, 1999 - Nine people were arrested yesterday as they protested the cutting of mature elms and other big shade trees in a portion of Minnesotaehaha park in south Minneapolis . The Minnesota Department of Tranporation is removing the trees to make way for the first, northernmost phase of the reroute of highway 55.
July 27, 1999 - Yesterday's arrests of nine protesters opposed to the reroute of Highway 55 in south Minneapolis did nothing to discourage more activity at the Minnesotaehaha Park construction site today. Minneapolis police and state patrol officers today arrested 29 more people protesting the clearing of trees.
July 27, 1999 - In his first seven months on the job, Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch is living up to his campaign rhetoric as an aggressive consumer advocate, taking on insurance companies, HMO's and banks. Some say Hatch's focus proves he's a fearless populist fighting for the voters....others say he's a reckless crusader driven by his own political ambitions.
July 27, 1999 - Fargo's military surplus store, the last of its kind in North Dakota is closing it's doors after 63 years of doing business.