June 29, 2000 - In the opening scene of STORM RIDERS, the new novel by Craig Leslie, a young girl is missing. Later she is found dead and a young native Amercian boy from Alaska is suspected of drowning her. This scene and others in STORM RIDERS are lifted directly from Craig Leslie's life. STORM RIDERS is the authors semi-fictional account of his 15 years raising a young boy
June 30, 2000 - Songwriter, satirist, and math teacher Tom Lehrer speaks with Gary Eichten about his songs from the '50s and '60s and his career.
July 3, 2000 - As the clock strikes midnight and July 8th dawns, the fourth Harry Potter book will finally be revealed ----til now its been cloaked in secrecy -- even the title of the book "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire" was only leaked a few days ago. Even so its already on the bestseller lists through advance sales and a record number of copies are being published in anticipation of phenomenal demand. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky, reports not everybody's impressed with the Harry Potter juggernaut.
July 5, 2000 - A Minnesota men's singing group called the Apollo Male Chorus will be the only men's chorus from the United States to compete in what's considered the Super Bowl of amateur choral competitions. Forty members of the chorus are leaving Minnesota later today to compete in the Eisteddfod International Choral competition in Wales. Joining us in the studio is Tomm Johnson, president of the Apollo Male Chorus.
July 11, 2000 - The college of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph is collaborating with Gray Wolf Press to create the Upper Midwest's first ever Literary Arts Institute -- featuring programs for area writers, readers, actors and publishing enthusiasts. All week, the College and Graywolf are hosting a publishing workshop called "Inside Books" to inaugurate the new partnership. Mainstreet Radio's Marisa Helms reports. {AMB 4: press
July 19, 2000 - The Minnesota Orchestra is cancelling three of its Sommerfest concerts due to security concerns surrounding the conference. Orchestra spokeswoman Gwen Pappas says the Orchestra approached the police after hearing rumors about potential problems, and decided to play it safe by cancelling concerts on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday:
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