All Things Considered is a comprehensive source for afternoon news and information provided by various MPR hosts in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington over the decades. The program contains interviews, reports, speeches and breaking coverage.
January 10, 2002 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports that much of the reception to Ventura's deficit reduction plan is icy. Social program advocates and local government officials say Ventura is balancing the state budget at their expense. Tax opponents say Ventura's plans for higher gasoline, tobacco, and sales taxes hurt working Minnesotans.
January 11, 2002 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on Governor Ventura’s response to critics over his budget plan. According to governor, sacrifice needs to be made by all parts of the budget and he invites suggestions to improve it. Republicans debate higher tax on gasoline and tobacco, while Democrats want more money for education.
January 15, 2002 - A proposal for two new stadiums will be voted on this year, but there is concern that there is only a vague proposal about how the stadiums will be funded. MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on debate going on within Stadium Task Force.
January 17, 2002 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews conductor Nicholas McGegan as he prepares The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for their performance of George Frideric Handel's "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," a piece that had been lost and wasn't performed for more than 300 years.
January 21, 2002 - As a young boy growing up in Duluth, Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Director Rex Levang listened to broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera and dreamed of being a contestant on the Opera's Quiz. Well, his dream came true, as Rex was part of a panel of opera fans who answered questions sent in by listeners and crafted by the Quiz Master. He recounts his experience with MPR’s Greta Cunningham.
January 23, 2002 - A report entitled All Kids Count, shows that African American, American Indian, Asian American, and Latino youth in Minnesota are much more likely than white children to experience violence, live without health care insurance, and live in poverty. The report was compiled by the Children's Defense Fund and Minnesota Kids Count, a research organization that releases reports on the welfare of the state's youth.
February 1, 2002 - MPR's William Wilcoxen reports on The Minnesota Twins, who are preparing for their 42nd season…knowing that it could be their last. Major League Baseball executives say they're proceeding with plans to dissolve two teams, including the Twins, but it's not clear if and when it might actually happen.
February 6, 2002 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson interviews Chinese American composer and conductor Tan Dun. He is in the Twin Cities to conduct The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra in two performances of the Crouching Tiger Concerto.
February 14, 2002 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles acclaimed playwright Lee Blessing's new play Thief River, which portrays two gay men growing up in rural Minnesota who choose very different paths in life. Over the next fifty years they remain in contact; their experiences reflect the changing attitudes toward homosexuality in America.
February 19, 2002 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports how the use of technology is helping to make planting crops a precise science. Instead of kicking back during the winter, many farmers are now keeping busy…at the computer. They’re using global positioning systems to do what’s called "precision agriculture," which uses satellite coordinates to help map their fields.