Story archive for
William Wilcoxen
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| Date |
Title |
Description |
| 05/09/2001 |
Job Training Takes a Specialized Turn |
The assembly line brought a dramatic change to 20th-century manufacturing by allowing products to be mass produced. At the start of a new century, technology is again changing manufacturing by allowing more products to be custom-made. In an age of computers and robots, even the job skills needed to work in manufacturing are becoming more specialized. |
| 05/02/2001 |
Charlie Browns Around Town |
St. Paul officials say the Charlie Brown hotline is one of the hottest lines in town. Many in the capital city are optimistic the follow-up to last summer's popular series of Snoopy statues will be even more successful. The promotion is part of the city's tribute to St. Paul native Charles Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip. Organizers say dozens of St. Paul businesses have lined up to sponsor the Charlie Browns. |
| 03/14/2001 |
Coleman to St. Paul: 'Dream with Me' |
Norm Coleman used his final State of the City speech to take an imaginary journey through Saint Paul in the year 2004. The technique allowed Coleman, who is not seeking a third term as mayor, to count as successes a number of projects still in the works and some that are not even that far along, including three new pro-sports facilities. |
| 01/17/2001 |
Minnesota Sends Two to Hall of Fame |
Kirby Puckett and Dave Winfield have been elected to baseball's Hall of Fame, in their first year of eligibility. Winfield is a St. Paul native whose 22-year major league career included a couple of seasons with the Minnesota Twins. The biggest celebration was for Puckett, who during his 12 years in Minnesota became one of the Twins' best and most popular players. |
| 01/11/2001 |
Stadium Proponents Gear Up for New Funding Effort |
A citizens panel put together by the Minnesota Twins to look at the baseball team's future has finished its work. After six months of study, Minnesotans for Major League Baseball says the state risks losing the Twins unless the team gets a new ballpark combined with financial reforms in big-league baseball. |
| 01/05/2001 |
Stadium Talk Dominates NFL Official's Visit to Capitol |
The National Football League's top executive spent much of Friday at the Capitol talking to lawmakers about the idea of a new stadium for the Vikings. The team doesn't have a specific proposal, but Commissioner Paul Tagliabue's visit signals that the Vikings are gearing up their efforts. |
| 11/16/2000 |
U of M Football: For the Love of Floyd |
The victors in the Minnesota-Iowa football game get more than a win in the standings. They get the honor of hoisting a bronze statue of a pig onto their shoulders as they march off the Metrodome field. "Floyd of Rosedale" goes home with the winning team in a college football rivalry that dates back nearly a century. One of the most memorable "Floyd" showdowns occurred 40 years ago, in Minnesota's last national championship season. |
| 11/08/2000 |
McCollum Elected to Congress |
Minnesota's fourth congressional district is staying in Democratic hands with Betty McCollum's victory over Republican Linda Runbeck and the Independence Party's Tom Foley. McCollum is only the second woman in state history to be elected to Congress and the first in more than 40 years. |
| 10/24/2000 |
NCAA Levels Sanctions in Cheating Scandal |
The final shoe dropped in the University of Minnesota academic fraud scandal . But it was not as heavy as some Minnesotans feared it might be. Many of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's sanctions against the men's basketball program are adjustments in punishments the university has already imposed on itself. |
| 10/13/2000 |
Friends Bid Farewell to Vento |
Hundreds of mourners came to Saint Paul on Friday October 13, to pay a final tribute to Bruce Vento. The former school teacher and 12-term congressman was hailed as a champion of the environment, the working class, and the needy. |
| 09/13/2000 |
DFL Rift Overshadows Congressional Race |
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. DFL 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. Republican and Independence Party candidates see the DFL rift as a chance to take a seat the Democrats have held for 52 years. |
| 09/08/2000 |
Harriet Island Marks West Side Rebirth |
A $14 million 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. |
| 08/31/2000 |
Fourth District Candidates Debate at State Fair |
Candidates vying to succeed Bruce Vento in Congress debated on Minnesota Public Radio. The race is developing into the state's hottest contest. |
| 08/24/2000 |
The Fair's Urban Campground |
A swan song of summer gets underway today as the 2000 edition of the Minnesota State Fair opens at the grounds in Falcon Heights. The fair's popularity can make transportation and parking a challenge in the area for the 12 days of the fair. Some visitors and exhibitors avoid traffic headaches by camping at the fair. |
| 08/22/2000 |
The Minnesota Staduim Saga Continues |
The Minnesota Twins may try again next year to gain permission to play a few outdoor baseball games at a temporary ballpark. A proposal to put up a temporary ballpark in Bloomington for three games in the 2000 season was rejected by Major League Baseball officials. The commissioners who run the Metrodome also had some reservations about the plan, fearing it could set a precedent that would cause the Dome's other disgruntled tenant - the Vikings - to seek changes in their lease agreement. The situation reflects the tangle of interests intertwined in the Twin Cities stadium landscape. |
| 07/11/2000 |
The Stench of Saint Paul |
The president of Minnesota Brewing says newly installed equipment has reduced the odor from ethanol production at the Saint Paul plant. The company is dealing with odor complaints that have plauged the West Seventh neighborhood for the last two months. |
| 06/01/2000 |
Fourth District DFLers Debate |
Incumbents are seeking re-election in seven of Minnesota's eight congressional districts this year. The exception is in the Fourth District, where Bruce Vento's retirement creates an open seat. The district, which includes Saint Paul and its closest suburbs, has been in Democratic hands since 1948. The four candidates running in September's DFL primary gathered on June 1 for a debate sponsored by the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. |
