February 26, 1999 - The biggest cross-country ski competition in North America gets underway in Hayward, Wisconsin this Saturday. The Birkibiener draws competitors from across the country and around the world. More than 6,500 skiers have already signed up to tackle the 52 kilometer course. Carl Swensen won last year's race, which went ahead despite dismal snow conditions. Swensen says this year the snow is good and the Birkie is shaping up to be a fast race.
February 26, 1999 - Many people have a hard time finding the humor in air travel, but for Rene Foss... it comes naturally. Foss is an aspiring actress living in New York who makes her real living as a flight attandent with Northwest Airlines. It's a job she landed after graduating from the University of Minnesota. Fourteen years later, her career provides more than a paycheck, it's also the source of her comic material for the cabaret show "Around The World in a Bad Mood" opening in Minneapolis this weekend.
February 23, 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 pieces together two sets of 100-year-old predictions of what Minneapolis and St. Paul would look like in the year 2000.
February 19, 1999 - After close to a year-long search, the St. Paul schools may have found a new superintendent. Patricia Harvey has been a teacher, principal and administrator in Chicago and is credited with improving test scores in some of the cities weakest schools. She is the only candidate to replace Curman Gaines, who took a job in the private sector. Harvey has spent the last few years working at an education reasearch group in Washington, but says she's eager to get back on the front lines of education.
February 16, 1999 - Two weeks ago, Governor Ventura got permission to carry a concealed weapon at the capitol. Ventura said he wanted the gun permit because his state security guards can't be with him at all times. The decision continues to generate a lot of local discussion. Here's a sampling of opinion gathered at one St. Paul gas station.
January 26, 1999 - Two students from the Twin Cities are watching President Clinton's Impeachment Trial from the exclusive confines of the Senate Press office. Tara Zapp of St. Paul's Central High is filing stories for the Humphrey Forum Youth News Service. Thanks to a little help from Minnesota Republican Senator Rod Grams, she managed to snare a press pass. I asked Zapp to describe today's action, beginning with House Manager Asa Hutchinson's call to bring witnesses.
January 25, 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.” In this segment, a look back at the Battle of Sugar Point…a fight between the U.S. Government and Chippewa Tribe over timber.
January 11, 1999 - The cold weather is creating fast conditions for mushers competing in this year's John Beargrease Sled Dog Marathon. The 330-mile race got underway yesterday in Duluth. One team dropped out after a dog died just beyond the first checkpoint. Dee Janis is volunteering at Beargrease Headquarters. She has been keeping a close eye on the race and says its shaping up to be tight finish.
January 7, 1999 - President Clinton's senate trial began today when senators took their oaths as jurors. They'll meet behind closed doors tomorrow morning to work out the impeachment trial ground rules. As with the House several weeks ago, the Senate is receiving an unusually high volume of constituent e-mails. The senate computer server is handling seven times the usual number of messages. Republican Rod Grams' office is getting about a thousand constituent comments per day--that includes phone calls, e-mails and letters. Grams' press secretary says constituent feedback is running 2-to-1 against the President, and most people also oppose censure. Democrat Paul Wellstone's office didn't have exact numbers, but said the Minnesota office got fewer calls than expected, and constituents were evenly split on removing the president from office.
December 24, 1998 - Despite a court order barring them from the site... Earth First !and Mdewaketan-Sioux protesters chained themselves to trees today at the site of the proposed re-routing of highway 55. The group is asking for a restraining order to prevent authorities from clearing trees, the group says are sacred, from the site. So far, police have not arrested the protestors. On Sunday authorities arrested 33 people who had occuppied government-owned homes on the site. Protester Bob Greenberg says he does not know what the authorities plan to do about this latest occupation, but he says the group will continue its protest despite the cold weather.