March 4, 1999 - Former Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun died today at the age of ninety. He was one of two sons of Minnesota who served on the nation's highest court. Blackmun served with Warren Burger, in fact the two even attended elementary school together on St. Paul's East Side. Blackmun retired in 1994, after 24 years on the bench. He's best remembered for writing the decision on the landmark case Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a woman's right to abortion, although Blackmun didn't want that to be his legacy. The decision changed his life, making him the target of death threats and thousands of pieces of hate mail. Sandy Keith, retired chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, was hired by Blackmun to work as an attorney in Mayo Clinic's legal department.
February 23, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment pieces together two sets of 100-year-old predictions of what Minneapolis and St. Paul would look like in the year 2000.
February 18, 1999 - Baseball analyst Kevin Hennessy says it doesn't bode well for a good season for the Minnesota Twins as pitchers and catchers reported to baseball spring training. The team has slashed its payroll by $10 million in the hopes of breaking even after several seasons of losing money. They're total team payroll is almost what New York Yankees pitcher Roger Clemens, alone, makes in a year.
February 10, 1999 - It's been a little over three years since the Bosnian war ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement. But Yugolsavia's tension is far from over. Today brought another round of peace talks, this time between ethnic Albanians who want indepence for Kosovo and Serbs who want Kosovo to remain part of Yugoslavia. Throughout the war and the fragile peace of the past few years, many have pointed to the so-called "ancient ethnic hatreds" among Croats, Serbs and Muslims as the main reason for the conflict and the incredible attrocities committed on all sides. Former Balkans Bureau Chief for the New York Times, Roger Cohen, says that theory is far too simplistic. In his new book "Hearts Grown Brutal", Cohen says the war was not inevitable as some in the International community have suggested.
February 4, 1999 - A new opinion poll published today shows a majority of Minnesotans polled think Governor Jesse Ventura is doing a good job. Ventura's 72 percent approval rating in the Star Tribune/KMSP-TV Minnesota Poll is the highest ever measured for a new governor in the half century of the poll. Ventura says he's encouraged by the results and predicts it will help him in dealing with the Legislature. Political Scientist Chris Gilbert agrees. Gilbert says lawmakers should try extra hard to appear tri-partisan.
February 1, 1999 - DFL leaders say many of their proposals came directly from farmers who attended ag rallies in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and Sioux City, Iowa in recent weeks. Representative Doug Peterson says Minnesota is working in concert with four other Midwest states to implement many of the farmers recommendations which also include loosening loan restrictions and providing state support for farmer-owned processing and marketing facilities. But Peterson say reforming the pricing system will be the main push this session. In particular, he says the DFL wants to require processors to disclose the "real" worth of the contracts they sign with farmers.
January 29, 1999 - I'm Lorna Benson. You're listening to a special report on Governor Ventura's budget. We invited two former lawmakers to give us their impressions of Ventura's plan. Former House Democrat Kathleen Vellenga now directs the St. Paul/Ramsey County Children's Initiative. Duane Benson is a Republican who served as Senate Minority Leader. He is now the executive director of the Minnesota Business Partnership. I asked them whether any overarching philosophy emerges from Ventura's budget. Benson says it wasn't as bold as he would have liked.
January 25, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” In this segment, a look back at the Battle of Sugar Point…a fight between the U.S. Government and Chippewa Tribe over timber.
December 31, 1998 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Karlyn Campbell, a professor of speech communication at the University of Minnesota, about the role of first ladies.
December 30, 1998 - Throngs of harried workers in hard-hats are scurrying about St. Paul's Union Depot trying to put the finishing touches on the much-hyped Titanic exhibit. Today, workers are filling a giant salt-water aquarium which will hold a 20-ton section of the ship's hull recovered from the ocean bottom this summer. When the exhibit opens to the public Friday, visitors will see dozens of relics ranging from the ordinary to the exquisite. Chunks of coal used to fire the ship's engines will be displayed alongside luggage, a steward's jacket, crystal decanters and diamond rings. Titanic Conservator Stephane Pennec (steh-FAHN pon-ECK) explained the story behind some of the relics during a recent tour.