Monday, December 28

A powerful cold front is expected to bring strong winds and cold weather to much of Minnesota this afternoon and tonight. Perry Finelli talks with National Weather Service forecaster Bill Harrison.

With 1998 drawing to a close, there is bound to be more and more talk about Y2K, the 'year two thousand' dilemma. Big companies have spent millions of dollars and many years trying to get their systems ready for the year 2000, and with just over a year left, most are in the final stages of preparation. But for small business owners the situation is quite different. Many are just starting to think about Y2K. Mainstreet Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports.

January 4th marks not only the beginning of the Jesse Ventura administration, but also the end of Arne Carlson's 30 year political career. Carlson will be remembered for the record number of bills he vetoed, his love of the Gophers' basketball team and for his flamboyant ex-wife. But the Carlson legacy will be marked by the record budget surpluses that piled up during his watch. Carlson admits it will be difficult leaving the public stage, but he says he has no regrets. Minnesota Public Radio's Mike Mulcahy takes a look at the Carlson years.

Saturday, December 26th was Boxing Day, when in many countries servants were traditionally given the day off. In many homes today, the "servant" is a home automation system. One estimate is that home automation is a $2-billion-a-year industry that might hit $27 billion in about five years. One report figures 13 percent of new homes have a master control panel, and many people are retrofitting their old places with various devices. Jeff Anderson's Home Automator Magazine is aimed at the do-it-yourself crowd, which includes himself.

1999 will be the year the Legislature cuts your state taxes - everybody who's anybody in state government seems to agree on that point. But there's a lot less agreement ON how much money the state should put into tax relief and which taxpayers are most deserving of that relief. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Retailers had high hopes this December for a strong shopping season driven by a healthy economy and plenty of consumers in the holiday spirit. But a few obstacles appeared: the country was distracted by a bitter debate over impeaching the President, American troops were sent to bomb Iraq and, of course, winter failed to show up until just last week. Annette Henkel is president of the Minnesota Retail Merchants Association.

After two straight Legislative sessions in which efforts to publicly finance a new baseball stadium went nowhere and then the election of Jesse Ventura, who is strongly opposed to public money for a stadium, you'd think the issue would be dead. But MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner says the stadium debate is far from over. He's writing a book about the politics of stadiums and he joins us now.

When it reconvenes in January, the Minnesota legislature will have to decide how to spend more than $6 billion from the state's landmark tobacco settlement. The settlement was announced in May after a three-and-a-half month trial and just hours before the case would have gone to the jury. Minnesota fought the tobacco industry to recover health costs related to smoking. In the course of the trial, the state's lead attorney Michael Ciresi forced cigarette companies to release warehouses full of documents revealing how the industry marketed cigarettes to children, manipulated nicotine levels and controlled research into the health effects of smoking. Ciresi told MPR's Bob Potter that Minnesota's tobacco trial has had both a national and international impact.

Lawmakers want uniform laws in the four states to help independent producers stay on the farm. State lawmakers from Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota sponsored an organizational meeting in Sioux Falls yesterday to combat low hog prices. Farmers are seeing prices as low as they were in the 1950's. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland reports.

Next year is likely to be huge for those in the "preparedness" business. We're not talking about the Boy Scouts here; we're talking about Y2K: the so-called millennium bug that may disable some computer systems at the last tick of 1999. Americans by the millions are buying books and hitting websites warning about the effects of Y2K. Some predict famine, some war, some only inconvenience; but as Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger reports, many in the warning business, are also in the sales business.

Almost every industry in Minnesota has struggled to find qualified workers, but none more than manufacturing companies. Welders are in very short supply in Minnesota and in neighboring states, and companies are having to boost their salary and benefits packages to keep good welders on the payroll. A college in southwest Minnesota is working to increase the supply of welders in the state and is taking its efforts on the road. Mainstreet Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports.

