September 7, 1997 - Since the T-V networks are touting their new fall line-ups--we thought it would be a good time to talk about Fall Films. Weekend Edition Film Critic Rob Nelson says film fans will be pleased with this seasons crop of local screenings.
September 7, 1997 - Today is your opportunity to peek inside the beautifully restored homes in the Ramsey Hill section of St. Paul... through The GABLES, GARDENS AND GHOSTS tour. The Ramsey Hill neighborhood is the second largest contiguous Victorian District in North America. I had the opportunity to preview two of the homes with the Ramsey Hill Association's--Maryanne O'Brien and Tom Zahn--the former preservation planner for the city of St. Paul. We began our tour near Summit and Arundel at the stately Victorian home of Sara Kinney...a long time Ramsey Hill Resident.
September 8, 1997 - Today in our Odd Jobs report, we meet 31-year-old Chris Laumb, who calls himself an ambassador of beer in central Minnesota. Laumb is head brewer at O'Hara's Brew Pub and Restaurant, St. Cloud's first brewery in more than fifty years. Laumb was an avid home-brewer before he took over at O'Hara's last year. He shows Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum how it's done.
September 8, 1997 - School administrators throughout Minnesota are deciding how to spend the money they've received to help poor students get better grades. The state will give schools $180-million this year to improve academic achievement, a $50-million increase from a year ago. For the first time, the money is going to individual schools, rather than school districts. Educators say the getting the money, and the responsibilities that go with it, is a giant step forward for local control and site-based decision-making. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.
September 8, 1997 - Fifth graders across the state this week are deciding which instruments they'll play in band and orchestra classes. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports professional musicians in Rochester are helping students make what can be a life-changing decision. (sound..clarinet) In a room filled with squeaks and whistles, clarinettist Richard Halleen zeroes in on Sasha Case's first few notes.
September 9, 1997 - Minnesota based Courage Center says unemployment among the disabled is way too high, and is costing the U.S. more than $200-billion every year. The center is out with a new report showing the unemployment rate for all people with disabilities stands at 48-percent. People with severe disabilities, defined as disabilities leaving the person unable to perform activities of daily living, face an unemployment rate of 74-percent. The Courage Center's Katie Knips says many of those people want to take a job and can take one.
September 9, 1997 - University of Minnesota researchers say they have found evidence that non-smokers absorb the carcinogen N-N-K if they live or work in smoke-filled rooms. The study found small amounts of the carcinogen in nine non-smoking hospital workers who cared for patients in a designated smoking area. Mayo Clinic Physician Tom Kottke says even though only eighteen people total were involved in the study -- nine exposed to second-hand smoke and nine who weren't -- it's of immense value.
September 9, 1997 - The business of buying and selling art has traditionally been the reserve of the priviledged few. For an artist to come to the attention of art collecting circles, he or she has to show their work, and galleries are generally reluctant to take a chance on an unknown talent. The Groveland Gallery in Minneapolis is taking steps to make the art marketplace more accessible by opening up an annex devoted to new emerging artists and clientele who will find their prices a little easier to swallow. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts reports.
September 9, 1997 - It may not seem like a news flash, but a study of thousands of U.S. adolescents found those who feel emotionally tied to family or school were less likely to engage in other risky behavior. The report says young people who feel connected to their parents or school were less likely to suffer emotional distress, think about suicide, be violent or smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or smoke marijuana. They also tend to have their first sexual experiences later. Students who had to repeat a grade or appeared older or younger than their classmates were also found to be predisposed to depression, suicidal thoughts, violence, substance abuse, and an earlier age of sexual activity. University of Minnesota researcher Michael Resnick says the study not only points the way toward better health for kids, but eases one of the chief frustrations of raising teenagers.
September 10, 1997 - Midday guests St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman and his challenger State Senator Sandy Pappas visit the Minnesota Public Radio studios to talk about issues facing the city and to answer questions from MPR listeners. Topics include partisanship, city development, housing, and downtown revitalization.