July 5, 1997 - It was the bite felt 'round the world. You've probably seen the gruesome video of boxer Mike Tyson taking bites out Evander Holyfield's ears. Mike Tyson is under temporary suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission and faces a more permanent ban when the commission meets next week.
July 10, 1997 - Midday looks at the new television ratings system to be unveiled in Washington with guest David Walsh, executive director of the National Institute on Media and the Family. Listeners call in with questions.
July 12, 1997 - In sports news: Alison Nicholas leads the US Women's Open at the halfway mark. The British golfer stands at 6-under-par after shooting a 5-under 66 on Friday. Larry Gilbert leads Jack Nicklaus by one stroke halfway through the Senior Players Championship. Nicklaus shot a 5-under 67 to move into contention. John Jacobs is two off the lead. Golf is a sport that's perhaps more known for it's players---rather than it's fans. (After all--when was the last time you saw a fan wearing a foam cheese wedge on their heads on a fairway!?)
July 14, 1997 - The 1980s' was a decade known for trends, and one of the hottest was stand-up comedy. In the Twin Cities and around the country, comedy clubs were popping up everywhere and packing in people. Familiar names such as Louie Anderson, Tom Arnold, and Scott Hansen launched their stand-up careers here. But eventually, greed and mediocrity killed off a lot of comedy clubs, and the craze flickered out. Today, comedy clubs are attempting to make a comeback, and at many, the emphasis is not on cashing in, but on building for the future. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen and Chris Roberts found two local comedians who reflect the new spirit of comedy.
July 15, 1997 - On this Midday program, "Voices of Minnesota" series continues with an interview with former Minnesota Vikings football coach Bud Grant, who shares memories of his life on and off the gridiron.
July 17, 1997 - MPR’s John Rabe intreviews David Reville, the McKnight Visiting Composer with the American Composers Forum, about his film score for “The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty." The film is screening at the Red Eye Cinema in Minneapolis.
July 17, 1997 - Writer William Ayers begins his latest book in a Chicago courtroom, where a juvenile is being prosecuted for murder. He ends it by quoting Artistotle's reminder that no rule is absolute. In "A Kind and Just Parent: The Children of Juvenile Court", Ayers charts the lives of kids in Chicago's juvenile justice system, which he says for the most part treats crime and punishments as absolute, with no allowances for circumstances when it comes to poor black and Latino kids. In the end, Ayers' point is that it doesn't make sense to treat kids as adults, and we certainly shouldn't be prosecuting children as adults, even so-called super predators.
July 18, 1997 - When Hamlet gave his famous acting class to the players, telling them to speak the speech and to not saw the air, the actors didn't have to deal with planes overhead. But they might have had to fend off bugs and noisy kids and candy wrapper crinkling. Food for thought as the Twin Cities welcomes a new incarnation of Shakespeare in the Park, which is currently producing "Much Ado About Nothing" at Minnehaha Park. Intern Joe Fryer put on the DEET and talked with actors and the audience.
July 18, 1997 - Art crawlers hungry for some new work may consider stopping by an abandoned soap factory in Minneapolis this weekend. The Teen Art Council at the Walker Art Center has put together what it calls "a teen curated teen art show" containing the work of more than than 70 young artists from around the metro area. The show's curators say visitors who tend to dismiss teen artists might be in for a surprise. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts has more.
July 21, 1997 - MPR's Mary Losure files this story about the North Shore's fishing families and the environmental catastrophes that destroyed their way of life. In the 1930's, Lake Superior supported a thriving commercial fishing industry. Now, on a lake holding one tenth of the world's fresh water, only a handful of commercial fishermen and women remain.