Monday, March 1

Today at the Capitol, House and Senate conferees will meet again to work on a compromise tax rebate plan. They'll have an additional $300 million to work with based on Friday's revised revenue forecast. Joining us now with his take on the Session so far is former Legislator Kevin Chandler who is now President of the Minnesota Credit Union Network.

The field of Democrats who are contemplating a run against Republican Senator Rod Grams in the year 2000 is growing. Last week Representative Collin Peterson said he is "seriously considering" a run for the seat. Representative David Minge, former U.S. Attorney David Lillehaug, State Senator Roger Moe and businessman Vance Opperman have said they are also considering running. University of Minnesota professor Steve Miles is the only candidate who has officially entered the race. Steven Schier, chair of the Political Science Department at Carleton College is not running, but he is following the race and he joins us now.

Governor Jesse Ventura delivers his first State of the State address tomorrow. Leaders across Minnesota will be listening for any surprises in the speech but they've already begun to get a sense of what programs the governor thinks are important from the budget proposals he released last month. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe spoke with leaders in Rochester about what they want from the new governor.

Technology stocks are being hit and interest rates are rising. Here's Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell with some thoughts on what's happening in the financial markets.

Minnesota ballroom dancers have said goodbye to the Majestic Ballroom in Cottage Grove. For a quarter century, the Majestic has entertained the fancy footwork of those dancers with a taste for polkas, waltzes, and foxtrots. Last night, patrons kicked up their heels one last time. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo was there.

Governor Ventura delivers his first State of the State address today, less than two months after taking office. Republicans in the Minnesota House are also new to leadership, and have been taking their message to greater Minnesota since the session began. Republican leaders say their focus on tax cuts, education and government reform is resonating with voters, although their vision of a leaner state budget doesn't please advocates of certain programs. They traveled to Owatonna yesterday, and Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum went along.

A year-long search for a superintendent has ended in the Saint Paul school district, and school board members say it was worth the wait. The board voted unanimously Monday night to hire Patricia Harvey. The urban education consultant and former Chicago schools administrator will replace Curman Gaines, who stepped down last summer after seven years on the job. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

During his first State of the State speech later today, Governor Ventura is likely to talk about his sales tax rebate plan. With an even bigger than expected surplus to work with, a House and Senate conference committee is still working to find a compromise between a Senate DFL sales tax plan favored by the governor and an income tax rebate proposed by House Republicans. Minnesota Public Radio's Karen Louise Boothe reports on how each plan could affect a real Minnesota family that's living on a low income budget.

Almost two dozen senators want President Clinton to order a study of whether concentration in the agriculture industry is hurting America's farmers. The Senators sent a letter to the president yesterday, pointing out that while farmers are suffering because of record low crop prices, many food processors are posting record profits. North Dakota Democratic Senator Byron Dorgan is one of the leaders of the group.

In his first State of the State address today, Governor Jesse Ventura is expected to offer a vision of where he wants to the state to go in the next four years. The Iron Range is one part of the State facing particular uncertainty about the future. Ventura recently named resort owner John Swift as Chair of the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Swift will oversee the IRRRB's $37 million a year budget, which is funded by a fee that mining companies pay in lieu of property taxes. It was established in 1941 to fund economic development projects and keep the Range economy going when the iron ore is depleted. Bill Hana, Executive Editor of the Mesaba Daily News, says economic development is still the major issue facing the iron range.

Jesse Ventura won last fall's gubernatorial election despite spending roughly a quarter as much money as his opponents. Reports filed with the state campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board show Ventura raised and spent about $620,000 compared to $2.2 million for DFLer Skip Humphrey and $2.4 million for Republican Norm Coleman. Ventura also refused contributions from lobbyists while Humphrey received about $68,000 and Coleman raised about $23,000.

After his first month in office, Governor Jesse Ventura now has most of his administration in place and a budget plan on the table outlining his priorities for the next two years. He's also gained more experience in handling controversy sparked by his personal and public decisions, from appointing unconventional commissioners to carrying a concealed weapon. Steve Bosacker is Governor Ventura's Chief of Staff.

The debate over how St. Paul should use the downtown property known as the Seventh Place block has stirred advocates of business development, affordable housing, and historic preservation. It has also pushed to the forefront a group that usually operates in relative obscurity. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports on the St. Paul Heritage Preservation Commission.

The Minnesota Supreme Court today hears arguments on whether the Attorney General's office can investigate whether the Twins threat to move to North Carolina violated anti-trust laws. Attorneys for the Twins and Major League Baseball say the investigation is pointless because Baseball is exempt from anti-trust laws. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports.

There have been many alarming scenarios discussed recently regarding possible computer malfunctions in the year 2000. Perhaps most dramatic is the chance of massive power failures leaving tens-of-millions of Americans in the dark. Power utilities and rural electric coops in Minnesota have been coordinating their efforts to prepare for possible Y2K problems. Power industry analysts say the chances of a widespread power failure due to Y2K are remote . Minnesota Public Radio's Kathryn Herzog has this Mainstreet report.

DFL State Senator Steve Morse is resigning to take the number two job at the State Department of Natural Resources. In his 12 years at the legislature, Morse has been a champion of environmental causes and has won high marks with such groups as the Sierra Club and the Izaak Walton League. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

The National Weather Service is out with an early flood prediction for Grand Forks and East Grand Forks. The first flood outlook to project river crest levels for the whole Red River Valley is due out next Friday, but Grand Forks officials requested their numbers be released sooner. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

Minnesota Agriculture commissioner Gene Hugoson heard an earful about the farm crisis during the first in a series of listening sessions around the state. Hugoson was in Marshall yesterday where farmers said state officials should be leaders in the search for solutions, something they say is not happening. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Steil reports.

Many Minnesota Sheriffs and Chiefs of Police are upset about a legislative proposal to eliminate part time peace officers. Supporters of the legislation say it will improve the quality of police forces. But some law enforcement officials in outstate Minnesota say it will have the opposite effect. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson reports.

The fate of hundreds of Twin Cities road and transit projects hangs in the balance as a little-known board begins reviewing spending proposals. The 25-year-old Transportation Advisory Board meets today to tell interested groups how to apply for the money. The Board's spending recommendations will be approved this Fall by the Metropolitan Council. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

In his State of the State address this week, Governor Jesse Ventura called on legislators to reach a quick agreement on how to return the state's budget surplus to taxpayers. Then the governor revised his own proposal for a sales-tax rebate by upping the amount single filers and joint filers would receive and giving a larger increase to those at higher income levels. MPR's Capitol correspondent Martin Kaste joins me now.

Climatologist Mark Seeley says storms are expected next week, but the big question is whether they'll contain enough moisture to bring snow.