January 12, 2001 - The Minnesota Vikings are one win away from going to the Super Bowl for the first time in 24 years. The Vikings will be in East Rutherford, New Jersey on Sunday to play the Giants in the NFC Championship Game. Sean Jensen, who covers the Vikings for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, will be there as well and he joins us now.
January 11, 2001 - The city of Saint Paul and the Target Corporation have reached a tentative agreement to spend 20 million dollars to remodel the Dayton's store in downtown St. Paul. The money would come from Target, the city and the state. As part of the deal, the corporation would agree to keep the store open for at least ten years. Saint Paul City Council member Chris Coleman was briefed on the deal yesterday. He says it is tentative, but looks like it will be approved. Saint Paul City Council member Chris Coleman.
January 11, 2001 - Education Week magazine has given Minnesota schools an F rating in the area of standards and accountability. The publication citied inadequete testing and a lack of clear standards as reasons for the rating. Sandy Pappas is the chair of the Senate Education Committee. She says she was shocked by the rating. State Senator Sandy Pappas. Education Week did give the state high marks for student test scores.
January 10, 2001 - US Forest Service has put a stop to logging old trees, or old growth, in forests. Lee Frelich is the director of the University of Minnesota's Center for Hardwood Ecology and he is being interviewed about this situation.
January 10, 2001 - Future Tense-- DigiScents smelling through the internet is a product that is demonstrated at the gadget trade show in Las Vegas.
January 9, 2001 - MPR sports commentor Jay Weiner discusses results of a stadium advisory panel created by the Minnesota Twins that say Twins owner Carl Pohlad should contribute $150 million toward a new outdoor baseball stadium. A draft report obtained by the Star Tribune from Minnesotans for Major League Baseball says that amount would cover about the half of the cost. The other half would be financed through taxes as opposed to a "direct public subsidy."
January 9, 2001 - Usage of internet shopping is growing and those who do shop online are satisfied.
January 9, 2001 - Starting on Sunday, Minnesotans will have to dial new area codes to reach some parts of the Twin Cities. As of that day, the optional grace period for using two new codes is over. That means in order to call parts of the northwestern Twin Cities as far north as Princeton and Cambridge, you'll have to dial 763 first. Calls to the southwest Metro as far south as New Prague will need the 952 area code. The additional codes have been introduced to accommodate an increasing demand for telephone numbers brought about by mobile phones, computer connections, and other communications equipment. Bryce Hallowell is a spokesman for Qwest Communications.
January 8, 2001 -
January 8, 2001 - ONE OF THE BIG BUSINESS STORIES TODAY IS THE REPORTED TAKEOVER OF FINANCIALLY TROUBLED TWA BY AMERICAN AIRLINES. TWA IS CLOSE TO FILING CHAPTER 11 BANKRUPTCY PROCEEDINGS. YOU'LL REMEMBER MINNESOTA BASED NORTHWEST HELD TALKS, LAST SUMMER, WITH AMERICAN ON SOME SORT OF A POSSIBLE MERGER, BUT THOSE TALKS DIDN'T GO ANYWHERE. SO, WHAT HAPPENS TO NORTHWEST NOW? JOEL DENNY IS AN AIRLINE ANALYST FOR PIPER JAFFREY. HE SAYS FROM A COMPETITIVE STANDPOINT, THE ACQUISITION WON'T HAVE A BIG IMPACT ON NORTHWEST. Joel Denny is an airline analyst with U-S Bancorp Piper Jaffray.