March 21, 1997 - School district officials from throughout the nation will be in Minneapolis next week to recruit Minnesota college students for teaching jobs. Students attending the Minnesota Education Career Fair will find they are much in demand. U-S Secretary of Education Richard Riley recently warned of a nationwide shortage of teachers. Minnesota has traditionally had a surplus of teachers, but some teaching skills are in especially high demand. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Saint Paul needs teachers...a lot of them. The district, which has a record number of vacancies this spring, has hired about 300 teachers each of the past four years to keep pace with rising enrollment and normal teacher
March 21, 1997 - A SENATE COMMITTEE HAS DEALT A BLOW TO THE MINNESOTA TWINS EFFORT TO GET A TAXPAYER PAID STADIUM BUILT FOR THEM. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S BOB COLLINS REPORTS AFTER MORE THAN 3 HOURS OF TESTIMONY AND DEBATE...AND WITH SOME MEMBERS WANTING TO CALL IT A NIGHT TO WATCH THE GOPHERS PLAY BASKETBALL, THE SENATE METROPOLITAN AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE DECIDED TO TAKE NO ACTION ON THE MEASURE TO SPEND OVER 400 MILLION DOLLARS ON A NEW BASEBALL STADIUM. THE LEGISLATION ISN'T DEAD BY A LONG SHOT, BUT THE COMMITTEE FACES A DEADLINE OF NEXT WEEK TO TAKE ACTION ON THE MEASURE AND THERE APPEARS TO BE PLENTY OF WORK YET TO BE DONE ON IT.
March 21, 1997 - The Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board this week authorized the state's technical colleges to cut nearly 200 programs and lay off about 90 faculty members this fall. But, MnSCU officials say it's not as bleak as it seems. The board was required to approve tentative layoffs and potential cuts that may not happen. Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports.
March 21, 1997 - Have you ever flown through downtown Chicago and dropped down through one of its tallest buildings? Or taken a trip around the nether regions of an enzyme molecule? A little piece of computer animation history appears at the Science Museum of Minnesota this evening as "The Magic Egg" opens as part of the 2nd annual Omnifest. The film was made over a decade ago but as Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr reports it broke new ground at the time and has lost little of its fascination.
March 21, 1997 - The independent Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis begins the Northern Lights Film Festival tonight with a program that includes an independent documentary on independent candidates at the 1996 New Hampshire Presidential primary. "Subdue the Universe," by local filmmakers James Taylor, Brian Standing, and Matt Ehling, works on at least three levels. As independents themselves, they bring a certain attitude to their look at third party candidates. As citizens interested in the political process, they bring an edge to their examination of the voting public.
March 22, 1997 - More than fifteen thousand Gophers Basketball fans jammed Williams Arena last night... for a welcome-home rally... when the team returned to Minneapolis from San Antonio.
March 22, 1997 - The Minnesota Gophers men's basketball team has earned a berth in the NCAA Final Four. The number-one seeded Gophers won the Midwest region final yesterday with an 80-to-72 come-from-behind victory over UCLA. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Wareham was in San Antonio for the game and has this report.
March 22, 1997 - It's nail-biting time once agin for Gopher fans as the Men's Basketball team faces UCLA at 2:40 this afternoon in the Midwest Regional final. Fans have barely had time to recover from the double overtime victory against Clemson Thursday night.
March 24, 1997 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with Minnesota Public Radio producer and film expert Stephanie Curtis, the "Movie Maven" about the Academy Award nominees for the 69th Academy Awards. Curtis details nominees and the process behind nominating process. Program also includes call-in questions and commentary from listeners.
March 24, 1997 - Several recent racially-motivated attacks against Somali immigrants in Rochester have shaken the city's image as one of the best places to live in America. Citizens have responded by signing pledges of non-violence and businesses have donated thousands of dollars to a fund to help police catch the attackers. Much of the racial tension in Rochester shows up in the community's young people. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe prepared this report on why racism is surfacing among teenagers and what the schools are doing about it.