Monday, February 22

Governor Ventura will appear at the National Press Club today and on the David Letterman Show tomorrow night. While he performs on the national stage, the legislative business churns along here in Minnesota. Joining us now with her take on the Legislative Session so far is Maureen Shaver, a lobbyist with Dorsey and Whitney. Her clients include the City of Minneapolis, the University of Minnesota, SuperValu and the Shakoppe Midwauketen Sioux.

A small cut in the state's $23 billion budget has business people and organized labor concerned. Governor Jesse Ventura's budget removes funding for a 60-year-old apprentice training program that turns out thousands of new trade workers each year. Some worry the ranks of skilled workers are already at risk, and the shortage will be exacerbated by the cut. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports.

Officials of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service met with a coalition of church leaders and members of the Latino community over the weekend. They negotiated a list of six demands the community wants implemented to get better service from the department's local INS offices. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen-Louise Boothe reports.

Eighty-seven years after the Titanic foundered on an iceberg in the North Atlantic, her voice has been resurrected. Thousands gathered in downtown St. Paul this weekend to hear the sounding of the ship's whistles. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Governor Ventura took the gospel of third-party centrism to Washington this weekend. Attending the winter meeting of the National Governors Association, Ventura warned his Republican and Democratic colleagues that their parties are losing their grip on the country; he says his election represents the vanguard of a voter rebellion against what he perceives as extreme partisanship in Washington. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

There will be a visitation for Curt Carlson tonight at Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church in Minneapolis. Carlson died Friday night at the age of 84, one week after suffering a stroke. Funeral services will be held tomorrow. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik looks back on the life of one of Minnesota's most successful entrepreneurs.

The average computer is likely to experience some Y2K problems. Mitch Ratcliffe runs a Y2K news and information site at www.zdy2k.com. We asked him what kind of problems PC owners might encounter.

The financial markets remain volatile, even as the U.S. economy shows no sign of slowing down. Here's Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell.

The idea of building a cabin using old hoses and pickle barrels may seem fantastic, but that's exactly what is happening on the north shore of Lake Superior. The unconventional materials are being used to fulfill the mission of Medora Woods, a Twin Cities-based psychologist, to build the most earth-friendly home possible. As Woods herself has said, "every question leads to a dozen more." Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Today in Washington, D.C., Governor Jesse Ventura will meet with members of Minnesota's Congressional delegation before flying to New York for an appearance on the David Letterman Show. Yesterday, Ventura visited the White House and spoke at a sold-out National Press Club event. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Joining us now is Greg Gordon, Washington correspondent for the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

A section of Sixth Street across from the Target Center in downtown Minneapolis will be closed today so that the Shubert Theater can cross the road. The 89-year-old theater is in the midst of a two-week, quarter-mile journey to it's new home next to the Hennepin Center for the Arts on Hennepin Avenue. Jim Scott is site manager for International Chimney, the contractor in charge of the move.

The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis has announced its 1999-2000 season. While it maintains the Guthrie's devotion to the classics, it also feature new works, including a musical that wowed critics in London and another collaboration with St. Paul's Penumbra Theater. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.

By day, Bruce Kerr is an intellectual-property attorney at Sun Microsystems in Silicon Valley. By night, he's Loose Bruce Kerr, writer and performer of parody songs. Recently he's taken to writing songs poking fun at various high tech issues. His latest is a song about the Year 2000 Bug, or Y2K. It's set to the tune of 'YMCA.'

Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan heads to Capitol Hill today to deliver the Fed's twice-yearly report on the economy. Earlier this month, the Federal Open Market Committee left interest rates unchanged. Gary Stern is president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis and a member of the open market committee which sets short-term interest rate policy. He says recent economic reports show inflation is still low to non-existent.

