January 23, 1998 - St. Paul's future hockey team has a new name -- the "Minnesota Wild" -- but it may NOT have state money for its new arena. The city has been counting on the state to pay for half of the $130 million dollar project, but a key lawmaker may block the money.
January 23, 1998 - A disagreement between state and federal officials is threatening a wide ranging program to clean up the Minnesota River. As much as 200 million dollars in federal money is at stake, but one person close to the disagreement says there's only a fifty-fifty chance the two sides can reach agreement.
January 24, 1998 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Minnesota musician Peter Ostroushko about his new album “Pilgrims on the Heart Road."
January 24, 1998 - The fate of Vikings coach Dennis Green remains uncertain this morning. Green has one year left in his contract--but Green may be planning to quit next week. Vikings president Roger Headrick says Green's chances of staying with the Vikings are "failing" and "declining." At a Super Bowl party yesterday Green says he has "no comment" on the situation. In other football news, Former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Carl Eller, safety Paul Krause and offensive tackle Ron Yary are among the 15 finalists for induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
January 25, 1998 - Heartache and the minefields of dating are explored in Laura Zigman's humorous new novel ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. The premise of the book comes from a true scientific theory--the Coolidge Effect. This theory is based on the premise that bulls will only mate with a cow once--then they're off to seek a new cow. Zigman stumbled upon the theory as she flipped through science journals while nursing her broken heart. She jokes, if you bring things back to the animal kingdom--dating behavior makes sense. Zigman says her main character--Jane Goodall--is autobiographical.
January 25, 1998 - We've all seen sex and violence in recent films...but religion is a topic most filmmakers shy away from. Director Martin Scorsese may be the exception to this rule. In "The Last Temptation of Christ" Scorsese made a controversial film about Jesus and His Apostles. In his latest release--KUNDUN--Scorsese examines the life of the 14th Dalai Lama. Weekend Edition Film Critic Debra Alexander is here to discuss KUNDUN.
January 28, 1998 - MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Robert Lavenda, anthropologist at Saint Cloud State University and an expert on town festivals in Minnesota, about the origins of the carnival legend.
January 29, 1998 - MPR's Mary Stucky reports on folks at the Science Museum of Minnesota hoping to broaden public understanding of what Mozart called the "king of instruments." They'll do this through a special organ festival of concerts, exhibits, and tours sponsored in part by Minnesota Public Radio.
January 30, 1998 - All Things Considered’s Chris Roberts reports on high school students participating in the annual Music Listening Contest. Whiz kids from all over the state gathered at Augsburg College in Minneapolis for the state finals. Roberts looks at how they prepared, what they've learned, and the rigors of the contest itself.
January 30, 1998 - MPR’s Lorna Benson walks around Rice Park with historian Paul Larson, who speaks about how the Winter Carnival is all about fortitude and making the best of what mother nature hurls our way.