MPR News Features are news segments created for various long-form programming, including Morning Edition and All Things Considered, amongst others. Features run the gambit of interviews, reports, profiles, and coverage.
December 2, 1996 - Healthcare's newest trend is decidedly low tech and low cost. In the past five years, over 300 Minnesotans have been trained as parish nurses...health care professionals working within the church to promote physical and spiritual wellness. Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe visits Crosslake Lutheran Church in northern Minnesota and looks into the nurse movement.
December 3, 1996 - A judge in Hawaii ruled today that the state's ban on same-sex marriage is unconstitutional. An attorney for six gay plaintiffs says the ruling orders state officials to stop denying marriage licenses to same-sex couples. It's expected to be appealed to Hawaii's Supreme Court. Other states have been awaiting this ruling, since a same-sex marriage performed in Hawaii must be recognized in other states, UNLESS the state has passed a law banning recognition of such unions. Allan Spear is a DFL state Senator from Minneapolis . He wrote the state human rights law that protects gays and lesbians. We asked him whether he's gearing up for a fight at the Minnesota legislature.
December 3, 1996 - The Harlem Nutcracker opens tomorrow night at the Northrop Auditorium on the U-of-M campus in Minneapolis , with more shows Friday and Saturday. David Berger adapted and augmented the show's music from the Tchaikovsky, Ellington, and Strayhorn. Donald Byrd is choreographer.
December 4, 1996 - The Minnesota Twins say their financial losses continued to mount in 1996, reinforcing the need for a new ballpark. Team officials revealed their latest figures while renewing their pitch for a stadium before the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission.
December 4, 1996 - Sandra Peterson is the president of the Minnesota Federation of Teachers, one of the state's two major teachers' unions. Her reaction to the plan was not favorable.
December 4, 1996 - A mediation committee has failed to reach agreement on a plan to revise management of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area wilderness. The committee negotiating the best uses for the Boundary Waters Canoe Area struggled to find any consensus after a proposal once considered a possible compromise was rejected by some Ely area residents and those who want to expand the wilderness.
December 4, 1996 - Governor Carlson describes his education plan for the 1997 legislative session as a bold proposal and is asking lawmakers to give it a chance. Carlson outlined his education reform agenda today in Golden Valley. The plan includes a controversial program of tax incentives to families with children in private or public schools. DFL critics say the Republican Governor is simply repackaging his failed voucher plan from last year. Carlson is challenging those critics to produce their own ideas for improving education in the state.
December 4, 1996 -
December 4, 1996 - Teachers, school administrators, legislators and public policy watchers throughout Minnesota are waiting today to hear Governor Carlson's education proposals for the 1997 session. Carlson has vowed to make education his top priority during his remaining two years in office. The Governor is scheduled to unveil his plan this morning at an elementary school in Golden Valley.
December 4, 1996 - Hunrdeds of people came out in the cold today to pay their respects to Tiny Tim, who died Saturday night after performing at a benefit concert. Visitation began at one this afternoon at the bascilica in downtown Minneapolis , and the funeral mass began at three. Tiny Tim was laid out in an open casket, with his ukulele across his chest. His widow, Miss Sue, patiently spoke with friends and fans amid pictures of the man who thirty years ago captured the nation's fancy with the song Tiptoe Through the Tulips and his wedding on The Tonite Show. Outside, on the steps of the church, I asked some of those who attended the visitation WHY they came today.