Monday, December 7

The city of Minneapolis has pulled all 32 vans similar to the one involved in the fatal Holidazzle accident Friday night. Two people were killed when the Police Department's Detox Van plowed into the crowd. Nine others were injured, four remain hospitalized. The state patrol is investigating the accident, and asking people who have experienced acceleration problems with Ford Econolines like the Detox Van to contact them. Minneapolis Police chief Robert Olson says the officer who was driving at the time, Thomas Sawina, is not holding up well.

Minnesota's future First Lady is planning a populist party to mark her husband's inauguration next month. As honorary chair of the Inaugural Committee, Terry Ventura has nixed the traditional black-tie gala, and has opted instead for a rock-and-roll-style blowout in the Target Center. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has more.

Sam Cook has been a wilderness writer and columnist at the Duluth News-Tribune for almost twenty years. His thoughtful, humorous images of life in the Minnesota outdoors have earned him many fans. His fifth book of essays, entitled Friendship Fires, has been published by Pfeifer-Hamilton. Cook told Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil he often makes up his own terms to explain outdoor phenomena, like the phrase "frog sleep."

Archeologists have unearthed what's thought to be 1000-year-old sacred site on the Mille Lacs Indian Reservation. The site contains dozens of ancient bear skulls, and predates the arrival of Ojibway Indians to the region. Leif Enger of Mainstreet Radio reports.

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura says he intends to keep working in the entertainment business, even after he takes office. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has the story.

It was another lovely day across Minnesota. Sunny skies and temps into the 40s in much of the state. Nightmare weather, if you sell snowmobiles or downhill skis for a living; but as Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger reports, not bad if you prefer bicycling, or fishing from a boat.

Those who erroneously think of books as simply words on pages between two covers might consider visiting the Minnesota Center For Book Arts in Minneapolis. The MCBA's first juried exhibition of "artist books" is on display, redefining, in an age of desktop publishing and digital printing, what a book can be. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.

Safety experts are checking 32 Ford Econoline vans owned by the City of Minneapolis similar to the detox van that killed two people at the Holidazzle Parade last weekend. Police believe a mechanical malfunction may have made the van accelerate out of control. Clarence Ditlow of the Center for Automotive Safety in Washington D.C. is familiar with the debate over whether sudden acceleration is caused by mechanical or human error. His non-profit watchdog group has been fighting for years to get the government to recall more cars for this problem.

The Kondirator metal shredder proposed for the Mississippi riverbank in North Minneapolis took a step forward today. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Citizens Board voted unanimously to give the project the necessary permits without further environmental studies. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

Hmong community leaders today released a proposal seeking state dollars to help Minnesota's Southeast Asian population. Several recent tragedies in the Hmong community prompted the initiative which will be presented to the legislature. It calls for mental health, education, violence prevention, and self-sufficiency programs. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.

Moving vans pulled up today in front of the last occupied house in the path of the Highway 55 reroute project in Minneapolis. The moving day marked another milestone in one of the longest running highway battles in Minnesota's history. The project has been planned for more than 30 years. Lawsuits to stop the project have failed, but since August, protesters have been camped out on the route of the planned highway. Minnesota Public Radios's Mary Losure reports.

They're calling it "Minneapolis' most moving event:" moving the historic Shubert Theatre a little less than two blocks to make room for development at Block E. Preparations are underway now to relocate the theatre. Minnesota Public Radio's Eric Jansen reports.

The President of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is leaving to become Executive Director of the San Francisco Symphony. Brent Assink says it's always been his dream to help lead one of the nation's premier symphony orchestras. Assink is returning to familiar territory; he was the general manager of the San Francisco Symphony between 1990 and 94. During his five-year tenure as President of the SPCO, Assink helped restore stability to an orchestra on the brink of financial disaster. Assink spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts, who asked him how he brought the SPCO back to financial health.

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura says he plans to continue to capitalize on his entertainment persona while in office. Ventura enjoyed successful careers as a professional wrestler, a TV and movie actor, and a radio talk-show host. But his election gives him a wider audience, and many entrepreneurs have used Ventura's image on T-shirts, mugs, buttons and other memorabilia. Ventura himself, now more public official than entertainment icon, is exploring ways to get in on the act. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.

In addition to selling his name and image, the Governor-elect says he wants to continue his entertainment career once he's in office. He's still interested in making movies, and he's closing in on a book deal for his autobiography.

Chuck Slocum is a member of the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, a group that evaluates the ethical conduct of Minnesota's public officials. He says Governor Ventura will be subject to strict laws regarding his outside business deals.

Continuing Live National Public Radio coverage of House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearings, with Neal Conan and Nina Totenberg.