July 19, 2000 - Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig visited the Twin Cities Tuesday in the wake of a report calling for baseball's "haves" to give more to the "have-nots." Appearing before the Twins-sponsored group Minnesotans for Major League Baseball, Selig promised changes will be implemented to ease the disparities between rich and poor teams and to make the game more competitive. But Selig mostly repeated his familiar message that the Minnesota Twins must have a publicly funded ballpark to survive -- a message the newly formed committee says it's not yet ready to consider. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.
August 4, 2000 - {Word of Mouth Round Up}
August 4, 2000 - The Minnesota Attorney General's office has settled its lawsuit with Minnesota Public Radio over sharing member information with other organizations. Attorney General Mike Hatch filed suit last December alleging MPR misled its members about the *extent* to which the network shares data with organizations such as the St Paul Chamber Orchestra and Planned Parenthood. Minnesota Public Radio's Elizabeth Stawicki reports: {Exchanging donor lists is legal and organizations routinely trade names in hopes of expanding their contributor base.
August 7, 2000 - Artspace, the company which moved the Schubert Theater across downtown Minneapolis, today revealed a dramatic modern design for a new downtown building. The Schubert Performing Arts and Education Center will stand on Hennepin Avenue between the Schubert at its new location and the Hennepin Center for the Arts, acting as an atrium for both. The three-storey building features two sweeping glass structures that stretch above and around the facade. Architect Joan Soranno of the HGA firm told Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff she wanted to capture dance forms in her design. The estimated cost of the project and refurbishing the Schubert is $27 million. Artspace says it has raised a little over $2 million of that so far. You can find pictures of the design for the Schubert Performing Arts and Education Center at the MPR website at www.minnesotapublicradio.org
August 8, 2000 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman reports on a unique new Minneapolis bookstore.
August 8, 2000 -
August 15, 2000 - The Minnesota Orchestra is backing away from a report in the Star-Tribune that it is canceling its annual Viennese Sommerfest music festival. The paper reported that the four week summer festival lost a record 250-thousand dollars this year. But the orchestra says it doesn't yet have the final accounting on this year's festival and that Minnesotan's can look forward to a summer festival next year, even if isn't in the twenty-year Sommerfest tradition. Louise Rohr (rur) is Vice President of marketing for the Minnesota Orchestra. She says the Orchestra has spent the day trying to get the word out that the festival is still on:
August 15, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson talks with Ryan Olcott, founder of the rock band 12 Rods, about the group’s album “Separation Anxieties.”
August 18, 2000 -
August 21, 2000 - MPR’s Mike Edgerly talks with Native American writer James Welch, author of “The Heartsong of Charging Elk.” Welch discusses his book, culture, and Native American history. Welch also answers listener questions. Welch is well known for his previous works, including his book “Killing Custer.”