February 4, 2003 - MPR’s Steven John interviews R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, on changing snow plowing plans within the city. The cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul declared snow emergencies in wake of the winter's biggest snowstorm. In St. Paul when crews finish plowing east-west residential today the parking restrictions will end. But in Minneapolis the snow emergency will not end until 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday. When R.T. Rybak campaigned for mayor of Minneapolis he pledged to change the city to a 24-hour plowing schedule.
January 13, 2003 - Minnesota lawmakers will gather at the Capitol today (MONDAY) for the first full week of the 2003 legislative session. The budget is likely to be a big focus in upcoming days. Governor Tim Pawlenty is expected to release his plan for dealing with the first phase of the budget deficit... a 356 million dollar projected shortfall for the current fiscal year, which ends in June. Laura McCallum is Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief.
January 7, 2003 - Senator-elect Norm Coleman will be sworn-in later today in a ceremony in Washington, D.C.. Coleman, a Republican, takes the seat held by the late Democratic Senator Paul Wellstone who was killed in a plane crash just eleven days before the November election. Coleman went on to defeat Wellstone's replacement on the ballot Vice President Walter Mondale. As Senator, Coleman will be part of a new... and narrow... Republican majority in the U.S. Senate.
January 3, 2003 - Governor-elect Tim Pawlenty will be sworn into office on Monday. Pawlenty has already made several appointments, including Lieutenant Governor Carol Molnau as transportation commissioner. And yesterday, he named his longtime friend and colleague Charlie Weaver as chief of staff. Weaver served as commissioner of public safety under Governor Ventura and led Pawlenty's transition team. Commissioner Weaver joins us on the phone this morning.
December 20, 2002 - Well, if you're looking to expose you're child to something other than violent video games, you might consider taking him or her to an exhibit that is about to open at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. "Eternal Egypt Masterworks of Ancient Art from the British Museum" is a rare opportunity to see pieces that are thousands of years old, many of which have never traveled before. The exhibit, which opens Saturday, was planned in part because the British Museum is being renovated and the art would have gone into storage otherwise. I got a sneak preview with Marcel Maree ma-RAY, an Assistant Keeper of Collections at the British Museum. He started our tour with a statue of Egyptian King Sesostris the third which dates from around 1850 B.C.
December 18, 2002 - Bringing a casino to St. Paul is now the subject of preliminary discussions between minority business groups in the city... two indian tribes... and city officials. The idea was discussed in meetings yesterday with the White Earth Band of Ojibwe, and the Red Lake Band of Chippewa. A casino located near downtown St. Paul could serve as a tourist draw, and add revenues for the city during tough economic times. The idea echoes a similar move made by the City of Duluth more than a decade ago, when it allowed a casino to open downtown. Joining us on the line is longtime Duluth city council member Neill Atkins. That is Duluth city council member Neill Atkins.
December 17, 2002 - MusicMatch Artist on Demand Service.
December 13, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Keith Ellison, a State Representative from Minneapolis, about State budget shortfall. Solving the budget shortfall will be the top priority of the Republican caucus, that issue was also the top of a meeting last night in Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Urban League, the NAACP, and the Council on Black Minnesotans met to discuss their ideas for the upcoming session.
November 27, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about Tyesha Edwards shooting. Two men, ages 21 and 23, are in custody in connection with the shooting.
November 14, 2002 - Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle was among those remembering Paul Wellstone, his wife and his daughter at a memorial service held at a Washington DC synagoguee last night.