October 13, 2000 - Hundreds of mourners came to St. Paul to pay a final tribute to Bruce Vento, who passed away on October 10th, 2000. The former school teacher and twelve-term Congressman was hailed as a champion of the environment, the working class, and the needy. Vento died at the age of 60 from a rare form of lung cancer, as a result of exposure to asbestos.
October 12, 2000 - Minnesota has moved up in the National Hockey League standings for the first time in more than seven years. The state's new team, the Minnesota Wild, skated to a three-to-three tie with the Philadelphia Flyers last night in the first home game of their young history. Hockey fans filled Saint Paul's new arena and cheered an NHL team for the first time since Norm Green moved the North Stars south. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on the Wild's home opener.
October 11, 2000 - Tonight is a night many hockey fans in this part of the country have been anticipating for years. For the first time since 1993, a Minnesota team will host a National Hockey League game. The state's new team, the Minnesota Wild, plays the Philadelphia Flyers in the first regular season game at the Excel Energy Center in Saint Paul. The Wild, though, cast themselves as a team not just for the Twin Cities but for the whole state. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on enthusiasm for the Wild in Saint Paul and in one of northern MInnesota's hockey hotbeds.
September 29, 2000 - It's been a long time since Minnesota's fourth Congressional district provided a political race that garnered national attention. But with Bruce Vento's retirement and an Independence Party candidate positioning himself as an alternative to the Democrat and Republican, the fourth has suddenly become less predictable. Saint Paul and its closest suburbs have sent Democrats to Washington for more than fifty years. This year the DFL hopes state representative Betty McCollum of North Saint Paul will continue that streak. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this look at McCollum...
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.