February 28, 2001 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that state officials released the latest revenue forecast, which for the first time in nine years shows a drop in projected revenues from the previous forecast. Minnesota lawmakers will have about 600-million dollars less than expected for tax cuts and spending increases over the next two years.
March 6, 2001 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports that Governor Jesse Ventura has announced a package of campaign finance reforms he says will level the playing field for all candidates in future elections. A tri-partisan group of lawmakers joined the governor to support his initiative, although some of them say even deeper reforms are necessary.
March 9, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with reporter Michael Khoo about Governor Jesse Ventura’s visit in Rochester, where he met with local residents on selling his budget proposal. The most revealing stop on his tour may have been to Evergreen Place, an assisted living facility in Pine Island, just north of the city.
March 15, 2001 - A Macalester College speech given this week by NAACP Chairman and 40-year civil rights leader Julian Bond.
March 19, 2001 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on Minnesota's eldest former Governor Elmer L. Andersen address to the Senate, one of only two times in recent memory a former statesman has been invited to speak on the Senate floor.
March 20, 2001 - When the Minnesota Twins last made a major push for a new ballpark, team officials argued they needed the facility to make them financially competitive with the rest of the league. In the four years since that effort failed at the Legislature, player salaries have risen so high that the team now concedes that revenue from a new ballpark alone won't balance their books.
March 21, 2001 - Governor Jesse Ventura said he's strongly considering asking the Legislature to change state law to bar teachers from striking. At an education forum in St. Louis Park, Ventura suggested putting teachers in the category of Essential State Employees, same as policemen and firefighters.
April 5, 2001 - Governor Jesse Ventura told the Willmar Chamber of Commerce that he's committed to his plan of property and income tax cuts while expanding the state's sales tax to include services. The governor says he won't bargain with the Legislature, which hasn't been enthusiastic about his plan. He says if lawmakers don't follow his proposals, including on education, he'll be very difficult to deal with.
April 26, 2001 - MPR’s Patty Marsicano reports that higher education budget would fare much better under the senate's budget than the Governor's budget. Of the 2.9 billion dollars of total spending, the package contains 283 million dollars in new spending. That's nearly three times the new spending proposed by Governor Ventura.
April 27, 2001 - Midday presents a collection of Mainstreet Radio stories from MPR's Indian civil rights series Broken Trust: Civil Rights in Indian Country, followed by an interview with Joe Day, executive director of the Minnesota Indian Affairs Council. Day shares his thoughts and answers listener questions.