May 8, 2003 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson chats with MPR’s William Wilcoxen about the Minnesota Wild as they prepare for game seven of the second round playoff series with the Vancouver Canucks. If they win game seven in Vancouver, the Wild would become the first team ever to come back from a three games to one deficit in two straight playoff series.
May 8, 2003 - MPR’s Lorna Benson sits down with American singer-songwriter Suzanne Vega to discuss her music career. Vega also talks about hosting Minnesota Public Radio's American Mavericks Series. The 13-part program features the life stories and music of the tradition-breaking composers that helped shape American classical music.
May 8, 2003 - All Thing’s Considered’s Lorna Benson interviews Democratic Senator David Tomassoni about the K-12 education funding bills that have passed in the state House and Senate. Both would allow school districts to sell naming rights to corporate sponsors to raise extra revenue.
May 23, 2003 - MPR’s Michael Khoo talks with All Things Considered host Lorna Benson about a Minnesota legislative plan that extends nuclear waste storage at Xcel Energy's Prairie Island plant. The proposal is meant to keep the facility operating through 2014, but has run into objections from environmental advocates. Critics say it lacks a strong commitment to renewable energy alternatives and provides no explicit role for lawmakers in future nuclear waste storage debates.
May 27, 2003 - MPR’s Mary Losure reports that a three-judge panel of the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the federal government does have the authority to deport a local Somali immigrant to his homeland, even though Somalia has no functioning government. Attorneys for immigrant Keyse Jama say they will appeal, and the case could go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
May 30, 2003 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer reports on musicians in The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra agreeing to ratify a contract which includes a 17% pay cut. That change comes in the first year of a new four-year contract.
June 10, 2003 - Opera lovers in Sioux Falls are trying to light the flame in hopes of it catching on in the northern plains. Two South Dakota natives, both of which are now opera stars, are performing scenes from several operas as a way of introduction. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland caught up with Louis Otey, one of the performers, to talk about the efforts.
June 19, 2003 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Jim Quackenbush, a pork producer, about fast-food giant McDonald's asking its meat suppliers to phase out the use of antibiotics which promote animal growth. The company is responding to concerns that antibiotics given to animals in feed reduces the effectiveness of antibiotic medicines in humans. The announcement is likely to have a profound effect on beef and pork producers in Minnesota.
June 20, 2003 - MPR’s Mindy Ratner interviews pianist Kevin Cole, one of the foremost interpreters of George Gershwin’s music, while he is visiting the Twin Cities to perform with the Minnesota Orchestra. In the interview Cole discusses how he became a Gershwin fan at a very early age.
July 1, 2003 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports that people in Two Harbors are debating a painful choice. A developer wants to build a motel, shops, and condos on a key piece of real estate. Many local residents want to preserve their a favorite place for a quiet walk along Lake Superior, while others are questioning whether the city can afford what it'll take to keep the land, known as Lighthouse Point, as a park.