>> ERIC: IT'S OUR FINAL LIVE SHOW OF THE YEAR, AND WE'VE GOT A LOT TO COVER.

PAUL DOUGLAS IS HERE WITH A HOLIDAY FORECAST AND MORE.

WE'LL HEAR ABOUT PLANS FOR DOWNTOWN MINNEAPOLIS THAT COULD INCLUDE A 24-HOUR ENTERTAINMENT DISTRICT.

AND SHELETTA BRUNDIDGE HAS A HOLIDAY ESSAY FOR US.

>> Cathy: AND IT'S GOING TO BE GOOD.

WE START TONIGHT, THOUGH, WITH NEWS ABOUT THE NEW STATE FLAG.

JUST ABOUT TWO HOURS AGO, THE COMMISSION WRAPPED UP ITS WORK FOR TODAY, PICKING A FINAL FLAG CONCEPT WITH SEVERAL VARIATIONS.

CHOOSING ONE FINALIST WILL NOW BE A TASK FOR NEXT WEEK'S MEETING, WHICH WAS JUST SCHEDULED TODAY.

MARY LAHAMMER HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE COMMISSION'S PROCESS ALL WEEK, STARTING WITH TUESDAY'S MEETING THAT FINALIZED THE STATE SEAL, NARROWED THE STATE FLAG FIELD TO THREE DESIGNS, AND WAS A BIT MORE CONTENTIOUS THAN EXPECTED.

>> IT'S REALLY ENCOURAGING TO JUST TO SEE THE LEVEL OF THOUGHT PEOPLE PUT INTO THIS PROCESS.

TO REPRESENT THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA AND JUST YOURSELF OR YOUR OWN PEOPLE, BUT ALL OF US.

>> Mary: THE REDESIGN COMPETITION MEMBERS ARE TAKING THEIR FINAL TASK SERIOUSLY, BUT IT'S NOT EAST AND IT GOT TESTY.

>> IT JUST FEELS LIKE TINGS ARE A LITTLE CONVOLUTED ALL OF A SUDDEN.

>> WE'RE TRYING TO DECIDE THESE THINGS ASSOCIATION EVERYONE SHOULD JUST GET ONE VOTE.

>> ALL OF US COME AND VOTE FOR THIS AND SEE WHO THE WINNER IS.

>> Mary: THEY SEEM TO LIKE AN EIGHT-POINT STAR SIMILAR TO THE ONE THAT SITS ON THE FLOOR OF THE ROTUNDA IN THE STATE CAPITOL.

>> FOR FLAG ESIGN SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE ADVOCATING THAT ALL THE SPIRES AND LINES OF THE STAR ARE ALL EQUAL.

WE DID CHOOSE A DARKER BLUE JUST TO ENSURE ITS ONTRAST WITH THE OTHER LIGHTER BLUE.

BUT WE TOO IT INTO ACCOUNT.

>> Mary: OUTSIDE DESIGNERS NOT ON THE COMMISSION CRAFTED NEW COMBINATIONS TO CONSIDER.

AND THE COMMISSION DECIDED ON ONE IDEA WITH THE SHAPE OF THE STATE WITH SEVERAL VARIATIONS.

ALL BASED ON THE WORK FROM THE FINAL FEW.

>> THIS IS A BOLD DESIGN THAT CAN BE SEEN CLEARLY FROM A DISTANCE.

IF A CHILD CAN DRAW IT, IT MEANS IT'S SIMPLE AND MEMORABLE.

>> Mary: WITH HIS OLD HIGH SCHOOL BUDDIES THERE IN SUPPORT, ANOTHER DESIGN FINALIST IS A FINANCIAL ADVISOR FROM TEXAS WHO CAME BACK TO HIS HOME STATE TO SEE HIS FLAG PROCEED.

>> I FOCUSED ON THE ADAGE THAT LESS IS MORE.

OBVIOUSLY THE NORTH STARS FEATURE PROMINENTLY ON THE FLAG.

THE STAR APPEARS WHITE IN THE SKY, NOT YELLOW.

I ALSO WANTED THE STAR TO HAVE EIGHT POINTS OF LIGHT RADIATING FROM A CENTER CORE.

>> Mary: A FATHER-SON DUO CAPTURED HEARTS AND IMAGINATION AS THEY TOO MIA MADE THE CUT.

>> WE LEAD THIS NATION IN QUALITY OF LIVING.

SO WHEN WE RAISED THIS FLAG, AND IT'S FLYING HIGH ABOVE MINNESOTA, IT WILL PROVIDE A ROAD MAP FOR ALL THE NATION TO SEE.

CALLING OUTEN INVITATION TO FOLLOW THE LOON, TO FOLLOW MINNESOTA.

AS WE ASPIRE TO FURTHER ACHIEVEMENTS, EXPANDED OPPORTUNITY, AND A GREATER GOOD.

>> WE HAD, FRAUGHT MOMENTS.

WE HAD JOYFUL MOMENTS, BUT OVERALL THE EXPERIENCE CAME TOGETHER IN AN ORGANIC WAY THAT WAS ALMOST THE SAME AS THE FLAG.

>> Mary: ALONG WITH HIS YOUNG FAMILY, THIS ST. PAUL DESIGNER WHO CAME IN AS THE TOP VOTE GETTER N PREVIOUS ROUNDS DIDN'T MAKE THE FINALS, AND SAYS IT'S HARD TO SEE IT RESWRECTED NOW.

>> THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN SURREAL.

IT'S BEEN ALL-CONSUMING FOR ME.

IT'S GIVEN ME, LIKE, A NERVOUS ENERGY I DON'T THINK I'VE HAD FOR THIS SAME AMOUNT OF TIME.

I WORK ON WEBSITES THAT GET MILLIONS OF PAGE IEWS.

LIKE DESIGNING IN PUBLIC IS DIFFERENT.

IT'S A DIFFERENT XPERIENCE.

>> Mary: BUT HE REALIZES THE TIGHT TIMELINES AND CONGRATULATES THE OTHER DESIGNERS WHO HE GOT TO MEET IN PERSON.

>> ONE OF THE SURREAL MOMENTS WAS THE "NEW YORK TIMES" SENT A PHOTOGRAPHER OVER.

THE CURRENT FLAG IS -- I MEAN, IT'S PROBLEMATIC ON SO MANY LAYERS.

>> Mary: A NATIVE WOMAN WHOSE DESIGN ALSO MADE IT TO THE SEMIFINALS BUT NOT THE FINAL THREE SAYS REGARDLESS OF OUTCOME, SHE'S PLEASED CHANGE IS COMING.

>> BOTTOM LINE IS JUST THAT THIS HAPPENS AT ALL.

RIGHTING A HISTORICAL WRONG FOR ME AS AN INDIGENOUS PERSON IS FOR ME.

I'M GRATEFUL TO BE A PART OF THIS MOMENT IN TIME.

>> Mary: INITIAL APPROVAL OF A STATE SEAL SEEMED SMOOTH.

PEOPLE LIKED THE LOON.

BUT CHANGES WITHIN THE DESIGN SPARKED DEBATE.

WHAT ABOUT THE SEAL?

YOU HAD A FINALIST, BUT YOU LIKE THE ONE THAT WONG.

>> YES, I LIKE THE ONE THAT WON.

I THINK THEY MADE THE RIGHT CHOICE.

THE DESIGNER DID A REALLY FANTASTIC JOB.

SO I WILL KNOW MINNESOTANS WANTED A LOON.

>> Mary: THE COMMISSION PAINSTAKINGLY CRAFTED CHANGE BUT THE SEAL'S ORIGINAL INCLUSION OF THE STATE MOTTO CREATED CONTROVERSY.

>> GOVERNOR SIBLEY ADOPTED THE MOTTO DESIGNED THE SEAL, AND THEN YEARS LATER, TO COVER UP WHAT HE HAD DONE, THE LEGISLATURE PASSED STATUTE.

>> IF YOU'RE GOING TO DABBLE IN THIS CHANGING OF MOTTO STUFF, THAT HAS TO BE THROUGH STATE STATUTE.

IT CAN'T BE THROUGH A FLAG AND SEAL REDESIGN COMMISSION.

WE JUST CAN'T DO THAT.

>> IT DOES SEEM A LITTLE INCONGRUOUS TO ME TO CHANGE THE LANGUAGE FROM WHAT IT IS IN STATE LAW.

>> WE HAVE MAYBE TWO FLUENT FIRST LANGUAGE SPEAKERS LEFT IN OUR COMMUNITY.

JUST NOW, WHEN IT WAS MENTIONED THAT WE ARE LAKOTA SPEAKERS, WE ARE NOT LAKOTA SPEAKERS.

WE ARE DAKOTA.

LAKOTA IS A DIFFERENT KIND OF PEOPLE.

AND I THINK THAT KIND OF COMMENTARY WHERE THERE'S A LACK OF EDUCATION AND OF UNDERSTANDING WHO WE ARE AS DAKOTA PEOPLE IN THE STATE OF MINNESOTA IS WHY INCLUDING OUR LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT.

>> Mary: AFTER SOME EMOTIONAL EXCHANGES, THE COMMISSION MOVED TO REMOVE THE MOTTO ND DELETE THE DATE OF STATEHOOD, 1858, WHICH WAS NOT CELEBRATED BY DAKOTA COMMISSION MEMBERS WHO ACHIEVED AN EFFORT TO THE INCLUDE THE NATIVE LANGUAGE AS WELL.

>> MINNESOTANS CAN HOLD TWO THOUGHTS IN THEIR HEAD AT ONES.

THEY CAN LOOK AT A PARTICULAR YEAR AND SEE AND UNDERSTAND AND APPRECIATE THE THINGS ABOUT THAT YEAR THAT WERE TROUBLING.

BUT THEY CAN ALSO APPRECIATE THE THINGS ABOUT IT THAT ARE GOOD AND WE'RE CELEBRATING, AND I THINK MINNESOTA'S ADMISSION TO THE UNION, HE THING THAT THIS IS INTENDED TO SIGNIFY, IS A JOYOUS EVENT.

>> THE DATE THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE CELEBRATE IS ALSO A DATE THAT FOR OTHER PEOPLE IS TRAUMATIC.

AND IT'S A DATE THAT CAUSES PAIN.

WHY DO WE WANT A SEAL THAT CAUSES PAIN?

TO A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PEOPLE?

>> PEOPLE ARE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THIS SEAL.

NOW WE'VE REMOVED THE DATE OF THE STATE'S FOUNDING FROM IT.

NOW WE'RE GOING TO ALMOST MAKE IT THE DAKOTA SEAL.