April 5, 1999 - American Indians say a court ruling that the Washington football team's use of the name "Redskins" is derogatory means the team will no longer profit from souveniers bearing the trademark. Three judges with the U. S. Patent and Trademark office said the name Redskins violates a federal law which denies trademark protection to names that disparage or defame a group of people.
March 30, 1999 - For Tuesday A legislative change gives Governor Jesse Ventura a chance to put a new face on the Metropolitan Council by naming up to sixteen new members at once. The speculation is that he make announce the names as early as today. The council is in charge of such mundane metropolitan matters as treating sewage and making sure the buses run on time. But it is also has the power to regulate Twin Cities development. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson talked to three people who have ideas for how the reconstituted Council should do it's job.
March 23, 1999 - A plan to build a transit hub in south Minneapolis gets another public hearing tonight. Metro Transit wants to create a place where riders can converge to board freeway express buses headed to either downtown Minneapolis or to the suburbs. Proponents say the transit hub is part of a plan to help slow the growth of freeway congestion. Opponents object to the noise and disruption a transit hub will cause in their neighborhood.
March 23, 1999 - Just about every where you go in Minnesota there's a shortage of workers, with one exception - Minnesota's prison system. Thousands of able-bodied inmates live inside state prison walls. 830 work for Minnesota's taxpayer supported prison industries. And Corrections officials want to create more jobs. They say prisoners don't make trouble when they're working. And the prison system also needs to meet a state mandate to make prison industries self supporting.
March 22, 1999 - In a contest for the public's attention, affordable housing doesn't compare with, say, the Oscar winners or a tax cut. But Minnesota's largest foundation says it's time to pay a lot more attention to the issue. The McKnight Foundation today made it's biggest grant ever to a single recipient - $23 million - to build more affordable housing. On Thursday, lawmakers will get an earful from housing advocates who gather at the capitol to lobby for the issue.
March 15, 1999 - Pressure is building on Minnesota lawmakers to find a way to fund mass transit. Projected Twin Cities population growth and the rising costs of road building are fueling the interest. The problem, as usual, is finding the money. This morning the Minnesota House Transporation Finance committee considers a proposal to create a constitutionally dedicated fund to pay for transit projects.
March 9, 1999 - Property owners who don't want to rent to low income tennants are asking lawmakers to exempt them from Minnesota's Human Rights Act. Right now, it's a violation of state law if a landlord refuses to rent to people because they use federal Section 8 housing vouchers.
February 26, 1999 - There's a busy special election season ahead in Minneapolis . City council member Steve Minnesota is leaving his post to become commissioner of Public Service in the Ventura administration. The annoucement follows by a few months Mark Andrew's decision to leave his Hennepin County Commissioner job. Minnesota has been the lone voice of political dissent on the DFL controlled City Council. His departure opens up a council seat in the city's affluent 13th ward.
February 25, 1999 - What is your work worth? Well, if you're a CEO - a chief executive officer - for one of America's biggest companies you can expect to earn tens, even hundreds of millions in pay and other benefits. Minnesota Congressman Martin Sabo says the pay gap between executives and workers is unhealthy. Once again, he's proposing legislation to limit the tax deduction companies can claim for executive pay.
February 18, 1999 - The family of a Minneapolis man killed in a high speed chase says police need more training to avoid similar tragedies. Last November a Minneapolis police officer struck Steve Winkel's truck while chasing a burglary suspect. Today, members of a Minnesota House committee approved a measure which more than doubles the pursuit training police must take. The measure also increases penalties for people who try outrun police. But the next House committee to hear the bill has questions about funding the measure.