May 18, 1998 - United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan (Ah-NAHN) was in St Paul yesterday (SUN) to receive an honorary degree from Macalester College. Annan, a native of Ghana, graduated from Macalester in 1961, and has become the school's most illustrious alumnus. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: ((pipes)) Macalester welcomed the Secretary General with bagpipes and chants of "Kofi! Kofi!" from the crowd. Annan's staff-members say he's been looking forward to this visit... The reception was certainly warmer than he's been getting on other trips. When he traveled to Rwanda earlier this month, he was publicly excoriated by government officials for not intervening in the 1994 genocide there. But now, back on the familiar Macale
May 12, 1998 - (use THIS ... corrected TIME) Gubernatorial candidates from all three major political parties declared open season on the state's $7 Billion tobacco settlement today (TUESDAY). The candidates criticized the deal's financial structure, as well as what they consider the "excessive" fee for the state's lawyers. But the real target was the DFL front-runner in the Governor's race, Attorney General Skip Humphrey. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The critics' main theme today was attorneys fees.Prominent Republicans have been grumbling for months about the potential for a huge payout for Robins, Kaplan, Miller & Ciresi, the private firm that handled the state's case; now DFL gubernatorial Mark Dayton has joined in. He says enriching the lawyers seems to be the settlement's first priority.
May 11, 1998 - Gubernatorial candidate Mike Freeman appears to be maintaining his lead in the race for the DFL party endorsement. This weekend Freeman won two more DFL straw polls, at the party's 3rd and 4th Congressional District conventions -- which represent Minneapolis's southwestern suburbs and the St Paul area. About HALF the delegates polled indicated they're backing Freeman, with second-place finisher Skip Humphrey scoring about 37 percent. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more: Attorney General Skip Humphrey wore a big smile, walking into Saturday's DFL conventions -- ((SH: Let me just say this is a beautiful day today in a lot of ways!!))
May 5, 1998 - Pronouncer Forsyth = for-SCYTHE A proposal for a publicly funded baseball stadium is on the ballot today--- in North Carolina. Voters in Guilford and Forsyth Counties will decide whether to spend upwards of 140 million dollars of public money on the project. A yes vote is SUPPOSED to make it easier for the Minnesota Twins to leave the Twin Cities... assuming Major League baseball allows the move. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports from North Carolina. Sun 28-MAY 11:22:03 MPR NewsPro Archive - Wed 04/11/2001
May 5, 1998 - On the day of the North Carolina public vote on baseball subsidies, MPR sports analyst Howard Sinker discusses it and the future of the Minnesota Twins. Sinker also answers listener questions. Programs begins with report from MPR's Martin Kaste in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
April 29, 1998 - Four more candidates for Governor today promised not to take campaign money from tobacco interests. The anti-tobacco-money-pledge is sponsored by the American Heart Association, and most candidates have come to the conclusion that it's a political necessity. But there are still a couple of hold-outs, and even one of those taking the pledge has misgivings. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
April 23, 1998 - The Marvin Windows and Doors company got what it wanted from the state legislature yesterday (WED). The Minnesota House voted 99-to-30 to change the wording of a state law to help Marvin win a multi-million-dollar lawsuit against one of its suppliers. The Senate passed the same law change on Monday, and the Governor has already promised to sign it. But the Marvin Windows bill did NOT sail through the legislature without opposition. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Marvin Windows employees were all smiles as they lined up outside the House to thank Speaker Phil Carruthers for coming through for their employer. Carruthers assured company president Susan Marvin that he and the Legislature acted for the good of the whole state:
April 22, 1998 - Today's the last day of a special legislative session at the state capitol -- at least, that's the hope of most House members. The Senate wrapped up its special session work and went home two days ago, but the House has been caught up in a three-day partisan squabble over a $12-million-dollar social programs bill. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste joins us from the capitol bureau.
April 22, 1998 - A three-day Republican protest against DFL spending came to an end today (WED). Republicans delayed the end of the special legislation as long as they could to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with a $12 Million-dollar increase in state social spending... But today their time ran out, and the House passed the spending bill on a vote of 76 to 53. Still, the Republicans declared it a moral victory. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: On Monday, House Republican Steve Sviggum knew very well he wouldn't be able to muster enough votes to defeat the increase in spending on social programs, but, thanks to official House rules, he WOULD be able to delay that vote for three days. That gave him THREE DAYS to trash DFLers for what he calls their "addiction to spending" -- a three-day sermon that culminated this morning on the House floor with what Sviggum called his "last stand" on behalf of Minnesota taxpayers:
April 21, 1998 - House Republicans held center stage at the state capitol today (TUES) with a mock committee hearing on a $12 Million dollar social spending bill. The Legislature is practically finished with its business -- the Senate has already adjounred and gone home -- but House Republicans are stretching the special session out so they can focus public attention on what they call the DFL's "addiction" to spending. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The handful of staff and reporters still hanging around the state capitol today weren't quite sure what to make of the Republican-sponsored "hearing" in the State Office Building. It looked a lot like a run-of-the-mill legislative committee, except all the committee members belonged to the minority party, and it had no official authority to take votes or process legislation. Still, people seemed eager to testify -- 43 groups signed up.