April 26, 1999 - Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Bradley made a campaign swing through Minnesota and Iowa over the weekend, picking up the endorsement of Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone. Bradley lags behind Vice President Al Gore at this early stage of the race for the Democratic nomination. But many Minnesota Democrats say they're taking Bradley more seriously, now that Wellstone is backing his campaign.
April 23, 1999 - Minnesota's DFL Party is trying to regroup and move ahead, after the devastating loss of coming in third in the Governor's race and losing control of the Minnesota House last November. The party's central committee meets tomorrow to elect a new chair and discuss party reform. Many DFL'ers are looking for a leader who can help bring the party back together, after last year's divisive six-way gubernatorial primary. But the race for party chair threatens to divide the Democratic-Farmer-Labor party even further.
April 23, 1999 - With no Reform Party members in the legislature, Governor Ventura has no party allies, and is turning to technology to lean on lawmakers. The latest project of "JesseNet" - the Ventura administration's online network of supporters - is Legislature Watch Teams, volunteers who will try to pressure lawmakers to support the Governor's policies. The first team is being organized in the district of a key lawmaker opposed to Ventura's light rail proposal.
April 20, 1999 - When Republicans took control of the Minnesota House, they talked about cutting government spending, and appointed one of their most fiscally conservative colleagues to chair the committee in charge of funding certain state agencies. Republican leaders then told State Government Finance Committee chair Phil Krinkie to spend one-hundred million dollars LESS than Governor Ventura proposed in his budget. Krinkie has gone even further, chopping another 40-million, and ruffling some feathers in his own caucus in the process.
April 15, 1999 - A five-and-a-half billion dollar health and human services spending bill moving through the Minnesota House is being described as an assault on abortion by supporters of legalized abortion. The bill bans a late-term procedure sometimes called a partial birth abortion, and requires a 24-hour waiting period before a woman could get an abortion. The move sets the stage for a battle with the Senate and the Governor, and a possible repeat of last year's showdown that nearly forced a special session.
April 15, 1999 - A Minnesota Public Radio/St. Paul Pioneer Press poll finds fewer than ten-percent of those polled want to scrap the Profile of Learning, a new set of high school graduation standards. Most Minnesotans polled would rather see the Profile changed, or given more time to work. The results run counter to sentiment in the Minnesota House, which voted earlier this year to scrap the Profile entirely.
April 14, 1999 - Jesse Ventura became CEO of a 24-billion-dollar business when he was sworn in as Governor 100 days ago. Ventura's management style is simple - he says he'll hire the best people to run state agencies and give them the authority to carry out his policies. It's a shift from previous administrations, and one that's getting largely positive reviews from his staff and legislative leaders.
April 2, 1999 - Nearly everyone at the Capitol seems to agree the state should beef up its commitment to public education this year. Governor Ventura set aside nearly half of the new spending in his budget for education, and both Republicans and Democrats say they back more money for schools. But agreement on how much to spend, and how to spend it, has so far eluded lawmakers, who have different ideas on the most efficient way to fund public schools.
March 23, 1999 - On a 77-to-51 vote, the Minnesota House has passed a bill allowing voters to propose new laws and repeal existing ones. Supporters say giving citizens the power of initiative and referendum - as 24 states have done - will increase voter participation, but the issue faces strong opposition in the D-F-L-controlled Senate.
March 17, 1999 - Legislation banning the use of underwater video cameras for fishing is headed to the Senate floor, following an 8-to-5 vote today in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Supporters say the cameras change the nature of the sport, and put pressure on limited fishing resources, but manufacturers say the state is trying to put them out of business without any evidence the cameras are dangerous.