Minnesota legislative candidates made education their top campaign issue. Beginning next week, those who won get a chance to deliver on their promises. School funding, class sizes and high school graduation standards are expected to dominate the education debate in the legislature. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

It was easier this year to find people who said they did some of their holiday shopping on the Internet. It should be. A new study says the number of people shopping on the 'net has doubled from a year ago. It's that sort of number that has propelled the stock on Wall Street of any company that mentions it's even considering adding an online retailing component. But it's still a drop in the bucket despite fears of its imminent damage on mainstream retailing. David Peekoe of the Boston Consulting Group did a study for an online shopping organization that, he says, explodes the myths of online retailing.

Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher is suing the Ramsey County Board over the amount of money budgeted to his department. Fletcher says the budget is $900,000 short of what he needs to run the Sheriff's office. State law permits a sheriff or county attorney to sue if that person believes the budget is "arbitrary and capricious." Bob Fletcher joins us now.

Governor-elect Jesse Ventura spoke to reporters yesterday about his agenda for the 1999 legislative session, which begins next week. But Ventura did not get very specific, and he stopped short of presenting a short list of his legislative goals. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Jesse Ventura wasn't the only candidate who advocated less government regulation during the campaign. Republicans, who now control the Minnesota House, have been arguing for a less intrusive government as well. So, 1999 could be a big year for cutting regulations. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

In order to boost turnout in future elections, Governor-elect Jesse Ventura is turning to the experts: the so-called "disenchanted voters." Last night, he met with a group of Minnesotans who voted for the first time or for the first time in several years last November. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

The countdown to midnight is usually central to a new years eve celebration. But a couple of roommates in St. Paul have decided that the party shouldn't end at midnight. In fact, at their anti-new-years-new-years-eve party, clocks are hidden and watches are checked at the door. Chris Martin, a computer programmer and musician who lives in St. Paul, is taking a break from preparation for tonight's party and joins us by phone.

It's been a big year for news in Minnesota. From the storms last spring to the tobacco trial and the Northwest Pilots strike. But perhaps the biggest story was the election of a new Governor. Early on in the campaign, the race drew national attention because three of the candidates were the sons of famous Minnesota politicians, but in the end there was a much bigger story. Here are some of the voices from MPR's coverage of the campaign.

1998 was a big year for Jesse Ventura, but it was a tough year for the political pundits. Just about all the experts predicted that Ventura couldn't win. Carleton College Political Science professor Steven Schier was in that group and he joins us now.

Business at meat markets and butcher shops across the state is booming this holiday season. With pork prices as low as they've been in more than 25 years, sales of pork are on the rise. Mainstreet Radio's Kathyrn Herzog paid a visit to one small town butcher shop, where business is making for some long days.

Minnesota's new governor is a member of the Reform Party, a political movement whose primary mission is improving the machinery of government. High on the party's "to do" list are Campaign finance reform and a leaner Legislature. But even with Jesse Ventura in the governor's office, voters should not expect a flurry of structural reforms right away. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Minnesotans celebrated the New Year last night at Firstar's Capital New Year in downtown St. Paul. The event drew tens of thousands to clown shows, jazz performances, swing dancing, and hay rides. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo sampled opinion about the changing of the year. He began by asking celebrants to rate the year 1998.

1998 was a stellar year for Internet stocks and that's an understatement if you're talking about a stock like Amazon.com whose value rose more than 850%. AOL ended the year by becoming the first Internet stock to be added to the Standard & Poors 500 index, joining heavy-hitters like Coca-Cola, General Motors and AT&T. Still, many investors are beginning to wonder when the party will end. Chris Farrell is senior business and economics editor at Minnesota Public Radio.

If you've got some extra time over the holiday weekend, you could pick up a classic work of fiction, or you could pick up The Hours, a new novel featuring famous author Virginia Wolfe as a character. In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis, author Michael Cunningham says he used Wolfe's classic novel Mrs. Dalloway as a jumping off point for his latest work.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley looks back at the year in weather and the snowstorm which is headed toward Minnesota.