August 12, 2002 -
August 12, 2002 - Neil Gaiman became the toast of the comic book world with his "Sandman" series. He then became a best selling novelist with his books "Neverwhere" "Stardust" "and "American Gods". Now he has written "Coraline", a horror novel for children. "Coraline" is about a little girl who discovers a malevolent netherworld hidden behind a door in her house. It's ruled by a hideous being known as "the other mother" who kidnaps Coraline's real parents. She then tries to imprison the girls herself. Gaiman, an Englishman who now lives just outside the Twin Cities, says he began writing the novel for his daughter 10 years ago. He followed G.K. Chesterton's admonition that fairy tales are more than true, not because they say dragons exist, but because they say dragons can be beaten.
August 13, 2002 - Last spring, the University of Minnesota Press was the center of a storm of protest over the publication of a book on sex education. Some representatives of the local media admit deadline pressures at the time kept them from in-depth coverage of Judith Levine's controversial book "Harmful to Minors: The Perils of Protecting Children from Sex." Levine sat down with with reporters and the public last night Helms reports.
August 13, 2002 -
August 14, 2002 - The first television attack ad in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race has prompted candidates on both sides to call for it to be taken off the air. A group called Citizens Opposed to Racism and Discrimination is running an ad calling DFL Senator Paul Wellstone a liar and a millionaire. The Wellstone campaign says the ad is just the latest in a series of attack ads run by outside interest groups. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum asked an analyst to review the latest ads...
August 14, 2002 - It's tough to break into farming nowadays, and even tougher if you're an immigrant. MPR’s Rob Schmitz reports on Minnesota Food Association, which assists immigrant farmers in areas like production techniques, marketing, and management skills. Unfortunately, federal budget cuts have had a negative impact on program.
August 15, 2002 - The Minnsota State Capitol has a new address. After months of discussions and six public hearings the St. Paul City Council decided the best place to name a street for Dr. Martin Luther King Junior is what is now Constitution Avenue. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
August 15, 2002 - In Fairbault, Gregg Bongard, a U.S. Department of Agriculture employee, is making a special effort to reach out to Minnesota's growing immigrant population. In the second part of his series on immigrant farmers, MPR’s Rob Schmitz reports that Bongard thinks he's discovered a new approach to farming that could change the face of agriculture in the United States.
August 16, 2002 - On Word of Mouth, MPR’s Chris Roberts provides a radio guide to the local arts. This episode includes Chamber Music Society of MN, Roman Polanski retrospective, all things Finnish folk, Christ Church Lutheran, Blood Money, and an arts round-up..
August 19, 2002 - Major League Baseball players have set a tentative strike date for the end of month as the 2002 MLB season enters its final weeks. The key issue is a desire by owners to impose a luxury tax on high-payroll teams. The union thinks taking away too much money from the high-spending teams would slow salary increases. Many Minnesota Twins fans say they're worried a strike could spell the end of the team.