January 7, 2004 - Mayor R.T. Rybak's pick for police chief, William McManus, met with residents at a south Minneapolis community center last night. The mayor's office organized the meeting in anticipation of two key council actions today. With the full council vote a week and a half away, Rybak is applying pressure on those council members who are still not supporting McManus.
December 26, 2003 - For many Minnesotans, today is a day for relaxing and taking advantage of after Christmas sales. Retailers cut prices for bargain-hunters and are waiting to see whether shoppers with gift cards can help meet promising Christmas spending forecasts. In downtown Minneapolis today, government offices and many businesses are closed so traffic is relatively light. All the better for the few who decided to walk around the IDS Crystal Court and Nicollet Mall.
December 22, 2003 - Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson bid farewell in a City Hall sendoff today. Olson's term expires just after the new year, but today was the day set aside for looking back on his nine years on the job. Meanwhile, Mayor R.T. Rybak officially moved to replace Olson with Dayton, Ohio Police Chief William McManus. However, the mayor still has to convince a majority of the City Council to confirm McManus' nomination. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 19, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s picks for new police chief. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is expected to announce his pick for police chief tomorrow. Rybak is confident in his nomination, even though the final two candidates face considerable opposition by the city council, which ultimately acts on the selection. Report includes comments from mayor and city council members.
December 18, 2003 - Minneapolis advocates march tonight in an annual memorial for homeless people in Minnesota. They say 120 people without permanent shelter died in the past year. Ninety-five people were memorialized last year. Organizers of the event this year are calling attention to homeless youth, who are losing safe places to stay because of funding cuts. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 16, 2003 - The final 2004 Hennepin County budget is more than 50-million dollars less than this year's spending plan, but residents will still see a slight increase in taxes. The county Board of Commissioners narrowly approved the budget today (TUES), with commissioners disagreeing over whether to buffer residents from state cuts. The vote follows calls from the Minneapolis City Council members yesterday to look toward lowering taxes there next year. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 12, 2003 - Ror State of the Arts A Minneapolis musician is releasing his first recording in 25 years. Papa John Kolstad's roots go back to the beginning of the Minneapolis folk scene. Now at 61, he returns with a CD of up-tempo blues and swing songs and a renewed vigor for making music. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 10, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s release of list containing six candidates to replace outgoing Police Chief Robert Olson. Rybak, a panel of community members and a Seattle-area search firm have narrowed the list from more than two-dozen applicants nationwide. The list includes three African American candidates; and two internal candidates, both women, who remain favorites among many city council members.
December 9, 2003 - Minneapolis police are searching for four young children and the two teenage girls who were babysitting them last weekend. None of the kids has been seen since Sunday evening when a Mall of America security tape shows them getting on a bus. Police are asking for the public's help finding the kids and returning them home. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 5, 2003 - Both sides of a federally mediated agreement signed in Minneapolis yesterday (THURS) say the work to restore relations between police and some segments of the community has just begun. Several other cities have entered into similar agreements facilitated by the U-S Department of Justice. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes talked to observers in Cincinnati about how their agreement is working more than a year and a half after it was implemented.