May 6, 1998 - NORTH CAROLINA VOTERS' REJECTION OF A PLAN TO RAISE TAXES FOR A BIG LEAGUE BALL PARK MAKES THE MINNESOTA TWINS' FUTURE AS MURKY AS EVER. YESTERDAY VOTERS IN THE TWO COUNTIES THAT MAKE UP THE PIEDMONT TRIAD RESOUNDINGLY DEFEATED THE TAX PROPOSAL THAT COULD HAVE PAVED THE WAY FOR A TWINS' MOVE TO NORTH CAROLINA. THAT REJECTION MAY LEAD TWINS OWNER CARL POHLAD TO LOOK MORE CAREFULLY IN MINNESOTA FOR A NEW BUYER AND/OR A NEW STADIUM. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS... YESTERDAY'S VOTE MEANS THE TWINS WILL NOT BE PLAYING BASEBALL IN THE PIEDMONT TRIAD ANY TIME SOON. BUT IT DOESN'T RESOLVE WHERE THEY WILL PLAY. A SPOKESMAN FOR THE TWINS SAYS TEAM EXECUTIVES ARE INV
May 5, 1998 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on RADIO REY, a Spanish-language radio service that broadcasts more than thirty hours a week from a grocery store on Concord Street in St. Paul’s West Side.
April 28, 1998 - STATE AND FEDERAL MONEY ALLOCATED FOR LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT HAS BROUGHT THE TWIN CITIES CLOSER TO A NEW TRANSPORTATION OPTION. BUT TRAVELLING AROUND TOWN ON RAILS IS NOT REALLY A NEW DEVELOPMENT, AT ALL. THERE WAS ONCE A TIME WHEN FIVE HUNDRED MILES OF RAILS CRISS-CROSSED THE TWIN CITES ... CARRYING ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE TO ALL SORTS OF PLACES. IN PART TWO OF OUR SERIES ON TRANSIT, MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS THIS LOOK BACK AT THE TWIN CITIES STREETCAR DAYS... JUST ABOUT ANY TWIN CITIES NATIVE OVER FIFTY REMEMBERS THEM. PAINTED BRIGHTLY ENOUGH TO BE NICKNAMED "BIG YELLOW BANANAS," THE STREETCARS TOOK PEOPLE LI
April 24, 1998 - MINNESOTA BASKETBALL FANS WILL BE FOLLOWING THE TIMBERWOLVES TONIGHT (FRI) AS THEY HEAD TO THE NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION PLAYOFFS FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW. A FEW YEARS AGO, MANY FANS WERE DISGUSTED BY THE STATE'S PRO BASKETBALL TEAM. IN EACH OF FOUR STRAIGHT SEASONS THE TIMBERWOLVES STUMBLED TOWARD LOSING THREE TIMES AS MANY GAMES AS THEY WON ... AND - WHEN TEAM OWNERS HAD TROUBLE GAINING A PUBLIC BUYOUT OF THEIR ARENA - THEY ANNOUNCED THE TIMBERWOLVES WOULD MOVE TO NEW ORLEANS. BUT THE WOLVES STAYED UNDER NEW OWNERSHIP AND NOW THEY ARE THE DARLINGS OF FANS WHO HAVE FORGIVEN AND FORGOTTEN THE TROUBLES OF A FEW YEARS AGO. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS THIS REPORT ON THE TIMBERWOLVES' TURNAROUND... TH
April 10, 1998 - SEVERAL OF SAINT PAUL'S CITY OFFICIALS SAY THEY ARE HAPPY TO HAVE FUNDING OF A NEW DOWNTOWN HOCKEY ARENA RESOLVED. MOST SAY THE DEAL MINIMIZES THE CITY'S FINANCIAL RISK IN THE 130 MILLION DOLLAR PROJECT. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS... IN THE WANING WEEKS OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION - WITH A REQUEST FOR HOCKEY ARENA FUNDING LANGUISHING BEFORE LAWMAKERS - SOME OF SAINT PAUL'S ELECTED OFFICIALS WERE SOBERED BY THE PROSPECT OF HAVING TO COME UP WITH NINETY-FIVE MILLION DOLLARS TO PAY FOR THE RIVER CENTRE ARENA. BUT A LATE-NIGHT LEGISLATIVE BREAKTHROUGH AND A REVISED DEAL WITH THE MINNESOTA WILD HOCKEY TEAM NOW HAVE CITY HALL DENIZENS CELEBRATING. CONGRATULATORY REMARKS AND BACK-PATTING MAR