The Saint Paul school board has officially named its finalist for superintendent. A public interview of Patricia Harvey, a former Chicago school administrator, is scheduled for Monday night. Board members say they're ready to offer her the job. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

The Dayton Hudson Corporation is facing a minor setback in its plans to build a new Target headquarters in downtown Minneapolis. Yesterday, the city's Zoning and Planning Committee recommended the city council rescind a 1997 zoning decision that had cleared the way for the development. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Brooklyn Park's planning commission holds a public hearing tonight on whether to let the Minnesota Orchestra build an outdoor amphitheater. Some Brooklyn Park residents say the amphitheater would be a boon to the city and enhance its image; but many neighbors fear it will be a noisy boondoggle, disturbing their tranquillity. Eric Jansen reports.

The financial woes of farmers mean serious trouble for the small towns built around a farm economy. Many small towns have been in slow decline for decades, kept alive mainly by the money farmers spend and the taxes they pay. Now, as many small town leaders watch the farm economy crumble around them, they're wondering how they will survive. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Gunderson visited the northwestern Minnesota town of Argyle.

While few people would automatically come out against environmentally-conscious design, the rain forest-friendly rubber often meets the cash-conscious road when the bills come due. Despite this, "Green" architecture is gathering steam in Minnesota. A new building opening in St. Paul next month showcases green design options, while Hennepin County is developing what architects hope will be a model for other government bodies across the country. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

Governor Jesse Ventura got some laughs at St. Paul's expense last night in his appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman. Ventura told Letterman he likes Minneapolis better than St. Paul because he was born there and whoever designed the streets in St. Paul - quote - "must have been drunk." Ventura also talked about more substantive issues. He told Letterman about his plans for cutting the size of Minnesota's state government. Letterman also asked Ventura about his recent confrontation at the state capitol with a college student who was a single mother.

A new study on attitudes towards housing and development confirms what many planning officials have long suspected: Residents in the Twin Cities area prefer single-family homes on large lots away from town, rather than living in the city. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.

A push to pass tougher financial disclosure laws for state legislators and lobbyists may be dead this session. A House committee killed a disclosure bill this week, and it faces an uphill battle in the Senate. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.

Some estimates have big business spending as much as $500 billion globally to prepare for problems associated with the year 2000 computer bug. Now, there are increasing efforts to help ensure that small businesses without technology departments and budgets for consultants, are also protected. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

There's a busy special election season ahead in Minneapolis. City council member Steve Minn is leaving his post to become commissioner of Public Service in the Ventura administration. The announcement follows by a few months Mark Andrew's decision to leave his Hennepin County Commissioner job. Minn has been the lone voice of political dissent on the DFL controlled City Council. His departure opens up a council seat in the city's affluent 13th ward. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

State officials say a small river valley in Goodhue County stands a good chance of becoming the first rural region officially recognized as historically significant. The Minnesota Historical Society is working with consultants and local residents with the goal of adding the Sogn Valley on the National Register of Historic Places. The effort acknowledges the valley's picturesque beauty, but it also aims to preserve the legacy of Norwegian farmers who settled the area a century and a half ago. Art Hughes has this Mainstreet report.

It has been a busy week for Governor Jesse Ventura. After public appearances in Washington and New York, Ventura returned to Minnesota on Wednesday, apologized for an ethnic joke he made on the Late Show with David Letterman and then named three more Commissioners. MPR's Capitol Correspondent Martin Kaste traveled with the Governor this week and he joins us now.

Jim Knipfel has walked on the dark side of life. As a young man, he was a heavy drinker, and a petty thief prone to start fights. He spent time in psychiatric wards after multiple suicide attempts. Finally, in his late twenties he started settling down, landing a job as a newspaper columnist, getting married and moving away from his wilder drinking buddies. But then Knipfel entered a literal dark side. His eyesight had always been poor, but doctors told him that he was going to be blind by age 35. Now almost completely blind, he recounts his wild years and his loss of vision in his new blackly comedic memoir Slackjaw. He spoke to Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley on the mildness of this winter compared to last year's record setting mild winter.