November 23, 1998 - (FOR MONDAY MORNING EDITION) When crimes are committed in Minnesota, physical evidence is often sent to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension's crime lab in St. Paul. It's the only one of its kind in the state, and BCA officials say the lab's location in the Twin Cities makes it inconvenient and expensive for northern law enforcement officers. As Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, the agency is considering a satellite crime lab in northern Minnesota...
November 23, 1998 - Duluth teachers vote Tuesday whether to accept a new contract. The Independent District 709 board approved the agreement Sunday, but board members worry how to pay for it. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports...
November 24, 1998 - Speaker-designate Steve Sviggum named the 28 new chairmen of the Minnesota House legislative committees today (TUES). The chairmen have a lot of say over which bills get a hearing, and they'll set the new tone for the new Republican majority. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more.
November 25, 1998 - Mae Schunk, Lieutenant Governor-elect, talks about her ideas to improve education, and her plans as Minnesota's next Lieutenant Governor. Schunk also answers listener questions.
November 25, 1998 - A group of Twin Cities high school students is launching an advertising campaign designed to convince kids not to smoke. Students from Mounds Park Academy in St. Paul hope their message will get through to young people since it's coming from their peers. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports... A dozen or so students developed a poster in twelve different languages, a web site and a P-S-A for TV. In the video, children dressed in career clothes - a doctor, a construction worker, a dancer - are happily playing, until a pack of cigarettes crashes down in their midst... (nat - kids laughing, screech of cig pack, sound of heartbeat)
November 26, 1998 - The Saint Paul School District has begun testing all kindergarten and second grade students for possible inclusion in gifted and talented programs. The new system uses classroom observation, rather than a written test, to identify students. District officials say they hope the changes will bring more minority and low income children into the accelerated learning programs. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... (Sound) In an algebra class at Saint Paul's Capitol Hill Magnet School, 6th and 5th grade students and their teacher are discussing how to use mean, median and mode to ananlyze statistics. These elementary students are already working on material designed for 8th and 9th graders, and they're devouring it. Sixth
December 4, 1998 - Governor-elect Jesse Ventura's visited the University of Minnesota and the offices of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. While talking to U of M administrators about his preparation for taking office, Ventura acknowledged college students played a big part in the Reform Party candidate's election.
December 8, 1998 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that the first poll since the election gives Governor-elect Jesse Ventura high marks for his performance so far. Nearly half the people polled for Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press consider Ventura a needed breath of fresh air in state government, although the other half say it's too soon to judge.
December 8, 1998 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman talks with Ilean Her, director of the state’s Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans, about Hmong community leaders release of a proposal seeking state dollars to help Minnesota's South-East Asians population. Several recent tragedies in the Hmong community prompted the initiative which will be presented to the legislature. It calls for mental health, education, violence prevention, and self-sufficiency programs.
December 10, 1998 - It has taken 7 years but a former pornographic bookshop in Minneapolis, is now a community theater..... opening it's first holiday show. Some of the actors now performing were once outside on the sidewalk protesting against the store. The Central City Theater-- on the corner of 4th and Lake was once known as the Lake Street Bookstore-- but it's now part of what the city hopes will be a turnaround of troubled Lake Street. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports.