September 27, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the the story of a woman who had mixed success as a novelist but eventually found her voice in the character of Betsy, whose antics and adventures mirrored Maud's real-life childhood in Mankato at the turn of the century.
September 27, 1999 - You don't have to get up at three in the morning and squeeze into a pair of long johns to go deer hunting anymore. Hunters are now stalking deer and other animals on their computers. As Minnesota Public Radio's Jon Gordon reports, a Twin Cities software company leads the way in virtual hunting and fishing.
September 27, 1999 - Ron Offutt, aka Sultan of Spuds & the Lord of the Fries, grows more potatoes than anyone else in the world, and the potatoes are perfect for French fries. But his success has a price. Growing the perfect French fry has an environmental downside, as people in small towns near Offutt's potato farms have learned to their dismay.
September 28, 1999 - MPR's Mindy Ratner checks in from China and discusses how the government is beautifyingthe city in prepartion for the 50th anniversary of the advent of communism.
September 28, 1999 - The Minnesota Orchestra has won a critical state variance for its proposed 23-million dollar amphitheater in Brooklyn Park. The citizen's board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency voted today to exempt a handful of neighboring properties from state noise laws. The variance was one of the last major hurdles for the project, which has been contentiously debated for a year and a half. Opponents are now promising to take their fight to court.
September 28, 1999 - Ron Offutt, aka Sultan of Spuds & the Lord of the Fries, grows more potatoes than anyone else in the world. The potatoes are perfect for French fries for fast food chains like McDonald's and frozen French fry processors like JR Simplot and Ore Ida. But Offutt’s success has a downside. Many people who live near Offutt's potato farms worry about the pesticides sprayed on his fields.....but they soon find they're up against a system much bigger than they are.
September 29, 1999 - In this audio segment, Garrison Keillor gives an acceptance speech after receiving a National Humanities Medal. At an event sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Keillor talks about the difference between being a writer and hosting A Prairie Home Companion.
September 29, 1999 - Its a good time to be a non-profit in Minnesota. A new study shows foundations and companies in the state increased their charitable giving by 57 percent between 1994 and 1997. That rate is nearly double the national average. Jakie Reis is the President of the Minnesota Council on Foundations, the organization that released the report. She says its not surprising Minnesotans are so eagar to give.
September 29, 1999 - It's been six months since state and federal fisheries experts signed a historic agreement with the Red Lake Indian Reservation to collaborate on a long-term recovery plan for walleye on the upper and lower Red Lakes. Now, biologists say the stocking program on the Red Lakes appears to be working, even as new possibilities are explored.
September 29, 1999 - There's an urban forest just minutes from downtown St Paul -- where a group of teens have been working to restore the native ecosystem. In addition to its natural beauty, the area ---called Swede Hollow--- has historical importance as home to a succession of immigrants. The teens worked with enviornmental artist Chris Baumler.