August 1, 2003 - Writer and humorist Calvin Trillin is widely regarded as one of America's finest writers. Since the early 1960s, his work has appeared in the New Yorker, The Nation, and Time magazine. He's written three memoirs, two of them best sellers. He's written about topics from cuisine and culture to school desegregation. In all, he's written 22 books, including his latest: "Feeding A Yen: Savoring Local Specialties from Kansas City to Cuzco." We hear a speech by Calvin Trillin about a humorist's view of writing and reporting.
August 4, 2003 - The Minnesota Fringe opened over the weekend: dozens of shows dotted around Minneapolis. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous and they're proud of it. One of the more anticipated shows opens tonight. Playwright and storyteller Kevin Kling's latest foray is called simply "Baseball, Dogs, and Motorcycles." Kling was developing the piece two years ago when he was badly injured in a motorcycle accident. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr it basically about the three subjects he can talk about forever. He'll tell stories about the joys and frustrations of being a Twins fan, his enduring love of bikes, his new basset hound and the importance of Wiener dogs in his life. Kevin Kling opens his new show "Baseball Dogs and Motorcycles" at the Hey City Stage in Minneapolis this evening. It's part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival.
August 4, 2003 - The Minnesota Fringe opened over the weekend: dozens of shows dotted around Minneapolis. They range from the sublime to the ridiculous and they're proud of it. One of the more anticipated shows opens tonight. Playwright and storyteller Kevin Kling's latest foray is called simply "Baseball, Dogs, and Motorcycles." Kling was developing the piece two years ago when he was badly injured in a motorcycle accident. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr it basically about the three subjects he can talk about forever. He'll tell stories about the joys and frustrations of being a Twins fan, his enduring love of bikes, his new basset hound and the importance of Wiener dogs in his life. Kevin Kling opens his new show "Baseball Dogs and Motorcycles" at the Hey City Stage in Minneapolis this evening. It's part of the Minnesota Fringe Festival.
August 5, 2003 - Minnesotans are getting a rare opportunity to see an exhibit that examines the ways Nazis persecuted homosexuals during the time period between 1933 and 1945. The display at the Y-W-C-A in downtown Minneapolis contains 250 reproductions of historic photographs and documents of the era. The materials come from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum based in Washington, D-C. The exhibit looks at the German law that allowed the Nazis to prosecute gays and other individuals deemed to be engaging in indecent behavior. The law stated that certain people should be penalized because their "vices" would lead to the downfall of the German nation. I toured the exhibit this morning with Linnea Stenson, director of the University of Minnesota's Center for G-L-B-T Studies. Stenson says most people know of the six million Jews who perished during the Holocaust. But she says not everyone is aware that other groups were also targeted by the Nazis -- including gypsies, people with mental or physical handicaps, and homosexuals
August 5, 2003 - Minnesota is already a national leader in alternative energy, thanks to the state's abundant wind power and support for corn-based ethanol. Officials also think the state can be a player when it comes to hydrogen fuel cells. The potentially pollution-free power source is being touted for cars, laptop computers, and homes. Yesterday (MONDAY) Governor Pawlenty ceremonially flipped on one of the state's first industrial fuel cell generators. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich reports.
August 6, 2003 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews author Verena Andermatt Conley about her book "The War Against the Beavers." It tells the tale of leaving the city for a rustic cabin in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area.
August 12, 2003 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Wendell Anderson, former governor of Minnesota; and Chuck Ruhr, a Minneapolis advertising executive, as they look back at the 1973 Time magazine issue that highlighted the state of Minnesota. Anderson and Ruhr discuss the Minnesota reflected in those pages and how things have changed.
August 13, 2003 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Tony Woodcock, who has been chosen to lead the Minnesota Orchestra as the new president replacing the retiring president, David Hyslop. The orchestra also begins an entirely different movement this fall with a new music director, Osmo Vänskä.
August 13, 2003 - California voters will get a taste of Minnesota in their gubernatorial recall election campaign. Dean Barkley, who founded Minnesota's independence party and orchestrated Jesse Ventura's 1998 election win, has been brought on board to direct California independent candidate Arianna Huffington's campaign. Barkley also served as interim senator after the death of Paul Wellstone last fall. He says he intends to pattern Huffington's run after Jesse Ventura's miracle victory.
August 13, 2003 - A behind-the-scenes feud between Governor Tim Pawlenty and DFL Attorney General Mike Hatch spilled into the open today (MONDAY) as House Republicans called for an investigation of Hatch. In response Hatch released letters detailing sharp disagreements between his office and the Pawlenty administration over how to appoint an independent counsel to investigate possible campaign finance abuses. The spat is the latest round in an ongoing series of recriminations between DFL and GOP officials at the state Capitol. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo has more.