| 05/22/2000 |
Remembering Malik Sealy |
The Minnesota Timberwolves are beginning to face life after Malik Sealy. A few members of the basketball team's staff and front office spoke about the weekend death of Sealy, a starting guard who was killed in a car accident early Saturday. |
| 04/28/2000 |
The Sleeper Race |
The race to succeed Bruce Vento in Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District could provide a new snapshot of the political base of Minnesota. Some political wags say changing demographics and urban sprawl have put the Republican Party in a good position to take over a DFL stronghold. |
| 12/10/1999 |
Reclaiming the River |
The new Science Museum of Minnesota marks the opening of a new era, not only for the museum but also for its host city. Saint Paul officials say the museum's new location makes it a key to linking downtown with the Mississippi River. |
| 11/19/1999 |
Scandal Leads to Ousters at University of Minnesota |
Results of an eight-month investigation released by the University of Minnesota confirm widespread academic fraud and other rule violations in the men's basketball program. U of M President Mark Yudof announced top administrators in men's athletics are leaving the University as a result of the probe. |
| 11/17/1999 |
U of M Report on Academic Fraud Due |
The University of Minnesota is expected to impose additional sanctions against its men's basketball team this week following a seven-month academic fraud investigation. The new punishment will come on top of the probation and ban on postseason play university President Mark Yudof announced last month. It won't necessarily be the last round of sanctions against the U of M. The U's findings go to the NCAA, which will decide if more penalties are warranted. |
| 10/20/1999 |
Calvin Griffith Dead at 87 |
The man who brought big league baseball to Minnesota has died at the age of 87. Calvin Griffith died in his retirement home of Melbourne, Florida, of kidney infection. Griffith started the Minnesota Twins when he moved his baseball team from Washington, D.C., to the Twin Cities in 1961. |
| 10/08/1999 |
What's Changed? |
Despite the headlines, Carl Pohlad still owns the Minnesota Twins, and the opponents of a publicly subsidized baseball stadium in Saint Paul are still against the idea. |
| 10/06/1999 |
The Effect of a Tax |
When given a chance to raise their own taxes, voters usually decline the opportunity to pay more. But that tendency will be tested next month in Saint Paul, where a ballot question asks if the city should raise its sales tax to help pay for a new open-air baseball stadium for the Minnesota Twins. In part three of our series on the stadium issue, Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen looks at the prospect of a tax hike in Saint Paul and the economic benefits ballpark advocates say the city would reap. |
| 10/04/1999 |
The Doomed Dome |
How did the Metrodome go from new to inadequate in less than two decades? Would a new ballpark have a longer life span? In part one of our series on the stadium referendum, Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen has this look at the Metrodome and its prospective successor in Saint Paul. |
| 09/01/1999 |
Vikings Ready to Blitz Legislature |
As summer winds down, Minnesota's political operatives are turning their attention to the next statewide election: the U.S. Senate seat on the ballot in November, 2000. The race is getting special attention from national political strategists, as Democrats see an opportunity to defeat Rod Grams, a Republican incumbent who's not doing well in opinion polls. But state and national Republican leaders say they're confident in Grams' ability to hold the seat. |
| 08/04/1999 |
Unswayed |
Taking Carl Pohlad out of the picture doesn't seem to change people's minds on a new stadium for the Minnesota Twins. |
| 06/25/1999 |
The Clem Haskins Story |
Although he leaves in the shadow of scandal, Clem Haskins' contributions to basketball and young people are worth acknowledging. |
| 06/24/1999 |
On a Wing and a Promise |
St. Paul Mayor Coleman briefs the city council on his idea for a new stadium, and suggests no money will be spent until Major League Baseball gets its finances straight. |
| 06/21/1999 |
Basketball's Big Bucks |
The U of M's basketball program leads the Big Ten in revenue. The fallout from the cheating scandal, could spread to other sports. |
| 06/11/1999 |
Dead on Arrival |
As St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman puts a petition drive together for a state-funded baseball stadium, a key legislator says he needn't bother. |
| 06/08/1999 |
Reining in the Boosters |
U of M officials hope new rules will prevent abuses in athletic programs. |
| 06/07/1999 |
A Southern Accent for St. Paul |
St. Paul officials look to Tennessee for inspiration on rejuvenating the city's riverfront. |
| 05/17/1999 |
What Now for the Timberwolves? |
A lost season ends for the once-promising team. Fans hope the team's future doesn't mirror its past. |
| 05/07/1999 |
Task Force to Investigate Booster Money |
University auditor says money is sometimes dedicated for purposes that are not appropriate university expenses, such as a $9,000 trip to Las Vegas for the men's basketball coaches and their spouses. |
| 04/20/1999 |
A Web of Deceit? |
The former head of the academic counseling unit says University of Minnesota faculty and officials knew all about cheating in the men's basketball program. |
| 04/16/1999 |
The Waiting Game |
Poll shows public support for Haskins will wane quickly if cheating allegations are proven. |
| 03/24/1999 |
More Charges |
Tutor, former player make new allegations that Haskins knew about cheating on U basketball team. |
| 03/19/1999 |
U Deja Vu |
A scandal led to the Haskins' era. A scandal now threatens it. |
| 03/19/1999 |
Law Firm Appointed |
Firm with knowledge of the NCAA will lead U probe into cheating allegations. |
| 03/11/1999 |
Gophers Lose |
U benches four players. NCAA Tournament ends for Minnesota. |
| 03/10/1999 |
Cheating Scandal Brewing |
St. Paul Pioneer Press story alleging cheating by some U of M basketball players has Ventura criticizing the messenger. |
| 09/14/1998 |
Riverfront Recreation |
Cities re-think riverfront usage due to increased traffic on the Mississippi. |
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