MN Gov. Jesse Ventura announced details Friday "on how
Minnesotans can donate all or part of their sales-tax rebate
to a special fund for a new" pro sports stadium, according
to Robert Whereatt of the Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE. The
fund "will be administered" by the Metropolitan Sports
Facilities Commission (MSFC), which operates the Metrodome,
and "will accept checks until June 30, 2000." At that time,
Ventura "will determine whether there is a 'viable plan' in
place to build a stadium." Ventura "didn't specify what
constitutes a 'viable plan.'" Whereatt noted last month's
Star Tribune/KMSP-TV poll which indicated that 8% of
respondents said that "they planned to contribute" to the
fund. With the "total sales-tax rebate" at $1.3B and the
"average rebate" at $652, Whereatt wrote that if 8%
contribute "all or part of their checks, that means about
250,000 taxpayers are considering helping build a pro sports
facility" (STAR TRIBUNE, 8/14). MSFC Exec Dir Bill Lester,
on the volume of donations: "We're not anticipating that it
will overwhelm the system" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/14).
A REASONING MAN: In St. Paul, Charley Walters wrote
that Vikings Owner Red McCombs had "significant influence"
in the Vikings being the Browns' first opponent at the new
Browns stadium this Saturday. McCombs said one reason he
"pressed" for the game is that it "would give the people of
Minnesota a very nice look at what a city has done with a
facility situation" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 8/15).
