August 3, 1999 - While the Senate debated Farm Aid, Minnesota farmers were gathering in Redwood Falls today for Farm Fest, the state's largest ag show. In addition to seeing the latest technology and innovations, hundreds of farmers attended an ag policy forum and discussed "Freedom to Farm" the 1996 law which overhauled the nation's ag system. Tom Rothman is farm director of the Minnesota Farm Network, a statewide radio network. I asked him what he's been hearing at Farm Fest.
July 26, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is a profile of the Mayo brothers.
July 23, 1999 - Governor Ventura is speaking tonight at the annual convention of the national Reform Party, in Dearborn, Michigan. This is the party's third annual convention, and many party activists are hoping this meeting will mark a turn-around for a political movement that's generally been in decline since Ross Perot's failed presidential bids in 1992 and 1996.
July 23, 1999 - A legislative audit of Governor Jesse Ventura's state-paid security for his book tour has touched a nerve with the governor and his wife. Ventura got a copy of the auditor's letter yesterday, and last night WCCO television played portions of a voicemail Terry Ventura left on Republican lawmaker Carol Molnau's answering machine suggesting the first family might cancel all of its security. Republican Representative Dan McElroy chairs the Legislative Auditor's commission. He says the first family is overreacting.
July 22, 1999 - A plan for light rail transit in the Twin Cities is begining to take shape. The LRT corridor management committee met this morning to agree on a budget--446 million dollars, and a route--from downtown Minneapolis to the Mall of America. There will be 15 stops in all instead of the original 18. To stay within the budget, the committee scaled back the number of stations and size of the trains. State Transportation commissioner Elwyn Tinklenberg says the proposed changes will save an estimated 50 to 70 million dollars.
July 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura lost one of a member of his cabinet today. David Jennings, the commissioner of commerce, announced he's stepping down to take a job as president of the Greater Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce. Jennings who's a former Republican House Speaker says he wasn't disatisfied with working for Ventura. He just saw another opportunity that was too good to pass up.
July 15, 1999 - Governor Ventura's announcement that he'll referee a pay-per-view wrestling event next month has tongues wagging on the political talk shows. The governor will donate one hundred thousand dollars to charity, but it's likely he'll pocket a far greater amount -- a million dollars or more according to some estimates. While there's no law saying the governor can't earn extra money on the side, Charles Lewis the executive director for the Center for Public Integrity says the Governor's extra curriculars are crossing the line.
July 14, 1999 - Dakota Indians held a ceremony today on an old pioneer farm in Falcon Heights near the State Fairgrounds. The Gibbs farm has long been a historic site, but today's ceremony marked an expansion of the Jane Gibbs' story, to include her relationship with the nearby Dakota indians. Gibbs was born in New York, but at the age of 6 she was kidnapped by missionaries who brought her to Minnesota. The missionaries worked near Lake Harriet and there Jane met Dakota indian children, many of whom became her friends. Priscilla Farnham is the executive director of the Ramsey County Historical Society. She says when Jane grew up and became a pioneer farm wife, she rekindled her friendship with the Dakota.
July 12, 1999 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian interviews 8th District Democratic Congressman Jim Oberstar regarding aid for Boundary Waters disaster. Oberstar flew over the Boundary Waters to view the damage from blowdown, then returned to Washington D.C. to seek federal aid for the area, meeting with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
July 9, 1999 - The National Weather Service has confirmed a strong tornado ripped through the southeastern town of Lewiston Minnesota last night. There were no injuries, but a two block section of mainstreet was badly damaged. City administrator Robert Reece says officials are trying to keep people off main street while they assess the damage and clear debris.