April 29, 1998 - MPR’s Todd Moe reports on a narration service known as 'audio description' being utilized at the Guthrie Theater. Audio describers provide information on things sighted theatergoers take for granted -- costumes, lighting effects and movement.
April 29, 1998 - Each day there's another boarded up window reglazed after nailed into place in Saint Peter. But complete recovery from the tornado last month is a long way off. While many residents are concerned with the immediate work... some are looking to the longer term future. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports. The clean-up was easy. Hundreds of people from all over the state came to cart away the debris from the streets of Saint Peter. It happened so fast people were shocked the city looked so good so soon after the tornado. But clean-up is not rebuilding, and that is what Saint Peter
April 29, 1998 - What is organic food? That question is at the heart of a fight between the U.S. Agriculture Department and organic farmers. New rules proposed by USDA leaves open the chance "organic" may include genetically modified food and items currently banned from carrying the label. A public comment period on the nation's first organic standard ends Thursday (April 30). Thousands have commented, a majority oppose a broad definition of "organic". Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports. : Most of the nation's organic farmers agree some sort of national definition of organic is needed. Right now organic is whatever individual state or private agencies say it is and that varies a great deal. Far
April 30, 1998 - Chris Farrell, MPR's Senior Business and Economics Editor, and V.V. Chari, University of Minnesota Economics professor, examine the stock market and concern of a "the bubble economy." Farrell and Chari also answer listener questions. Program begins with a brief report on definition and example of a “bubble market.”
April 30, 1998 - Martin Sampson, University of Minnesota Political science professor; Ido Oren, an Israeli citizen and University of Minnesota International Relations professor; and Miriam Kluska, who is in Tel Aviv, discuss Israel’s 50th Anniversary. Program begins with a report by NPR’s Linda Gradstein on the celebration taking place in Israel.
April 30, 1998 - This year's eighth graders scored better than those of years past on the Basic Skills Tests in reading and math. The tests are Minnesota's first step toward tough graduation standards. The class of 2000 must pass the tests to get a diploma. A passing grade is 75-percent or better. State officials say the scores show schools are making needed improvements but there is a lot of work yet to do. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports... Statewide, 68-percent of the 8th graders tested in February passed the basic skills reading test, up from 59-percent last year. In the math test, 71-percent passed, up just one percent from a year ago. Bob W
April 30, 1998 - A new government report says teen birth rates have declined in Minnesota and the nation as a whole in the first half of this decade. Minnesota participated in the trend and historically has teen birth rates significantly lower than the nation's as a whole. However, African American teen pregnancy rates in Minnesota are among the highest in the nation. Those numbers are NOT declining, even though THEY ARE nationally. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports: Teen birth rates declined from 1990 to 1996 nationally, to about 55 per one thousand 15 to 19 year old females. IN the first half of the 90's Minnesota's teen birth rate dropped 13 percent, a bigger drop than the national decline of 8 and a half percent. Rebecca Wright saw some of the trends a
April 30, 1998 - We've all been children once, but sometimes it's difficult to remember exactly what it was like to be nine years old. It's an age when kids are trying to understand the confusing language and rules of adults while constantly being thrust into new situations. It's frustrating when things don't make sense, and aren't fair. Author Nicholson Baker, who is often intrigued by things most of us overlook, decided to capture the essence of being nine years old, but he knew he wasn't qualified to do it. So he turned to his real-life daughter Alice. He carefully jotted down her many adventures, real and imagined, as she adjusted to a new school in England. The result is the book "The Everlasting Story of Nory." --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 6123 | TIME: 7:18 | OUTCUE: "...new duties in the offing." ------------------------------------------
April 30, 1998 - Much of the dispute in the trial has focused on what it's cost the state and insurance companies to treat people with smoking related illnesses. Health workers who work with smokers say they're glad the trial is taking place regardless of the outcome because more people are thinking about the effects of smoking. They say it's also important to hear the stories of real people whose lives have been affected by smoking. Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe has the story of a woman from Rochester.
April 30, 1998 - Advances in medicine give physicians better tools to heal the sick, but some patients feel their humanity gets overlooked by doctors focused on equipment, medication, and the pressure to see more patients. Studies show a relationship between faith and health. In the final story in our series on religion in everday life, Minnesota Public Radio's Brent Wolfe reports many medical schools are teaching doctors how to use spirituality as another tool to heal.