December 10, 1999 - Metro Transit wants to revamp bus service for a large portion of Minneapolis , St. Paul and several northeastern Twin Cities suburbs including Roseville. Planners say the changes won't cost more money or raise fares, but will mean extra service and less confusing schedules. The plan is part of a realignment of bus service for the entire region in the next four years.
December 10, 1999 - One year ago tomorrow a gas explosion in downtown St. Cloud killed four people, injured about a dozen and destroyed several downtown buildings. Those involved in the blast are reflective on this anniversary, remembering what was lost and also what lessons were learned.
December 10, 1999 - In Carlton County court today, Donald Blom's attorneys argued for moving his trial for kidnapping and killing Katie Poirier. Then attorneys debated whether Blom's September 8th confession should be admissible in court. And for the first time, the text of that confession was made public.
December 14, 1999 - The Hungry Mind, Saint Paul's nationally known bookseller, literary review, and press is looking for a new name. The Hungry Mind sold its name to a cyber-university earlier this fall, and needs a new one before April, 2000. In this age of branding, trademarks, and electronic commerce the task of coming up with something as potent as what it's had for the past 29 years is a challenge.
December 14, 1999 - Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the comic strip "Peanuts," announced today he will retire on Jan. 4th, after more than fifty years of drawing the cartoon. Schulz is quitting to concentrate on treating his newly-diagnosed case of colon cancer. Schulz was born and raised in Saint Paul, Minnesota, and drew inspiration from his life here.
December 14, 1999 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities board of trustees must soon decide the future of an aging technical college. MinnesotaSCU officials say the Anoka-Hennepin Technical College needs at least 30-million dollars in repairs, which they cannot afford to make. A plan to close the school and relocate its programs is angering students, faculty and local residents.
December 14, 1999 - The Ventura administration is announcing plans to bring advanced telecommunications services to the state's rural areas and promote competition throughout Minnesota.
December 14, 1999 - Governor Ventura's office confirmed today that Ventura was never a member of the elite Navy "SEALs" -- but he says he did train to be a SEAL, and that his membership in the Navy's Underwater Demolition Teams was practically the same as being a SEAL. But a former SEAL and journalist in San Diego says the UDT's were NOT the same as SEALs during Vietnam, and he says Ventura is taking credit for the valor of others.
December 14, 1999 - An amateur archeologist added a rare artifact to his collection when he found a fragment of an etched pipestone tablet near Holmen in southwestern, Wisconsin. The tablet Steve Allen discovered comes from the Oneota culture and dates back about four hundred years. Robert Bozhardt is the regional archeologist for Western Wisconsin and has been studying the fragment since Allen found it last week. He says the fragment is about the size of the palm of your hand.
December 14, 1999 - A Minnesota group is releasing a report documenting the damage off-road vehicles cause in the state's wild areas. The report by Minnesotans for Responsible Recreation calls for new limits on the vehicles and a renewed emphasis on enforcing existing OHV laws.