March 31, 1998 - A special edition of Gray Matters series, titled Music and the Brain. This PRI documentary examines new brain research, whether music can make you smarter, how music affects the emotions, and if people with musical ability have brains that are different from other people.
March 31, 1998 - Midday presents a special report on the tornadoes that went through southern Minnesota and destroyed large parts of St. Peter and Comfrey. MPR reporters give updates on aftermath, followed by various interviews and accounts from listeners.
March 31, 1998 - The U-S House today takes up a massive highway funding bill that over the next six years will direct billions of dollars to the states. The bill would provide Minnesota 140-million dollars for special projects like roads, buses and trails. Of that amount, more than half is earmarked for projects in the 8th Congressional District, the District represented by Jim Oberstar, the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation Committee. Constituents credit Oberstar with bringing home the bacon; while critics say he's handing out pork. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher reports from Duluth....
March 31, 1998 - State legislators lost no time responding to Sunday night's storm damage. A Senate committee has already passed one piece of disaster-relief legislation, and more relief is in the works. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Only sixteen hours after the last twister pulled back into the sky, a Senate committee voted for what amounts to a blank check for the devastated communities. The Senate Government Finance Committee approved what legislators call a "placeholder" -- legislation to dole out an unspecified amount of money to local governments in the stricken counties. For now, senators are guessing the state will have to spend $
March 31, 1998 - MPR’s Bill Catlin traces path of the storm that devastated farms and towns in southern Minnesota. Reports includes firsthand accounts of the storm and tornadoes.
March 31, 1998 - Nature photographer Jim Brandenburg created the "Ninety Days Project" to challenge himself, and to reconnect with the wilderness. He will appear tonight at the Bell Museum of Natural History in Minneapolis. His talk and slide show will feature images from the project, which will also be the subject of an upcoming book. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil has this report: One photograph a day for ninety days. That was the task Jim Brandenburg set himself. The results -- all ninety of them -- will appear in a forthcoming book, titled "Chased by the Light." The images first appeared in National Geographic last November. Brandenburg says professional pho
March 31, 1998 - The Minnesota House narrowly voted for a constitutional amendment setting up a permanent trust fund to benefit the state's youngest children. The Senate has passed a similar bill, and if the two houses can negotiate a compromise version, voters will see the proposal on the ballot in November. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: The Legislators behind the Children's endowment live by that familiar bumper sticker slogan, "Kids can't vote, but you can." They argue the Legislature can't be trusted to look out for babies and pre-school-aged kids, because they don't have the kind of clout that business, teachers' unions and other special interest groups do. The measure's chief author in the House, Maplewood DFLer Nora Slawik, says the endowment is especially needed now, as the state's population ages and fe
March 31, 1998 - (For Monday 3/30 M.E.) Saint Paul school district officials turn to the public this week for help in their search for a new superintendent. An advisory committee will host three meetings to give district residents and employees a chance to share their opinions about the district's future leader. Superintendent Curman Gaines announced in January his plans to step down June 30 after eight years on the job. School board members want his successor in place by fall, but they have a lot of work left to find the right candidate. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Compared to last year's superintendent search in Minneapolis, the Saint Paul school board is moving at a snail's pace. The Minneapolis
March 31, 1998 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman provides an on-location report of the tornadoes that destroyed large parts of St. Peter and Comfrey.
March 31, 1998 - MPR’s Mark Steil provides an on-location report detailing the aftermath of tornados that devastated Comfrey, Minnesota.