October 4, 1999 - Earlier this year, Governor Ventura and state lawmakers agreed to set aside nearly a billion dollars of the state's tobacco settlement for smoking prevention, public health and medical education. Since then, there have been a series of news reports on Minnesota falling behind other states in its efforts to prevent teens from smoking. Eventually the state will have twenty-five million dollars a year in endowment interest to spend on anti-smoking efforts. But for now, all state officials can do is plan for the money.
September 29, 1999 - A Minnesota Senate panel today considered the problem of illegal cigarette sales to minors. Minnesota stands to lose more than eight-million dollars in federal funding for failing to reduce underage tobacco sales. There's plenty of blame to go around - some officials say retailers, law enforcement and local communities are at fault.
September 23, 1999 - Covering Governor Ventura has become a growing challenge for the Capitol press corps. The state's chief executive has shown an increasing willingness to bypass the reporters who cover him on a daily basis. The Governor hasn't granted interviews with most of the local media for months, and when he has they have been limited to specific topics. Observers say Ventura doesn't need Capitol press coverage like other politicians - he has a statewide weekly radio show and the ability to generate international news interest.
September 17, 1999 - Republican presidential hopeful Gary Bauer brought his conservative campaign to Minnesota today. Bauer touted education vouchers and local control of schools at Stillwater High School, and picked up the endorsement of a group of state conservatives.
September 16, 1999 - Democratic presidential candidate Bill Bradley stumped for campaign volunteers and money in Minneapolis yesterday. Some recent polls show the former New Jersey Senator neck and neck with his only other Democratic rival - Vice President Al Gore, and Bradley has picked up the backing of some prominent Minnesota DFL'ers.
September 13, 1999 - The debate over whether Governor Ventura's money-making activities violate state conflict of interest laws shows no sign of ending. One legislator plans to introduce a bill holding elected officials to the same standards as state employees, and the Minneapolis city attorney is considering an activist's complaint over Ventura's return to the wrestling ring last month. An internal memo written by a state ethics officer concluded if Ventura were a typical state employee, he would be violating the law.
September 10, 1999 - Governor Ventura used his weekly radio show to criticize the media for focusing on his personal life.
September 9, 1999 - Jesse Ventura has very publicly kept lobbyists at arms length since becoming Governor, but he'll make an exception this evening. Ventura doesn't meet with lobbyists or accept their money, but he says he's not selling out by attending a fundraiser - which gets underway shortly at the Lexington in St. Paul - as a favor to his former campaign chair. The president of the watchdog group Common Cause Minnesota calls it the worst of politics-as-usual.
August 30, 1999 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on a Minnesota Citizens Forum on the farm crisis held at the State Fair. A panel of elected officials from the federal, state and local levels talked about ways to help rural Minnesota survive, ranging from a government buyout of surplus commodities to more money for technology.
August 19, 1999 - A judge today cleared the way for Governor Ventura to referee a pay-per-view wrestling match this weekend. Two complaints accuse the Governor of violating state conflict of interest laws, alleging Ventura is profiting from his office - some estimates say the event could earn the Governor a million dollars in royalties. But Ramsey County Judge Kathleen Gearin refused to stop the Governor from participating in the World Wrestling Federation event, and said elected officials don't have to give up their private interests.