August 13, 1999 - Imagine Minnesota without a legal system. That was the case before 1849 when Minnesota, then a territory, had no judges, no courtrooms to settle disputes. But 150 years ago this month, that all changed as Minnesota's first justice Aaron Goodrich was sworn in near the banks of the Mississippi river in Stillwater. Goodrich's story and other accounts of the famous and infamous in Minnesota justice are chronicled in a new book, "For the Record: 150 years of law and lawyers in Minnesota". 250 legal enthusiasts dug into historical archives to piece together the history of Minnesota's legal profession.
August 13, 1999 - Another suspect in the juvenile prostitution ring broken up yesterday turned himself in this morning, bringing the number of people in custody to 10. Federal officials have indicted 15 members and associates of the Evans "Family" for allegedly running a prostitution ring that operated in 24 states and Canada over a period of 17 years. Police say they lured at least 50 women and girls, some as young as 14, into a tortured life of prostitution. Most of the girls and women are from Minnesota. Sargeant Andrew Schmidt of the Minneapolis police worked on the case for two years.
August 13, 1999 - Some of the victims of the prostitution ring are receiving help from PRIDE. The Minneapolis organization helps girls ages 12 to 19 who have been used in prostitution. Alesia Pettiford is PRIDE's supervisor. She says victims need lots of counseling to rebuild their self-esteem and help them achieve independence.
August 13, 1999 - The Iowa Republican Party's presidential straw poll is tomorrow, and even though the poll is unofficial and non-binding, most Republican presidential candidates have been working very hard to win it -- or at least finish in the top five. Candidates in both major parites have spent a huge portion of their time trying to woo Iowa voters -- former Tennessee Governor Lamar Alexander claims SEVENTY campaign trips to Iowa since the 1996 campaign. This focus on Iowa has pushed the FARM CRISIS to the top of the issues list for this presidential campaign... but Iowans don't seem very impressed by the candidates' promises to save the family farm.
August 13, 1999 - Since 1961, more than 150-thousand Americans have served in the Peace Corps in 134 countries. About 700 of those former volunteers are in Saint Paul this weekend for a gathering of their national aluMinnesotai organization. The Peace Corp has experienced a resurgence in recent years, and the veterans of the humanitarian agency say its mission is as relevant today as it was in the 1960s.
August 16, 1999 - In 1997 and 1998, a series of almost a dozen suspicious fires destroyed a number of older buildings in Superior, Wisconsin. Investigations into the causes and perpetrators of the fires were inconclusive. Author Mike Savage draws on the arson episodes in his new mystery novel Burn baby Burn.
August 16, 1999 - The Olympics are intended to embody the best a country has to offer. So it's not surprising the bribery scandal involving Salt Lake City has taken some of the luster off the upcoming summer games. But if that cynicism is left unchecked, 1972 Olympic swimmer John Naber, says the athletes will be the ones to suffer. In his new book, "Awakening the Olympian Within", Naber collected inspirational stories from 28 athletes who overcame odds to win Olympic gold or failed in their quest, but gained valuable life lessons. Nabor says the problem with this Olympics, is that no one wants to hear those stories just yet.
August 16, 1999 - A new survey indicates Minnesota companies received a record one-hundred-eight million dollars in venture capital funding in the second quarter of this year. Venture capital generally refers to investments in start-up firms that are not yet mature enough to seek funding in the stock market. However as Bill Catlin reports, Minnesota still lags in the share of venture capital it receives.
August 16, 1999 - Governor Ventura will tour the state tomorrow to drum up support for a unicameral legislature. Ventura wants to persuade lawmakers to let voters decide the issue in the 2000 election. It would take a constitutional amendment to reduce the House and Senate to one body. The governor is also expected to recommend that members of the unicameral Legislature be non-partisan, meaning candidates would carry no party designation on ballots. Minnesota had a non-partisan legislature up until the early 1970's. Former Minnesota Governor Wendell Anderson, a Democrat, served in the legislature then. He says it was non-partisan in THEORY, but not in practice.
August 16, 1999 - Saying he wants to put the farm crisis on the national agenda U-S Senator Paul Wellstone today started a weeklong series of meetings in northwestern Minnesota. Wellstone tried to give hope to farmers discouraged by years of bad crops and low prices.