Monday, January 11

The Minnesota Vikings are one game away from the Superbowl. The Vikings' 41-to-21 victory over the Arizona Cardinals yesterday means they will face the Atlanta Falcons at the Metrodome Sunday for the championship of the national football conference. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

The snowmobile-stud ban enacted by the 1998 legislature is likely to be repealed in 1999. The measure was meant to protect asphalt trails and roadways, which are damaged by carbide-tipped studs on some machines. Snowmobilers say the studs are important for safety and moreover, if they can't use them here, many will take their sleds and go somewhere else. Leif Enger of Mainstreet Radio reports.

This first full week of activity at the state legislature begins today. The top priority will be figuring out what to do with the budget surplus. The republicans who control the House, the Democrats who control the Senate and Reform Governor Jesse Ventura all have different ideas on that subject, which should makes things interesting. Lobbyist Maureen Shaver is following that debate closely. Her clients include the City of Minneapolis, the Minnesota Indian Gaming Association and the Carlson Companies. She joins us now.

Today is the first business day that St. Paul and eastern suburbs can be reached only by dialing the new 651 area code and that callers in those areas have to dial 612 to call the western metro area. The new area code took effect yesterday, but the increased volume of calls today will give the system its first real test. Kim Bothun is the Minnesota spokeswoman for US West.

Next week Northwest Airlines will release its year end financial numbers for 1998. Northwest will be posting a loss expected to exceed $100 million mainly because of labor turmoil. In 1997 the airline earned profits of almost $600 million. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik spoke with Northwest CEO John Dasburg about the airline's problems last year and what lies ahead.

The stock market opened the New Year with a bang, as the Dow Jones Industrials soared 462 points. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell says part of the surge can be attributed to Friday's employment report.

Musicland Stores plans to launch several Internet sites in June to sell a mix of music, videos, books, electronics and software. The Minnetonka-based company already operates more than 1,300 stores in the United States and Britain, including the Sam Goody, Media Play and Suncoast Video chains. By going online, Musicland enters a highly competitive arena in which many retailers are scrambling to establish a presence. George Sutton is a retail analyst with Dain Rauscher Wessels in Minneapolis.

After an unusually warm, dry fall, you'd think skiers would be overjoyed to finally have a good base of snow on the ground throughout the state. Well, all flakes are not created equal, and as far as snow goes, the stuff that's fallen this winter has been substandard. Ahvo Taipale is a ski coach and owner of the Finn-Sisu ski shop in St. Paul.

This is the first time federal and state officials are working to bail out livestock farmers struggling against low prices. Minnesota Public Radio's Cara Hetland has reaction from southwestern Minnesota pork producers.

Governor Jesse Ventura and leaders from both houses of the state legislature say they'll support returning the budget surplus as a sales tax rebate. Last night Governor Ventura appeared with Speaker of the House Steve Sviggum and Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe at a Citizen's Forum to discuss the budget surplus with Minnesotans. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Meanwhile up at the Legislature, the Republican tax rebate bill will be heard in the House and Senate Tax committees today. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

The Shubert Theater in downtown Minneapolis is moving just across the street and around the corner, but if all goes as planned, it could set a world record as the heaviest building ever moved from one place to another. Jim Scott in construction manager for the project.

The Minnesota Legislature is debating the specifics of a tax rebate: how big it should be and when should the checks go out. Another issue is whether it should be an income, property or sales tax rebate. Governor Ventura says he favors the sales tax option. Many Minnesotans may not notice much of a difference in the size of their rebate checks no matter how the Legislature and Governor decide to return the budget surplus. But hundreds of dollars are at stake for thousands of other Minnesotans. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

A conflict of interest allegation against a state Senator focuses on taped phone conversations. A Senate ethics panel is looking into whether a consulting fee the University of Minnesota paid DFL Senator Dallas Sams of Staples amounted to a "kickback". Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Chicago Bulls superstar Michael Jordan is expected to announce his retirement from professional Basketball today. Jordan led his team to six championships and is regarded as the greatest basketball player of all time. But MPR Sports Commentator Jay Weiner says Jordan could have been something bigger.

Now that winter is really here and the snow is finally piling up, it's time once again to wrestle with an important philosophical question: should you buy a snowblower? Minnesota Public Radio's John Rabe takes on The Great Debate in this report.