May 3, 1999 - MPR’s Brent Wolfe reports that while Mexican American migrant workers have been drawn to agricultural jobs in Minnesota for many years, an increasing number are calling Minnesota "home."
May 3, 1999 - On this segment of Mainstreet Radio’s Rural Diversity series, commentator George Rabasa wants to talk about the immigrant "home."
May 4, 1999 - MPR’s Jim Bickal talks with musician and anthropologist Maya Lopez-Santamaria about “Musica de la Raza: Mexican and Chicano Music in Minnesota” CD. Lopez-Santamaria collected the music and wrote the book which accompanies it.
May 5, 1999 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from St. Cloud State University as part of MPR's week-long project called "Hidden Rainbow: The Changing Face of Minnesota." In this first hour of program, Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion on racism in St. Cloud with Ralonda Mason, a local lawyer handling racism cases for St. Cloud Area Legal Services; Taye Reta, former St. Cloud business owner and member of the State Council on Black Minnesotans; Susan Ihne, executive editor at The St. Cloud Times; and Vusi Khamalo, director for the Multicultural Services at St. Cloud Technical College.
May 5, 1999 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports on the diminishing population of rainbow smelt in Lake Superior. Years ago, the smelt run drew huge crowds to Lake Superior beaches, where fish were netted by hand and cooked over open fires. Raucous all-night beach parties fueled by generous doses of alcohol achieved mythical status around the big lake. But now, the big smelt runs are history.
May 6, 1999 - John Lyght, former Cook County Sheriff, talks about being born and raised in Cook County, along Minnesota's far Northeastern corner. With his parents, and eventually 14 brothers and sisters, the Lyghts were the first African American family that settled among the Swedes and Norwegians on Lake Superior's North Shore.
May 6, 1999 - This week, our Mainstreet reporting team looks at Minnesota's 'hidden' population -- rural minorities. In some Minnesota counties, all the residents are white. In some cities and towns, the minority population has just begun to grow. It's a change that enriches life for some, and threatens others. The recent Supreme Court treaty affirmation capped a decade of friction between American Indians and their non-Indian neighbors. We're now left to digest not only the impact of the decision, but also the shouting, defensiveness and political manuevering it followed.
May 6, 1999 - Governor Ventura today turned to history to help him make his case against the Republican tax cut plan. Ventura's staff organized what might be called a "teach-in" at the Minnesota History Center, with former Governor Al Quie and other veteran politicians reminiscing about the great state budget crisis of 20 years ago. The Governor believes the Republican tax cuts could cause that scenario to repeat itself; Republicans say Ventura is being too pessimistic. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
May 7, 1999 - A special Midday broadcast from the IDS Crystal Court in downtown Minneapolis. MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton. Topics include downtown development planning, proposed light rail, and crime prevention. Sayles Belton also answers audience and listener questions.
May 7, 1999 - For the most part, BEARS have a bad reputation among humans...and a recent bear attack in Wisconsin only adds to that general disdain. On Monday, a bear attacked a Cameron man in his backyard after he tried to rescue his poodle from the bear's jaws. The man suffered puncture wounds and claw marks. The dog has not been found. But for former Minnesotan Jack Becklund, bears are not unpredictable, dangerous creatures. Becklund recounts his unusually friendly experiences with black bears in his new book "Summers With the Bears: Six Seasons in the North Woods."