May 23, 2002 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews writer Garrison Keillor, about the writing libretto for the opera Mr. and Mrs. Olson. The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and a star studded ensemble will present the world premiere of opera.
May 23, 2002 -
May 27, 2002 - Minneapolis officials are assessing the damage after a legislative session in which most bonding requests within the city limits were either vetoed by the governor or shot down in the House and Senate. Minneapolis was also effectively excluded as a site for a new Twins ballpark. As bad as the session was, many in Minneapolis say it could have been worse. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
June 3, 2002 - TThe Guthrie Theater Board today voted to go ahead with preparations for its proposed 125-million dollar theater complex on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. But it delayed groundbreaking on the project until it has a guarantee of state bonding money. Governor Ventura stripped twenty-four million dollars earmarked for the Guthrie from the state bonding bill. The Guthrie and advocates for other projects vetoed by Ventura hope the legislature will pass a special bonding bill next year. Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling says legislative interest in the project remains high.
June 6, 2002 - The National Trust for Historic Preservation has named the Guthrie Theater to its 2002 list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places. The Walker Art Center, which owns the Guthrie's current performing space, wants to demolish it if the theatre moves to a new complex along the riverfront in downtown Minneapolis. Plans for the new complex hit a setback when Governor Jesse Ventura vetoed 24 million dollars in state money designated for the project. But the Guthrie Theater Board voted earlier this week to proceed with design work despite the veto. Royce Yeater (YATE er) is the Midwest Director for the National Trust for Historic Preservation. That's Royce Yeater (YATE er), the Midwest Director of the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
June 7, 2002 - The June edition of MPR's Voices of Minnesota series, featuring Alexander Braginsky of the ePiano competition, and St. Olaf Choir Director Anton Armstrong. MPR’s Dan Olson presents profiles and interviews of the two artists.
June 7, 2002 - The June edition of MPR's "Voices of Minnesota" series, featuring Alexander Braginsky of the ePiano competition and St. Olaf Choir Director Anton Armstrong.
June 14, 2002 - Tomorrow marks the grand opening of a Frank Lloyd Wright inspired bridge in South Minneapolis. The bridge with tall vertical points and a rounded railing crosses Interstate 94 at Third Avenue, just south of downtown. The project was funded by Marshall Field's department stores to give an artistic feel to a standard highway overpass. A few blocks south of the bridge on Third Avenue, the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is featuring an exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright bridge designs. Curator Jane Hession (Heshen) says the new Marshall Field's Frank Lloyd Wright Bridge is not an actual Frank Lloyd Wright design, but rather a concept based on various bridge designs made by the famous architect.
June 17, 2002 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports on soccer culture in St. Cloud, where sport and community are inseparable for ethnic teams. Immigrants who've come to Minnesota have brought their favorite game along with them.
June 17, 2002 - Richard Russo's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "Empire Falls" takes readers into a struggling blue-collar town in Maine. The textile factories have been shut down and the residents are waiting for a financial savior. The book's main character is Miles Roby. He's been managing "The Empire Grill" for 20 years and is hoping the town's matriarch will die soon and leave him the restaurant. Miles is struggling with a pending divorce, a teenage daughter and a father who ignores conventional grooming and manners. Russo told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham, the book was influenced by a Maine college town in which he once lived.