April 2, 1998 - SAINT PAUL MAYOR NORM COLEMAN SAYS DEMOLITION OF THE CITY'S EXISTING ARENA WILL NOT BEGIN UNTIL FINANCING OF A REPLACEMENT BUILDING IS ARRANGED. A LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE IS CONSIDERING WHETHER THE STATE SHOULD FUND HALF OF THE 130 MILLION DOLLAR COST OF A NEW ARENA, WHICH WOULD BE HOME TO MINNESOTA'S NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE EXPANSION TEAM. YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY) COLEMAN ASSURED CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS THAT SAINT PAUL'S TWENTY-FIVE-YEAR-OLD ARENA WILL NOT BE TORN DOWN BEFORE THE LEGISLATURE'S BONDING COMMITTEE MAKES A FUNDING DECISION. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS... SAINT PAUL'S CONTRACT WITH THE MINNESOTA WILD CALLS FOR THE CITY TO PROVIDE THE HOCKEY TEAM WITH A NEW ARENA READY FOR USE IN SEPTEMBER OF 2000. TOWARD THAT
March 26, 1998 - NEXT WEEK SAINT PAUL MAYOR NORM COLEMAN WILL ASK CITY COUNCIL MEMBERS TO APPROVE POLICE CHIEF BILL FINNEY'S APPOINTMENT TO A SECOND SIX-YEAR TERM. IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS MUCH OF THE PUBLICITY ABOUT FINNEY HAS BEEN NEGATIVE: A DEMOTED POLICE COMMANDER ACCUSED HIM OF SEVERAL IMPROPRIETIES ... THEN FINNEY ACKNOWLEDGED HE'D MADE A MISTAKE WHEN HE PROVIDED AN ACQUAINTANCE WITH A LETTER SOME CRITICS CALLED A "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" CARD. BUT IN CITY HALL, SUPPORT FOR FINNEY REMAINS STRONG AND HIS RE-APPOINTMENT SEEMS ASSURED. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS THIS LOOK AT BILL FINNEY... WHEN BILL FINNEY WAS GROWING UP IN SAINT PAUL'S RONDO NEIGHB
March 25, 1998 - SAINT PAUL MAYOR NORM COLEMAN USED YESTERDAY'S STATE OF THE CITY SPEECH TO HIGHLIGHT SOME WAYS THE CITY CAN HELP RESIDENTS WHO ARE STRUGGLING WITH POVERTY DURING THESE COMPARATIVELY PROSPEROUS ECONOMIC TIMES. PREVENTING TEEN PREGNANCY AND OVERCOMING DRUG ADDICTION WERE AMONG THE THEMES INCLUDED IN COLEMAN'S SPEECH. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS... COLEMAN, WHO WAS RE-ELECTED MAYOR IN NOVEMBER, IS NOW CAMPAIGNING FOR THE REPUBLICAN GUBERNATORIAL NOMINATION. HE OPENED HIS STATE OF THE CITY SPEECH BY REVIEWING SOME OF THE MEASURES BY WHICH SAINT PAUL IS SUCCEEDING: RECORD-LOW UNEMPLOYMENT, A RESURGENT TAX BASE DOWNTOWN, MORE BUILDING PERMITS BEING ISSUED, AND MORE MONEY IN THE CITY'S BANK ACCOUNT. LATER HE ACKN
March 12, 1998 - MINNESOTA'S LARGEST HEALTH MAINTENANCE ORGANIZATIONS - HEALTH PARTNERS AND MEDICA - HAVE ANNOUNCED THEY ARE SUING THE TOBACCO INDUSTRY IN AN EFFORT TO RECOVER MONEY SPENT TREATING SMOKING-RELATED ILLNESSES. THE NEW LAWSUIT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE CASE NOW BEING HEARD IN SAINT PAUL, BUT CONTAINS THE SAME CONSUMER FRAUD ALLEGATIONS RAISED BY THE STATE OF MINNESOTA AND BLUE CROSS/BLUE SHIELD. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN REPORTS.
March 3, 1998 - St. Paul introduced its coordinator of gun violence prevention today. Police officer Ed Lemon will fill the new position, which the city council created to oversee various efforts to reduce gun violence. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has more.