July 17, 2002 - A new book brings renewed attention to an historic civil rights case on the Minnesota iron range. In 1988, Lois Jenson sued Eveleth Mines for the sexual harassment she endured at work. Her case eventually altered the very nature of sexual harassment suits. Journalist Clara Bingham and attorney Laura Leedy-Gansler are the authors of "Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case the Changed Sexual Harassment Law." Both women came by the studio to discuss the case. Bingham says there is a macho culture on the range that contributed to the harassment in the mines.
July 19, 2002 - Minneapolis native Arthur Phillips novel is set in Budapest in 1990. It's called "Prague" though, because that's where the expatriate Americans in the story worry they really should be. The group includes entrepreneurs, writers and diplomats, caught in the excitement of the fall of Eastern European totalitarianism. Yet they can't shake the feeling they are missing the real action elsewhere. Arthur Phillips himself lived in the Hungarian capital in the early nineties. His novel had drawn critical acclaim for it's depiction of a unique period of recent history. "Prague" opens with some of the Americans sitting in a cafe playing "Sincerity", a game where each player makes a series of statements, only one of which is true. The players score by fooling the other players and guessing correctly when they are lying. Phillips told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr the game reveals a great deal about the players.
July 22, 2002 - Not only is Rochester the city known for treating human illnesses, but pianos can get fixed too. Liberace's rhinestone-covered piano is in Rochester for a tune up. MainStreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports.
July 23, 2002 - Alice Sebold is currently living every writer's dream. After quietly turning out work that went mostly unpublished for almost two decades, her new novel is climbing the New York Times Bestseller list. Better yet, the book, called "The Lovely Bones" has become one of the most critically acclaimed books of the year. The book is narrated by a 14-year-old character named Suzy who is raped and murdered in the first chapter. She tells her story from heaven. Sebold herself was brutally raped when she was a freshman in college.
July 24, 2002 - The tradition of Grain Belt beer will live on in Minnesota. August Schell (shell) Brewing Company in New Ulm has bought the brand from the bankrupt Minnesota Brewing Company. Minnesota Brewing closed last month, cutting more than 100 jobs and ending nearly 150 years of brewing tradition in St. Paul. Grain Belt was first introduced by the Minneapolis Brewing Company in 1893, and has since become one of the state's most popular homegrown beers. Jeff Lonto is the author of, "Legend of the Brewery: A Brief History of the Minneapolis Brewing Heritage."
July 29, 2002 - Former presidential candidate and longtime Minnesota U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy visits the MPR studios to talk about politics and literature. McCarthy also answers listener questions.
July 31, 2002 - For almost 80 years KFJM served listeners in the Grand Forks area. But today, {Tuesday},North Dakota's oldest public radio station stops local broadcasts. The station is owned by the University of North Dakota. It was the second radio station in the state to go on the air. A funding crunch has forced UND officials to shut down the radio station. Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports.
August 2, 2002 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on some of the best singers in the world heading to Minnesota, as the Twin Cities hosts the triennial World Choral Symposium. It's the first time the event has ever been held in the U.S. For a week, over a thousand singers, from more than 50 countries will attend workshops and perform numerous free concerts.
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 16, 2002 - The city of Roseau is still recovering from the June floods that devastated the small northeastern Minnesota town. Ninety-nine percent of the town's residents suffered damage to their homes, and more than 100 local businesses have been affected. Insurance and federal disaster aid have helped, but tens of millions more are needed to help rebuild the community. Vocalist Janis Hardy grew up in Roseau and many of her relatives still live there. Monday night, she and a group of her musical friends will perform in a benefit concert for Roseau at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. Hardy says she knew she had to do something to help after hearing her relatives describe the devastation to her over the phone.