September 14, 2000 - Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeye says the wording of the St. Paul schools referedum ballot question violates state law. In a non-binding opinion, she said the referendum's title is illegal because it advocates for its passage. The St. Paul Schools are looking into amending the wording, which now reads St. Paul Schools Referendum for Student Achievement. David Magleby is a political science professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I asked him what he thought of the referendum's title.
September 11, 2000 -
September 11, 2000 - Voter turnout is typically very low in primary elections and there are no indications that tomorrow will be any different. Chris Gilbert is the chairman of the political science department at Gustavus Adolfous college in St. Peter, Minnesota. He says that races around the state haven't created much excitement.
September 7, 2000 - Minnesota is the birthplace of the Mississippi, the proverbial father of all rivers. So it's not surprising that river recreation figures prominently in the lives of many state residents. But Thomas Waters wants us to know more about rivers and streams than just the best place to fish or launch a boat. In his new book "Wildstream: A Natural History of the Free Flowing River," the professor emeritus of stream ecology shares his knowledge of ox bows and eddys in a way most readers without a scientific background can comprehend. I met up with Waters this week at Rice Creek in Roseville, where he used to take his university students on field trips.
September 5, 2000 - One of the Wild West's most famous sharpshooters takes the stage at the Orpheum in Minneapolis tonight. Irving Berlin's Broadway musical "Annie Get Your Gun", first staged in 1946, is loosely based on the life of frontier sure-shot Phoebe Anne Oakley Moses, who traveled with Buffalo Bill's Wild West show from 1885 to 1901. Actress Marilu Henner, who plays the title character, says it is the best role she's had since her days as Elaine on the T.V. series "Taxi". She admires Annie Oakleys spirited approach to life:
September 1, 2000 - Good news for workers in the Twin Cities... vacant jobs outnumber unemployed workers two-to-one. A new study by the Metro Workforce Investment Board and the Minnesota Department of Economic Security says that during the second quarter of 2000, the metro area had more than 64-thousand unfilled jobs. Minnesota Workforce Center System economist Todd Graham says that the vacancies are not in all occupations across the board:
August 31, 2000 - The Minnesota Vikings will open their season this Sunday against the Chicago Bears at the Metrodome. On paper the Vikes had a less than stellar preseason, with one win and three losses. But editor Jeff Agrest with Pro Football Weekly in Chicago doesn't put much stock in those numbers. He says team got a lot of impressive play out of rookie quarterback Dante Culpepper. Agrest says even his critics were impressed.
August 31, 2000 - Former Olympic speedskater, Charles Leighton, died this week at a St. Louis Park hospital. Leighton was the first Minneapolis man to qualify for the Olympics in speedskating. But that Olympics in 1940 was cancelled because of World War Two. The year before, Leighton won the North American senior men's championship. In 1990, he was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame at the National Sports Center in Blaine. Fellow speedskater Kenny Bartholomew was a friend of Leighton's who grew up competing with him on the frozen lakes of Minneapolis.
August 31, 2000 - A redevelopment plan for Minneapolis's long-stagnant Block E is one big step closer to reality. Yesterday, the block's developer, McCaffery Interests of Chicago, agreed to lease terms with GameWorks to anchor the 38-thousand sqare foot entertainment complex and 4-star hotel. Today was the deadline to have an anchor tennant signed, or McCaffery would have risked losing 58-million dollars in funding. Groundbreaking is now set for mid October. Gameworks is a restaurant and interactive games chain owned by Dreamworks SKG, founded by Steven Spielberg. Star Tribune Trends Editor Neil Justin, says its like a big arcade for adults.
August 30, 2000 - Industry watchers say Sun Country Airlines has a narrow window of opportunity to gain a foothold in the highly competitive battle for airline passengers loyalty. Terry Trippler publishes 1travel.com, a website for budget-conscious travelers. Trippler says he expected better second quarter financial numbers from Sun Country.