September 13, 2000 - Betty McCollum, Linda Runbeck, and Tom Foley have advanced to the November general election in the race to succeed retiring Fourth District Congressman Bruce Vento. D-F-L endorsee McCollum won a hotly contested primary last night. But a couple of her party rivals are upset about negative campaigning in the primary and are not sure they'll work for McCollum. Meanwhile, Republican and Independence Party candidates see the D-F-L rift as a chance to take a seat the Democrats have held for fifty-two years. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
September 12, 2000 - The University of Minnesota is suing the only basketball coach to take the Gophers to the Final Four. The lawsuit against former men's coach Clem Haskins stems from the academic fraud scandal that led the university to dismiss Haskins and several other athletic department officials. Now the university is trying to recover some of the one-and-a-half million dollars paid to Haskins in a contract buyout. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
September 11, 2000 - The University of Minnesota is suing the only basketball coach to take the Gophers to the Final Four. The lawsuit against former men's coach Clem Haskins stems from the academic fraud scandal that led the university to dismiss Haskins and several other athletic department officials. Now the university is trying to recover some of the one-and-a-half million dollars paid to Haskins in a contract buyout. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
September 8, 2000 - Saint Paul will throw a party tomorrow (Sat) for its newest park, which is also one of its oldest parks. A fourteen million dollar face lift of Harriet Island Regional Park has revived a century old gathering place on the Mississippi River. The park renovation - combined with this summer's news that new housing and jobs are coming to the river flats - is creating a new momentum for Saint Paul's West Side. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports...
September 5, 2000 - When Americans pick a representative to send to Congress, they send that same person to Washington for several terms. While the power of incumbency makes it difficult to replace a sitting Representative, it also means an open seat becomes a magnet for Congressional hopefuls. Such is the case this year in Minnesota's fourth district. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this look at the race to succeed the retiring Bruce Vento...
August 31, 2000 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports how the race to succeed the retiring Bruce Vento has turned into the state's hottest House race. The tradition of political discourse at the State Fair continued as DFL and Independence Party candidates for the 4th Congressional District seat debated at the Minnesota Public Radio booth.
August 24, 2000 - A swan song of summer gets underway as the 2000 edition of the Minnesota State Fair opens at the grounds in Falcon Heights. The popularity of the fair can make transportation and parking a challenge in the area for the next twelve days, but some visitors and exhibitors avoid traffic headaches by camping at the fair.
August 22, 2000 - The Minnesota Twins may try again next year to gain permission to play a few outdoor baseball games at a temporary ballpark. A proposal to put up a temporary ballpark in Bloomington in time for three games next month was rejected by Major League Baseball officials last week. The commissioners who run the Metrodome also had some reservations about the plan, fearing it could set a precedent that would cause the Dome's other disgruntled tenant - the Vikings - to seek changes in their lease agreement. The situation reflects the tangle of interests intertwined in the Twin Cities stadium landscape. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen offers this overview...
July 25, 2000 - Hundreds of Minneapoils police will be in the vicinity of the Hyatt Regency again today following the arrests of about eighty demonstrators outside a conference of scientists who specialize in animal genetics. Authorities are also investigating whether protesters are connected to suspicious canisters found around the city, including one that contained traces of cyanide. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this report.
July 21, 2000 - The barricades are up, the traffic is being re-directed, and police have riot gear ready if they need it, all of which means the Twin Cities feel prepared for the protests at an animal genetics conference starting this weekend. The long list of precautions taken near a downtown Minneapolis hotel stems from the expectation that critics of biotechnology will demonstrate outside the meeting of the International Society of Animal Genetics. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on the differing views of genetic engineering that have converged in Minneapolis.