March 25, 1998 - Saint Paul Mayor Norm Coleman is facing the critics of the proposed new hockey arena this afternoon. A House-and-Senate panel is grilling him and his staff on the financial details of the arena deal, which many state legislators don't like. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste is at the Capitol.
March 20, 1998 - St. Paul legislators and the Minnesota "Wild" hockey franchise are looking for a way out of the standoff over the new St Paul hockey arena. Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe has made it clear that he intends to block state funding for the arena... but today (FRIDAY) the Wild and the St. Paul delegation did their best to outmanuever him. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The prospects of state funding for the hockey arena have been slipping fast over the past couple of days, as news reports of private deals between the Minnesota "Wild" and the M.A. Mortenson construction company have made the whole project seem vaguely tainted. Last night "Wild" CEO Jac Sperling tried to limit the impression of foul play by sending a ream of company financial papers to key lawmakers... something the team had refused to do until now... and this morning he went before the media to say the "WILD" has nothing to hide:
March 19, 1998 - Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe kept up the pressure today (THURSDAY) on the supporters of public funding for the St. Paul hockey arena project. Moe says he believes the St. Paul city council failed to scrutinize the financial arrangements between the hockey team and the contractor building the arena, and he called for a "special inquiry" into the matter. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Supporters of state funding for the arena say Roger Moe's call for an inquiry is just another political manuever designed to embarrass St. Paul Mayor and Republican gubernatorial candidate Norm Coleman. the House and Senate bonding conference committee was already planning to ask questions about the arena's financing, and they Moe is just trying to make a routine process seem more dramatic. St. Paul senator
March 18, 1998 - Supporters of a new Saint Paul hockey arena spent the day doing damage control at the state capitol today. Reports of possible improprieties in the way a construction company won the arena contract have cast a pall over the project, and the plan's opponents are taking advantage of the situation. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: This morning's front-page articles questioning the integrity of the arena's construction deal and the politicians who approved it, couldn't have come at a worse time for the arena's boosters. House and Senate negotiators are scheduled to take up the matter this week: the House wants to spend $65 million dollars of state money on the arena, but the Senate does NOT. Of the Senate negotiators, Saint Paul DFLer Dick Cohen, says even the suggestion of impropriety is bad for a project that was already in trouble:
March 17, 1998 - A Senate committee today (TUES) voted to change a law beneficial to Northwest Airlines after some legislators charge the airline duped them into passing the law. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: One week ago, legislators discovered that an apparently technical change they made to the state's franchise law last year was actually of great potential benefit to Northwest Airlines. The change, which was retroactive, gave Northwest a defense against a $30-million-dollar lawsuit filed against it by two small airlines in Maine. Senator Allan Spear says he was shocked to discover that he and his colleagues had inadvertently meddled in an ongoing court case: ((We have a long, admirable tradition in this Legislature that we don't pass legislation that affects pending lawsuits! And that's what
March 16, 1998 - Martin Kaste previews the week ahead at the Capitol.
March 12, 1998 - The Minnesota House has approved $740 million in residential property tax rebates, along with a permanent cut in tax rates for businesses. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
March 11, 1998 - Some state lawmakers say Northwest Airlines misled the Legislature last year when it asked for a change in a Minnesota law. The change could save the Airline from paying out millions of dollars in a lawsuit. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Joseph O'Donnell, a bankruptcy trustee in Portland, Maine, says Northwest Airlines misled the Minnesota Legislature last year to defend itself from a $30-million dollar lawsuit in Maine. He says Northwest convinced the Legislature to change a Minnesota law in a way that would make it easier for the airline to defend itself -- but the airline never told legislators about the lawsuit... even when they made a point of asking. O'Donnell says the airline used the state legislature: ((30:43 What I object to, is Northwest's attemp
March 10, 1998 - The Minnesota House has voted to ban a kind of late-term abortion sometimes known as "partial birth abortion." Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
March 6, 1998 - A new light rail system for the Twin Cities is very close to becoming a reality -- perhaps closer than it's ever been. The State Senate yesterday (THURS) approved $49 Million dollars for a line linking downtown Minneapolis to the airport and the Mall of America... and today (FRI) key House members indicated they'll probably do the same. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on how the LRT project got this far -- and what obstacles remain: So far, supporters of the Hiawatha corridor light rail project seem to have played all their cards right at the state capitol. They were careful to link the project with money to study other rail projects for the suburbs, which helped build support from non-urban legislators and even some Republicans -- who generally favor spending as little money this year as possible. St Louis Park Republican Jim Rhodes says this project crosses all kinds of boundaries: