December 21, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the lefse industry in Minnesota.
December 21, 1998 - Low crop prices, a decrease in land values and poor export markets are creating a new farm crisis. In the 1980s, farmers experienced several years of the same... and as a result, Congress added a chapter to the bankruptcy code giving farmers more negotiating tools with lenders and more options to stay in business. By April, lawmakers will decide whether or not to keep the Chapter 12 provision alive in the bankruptcy code. In this first of three reports, Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland looks at farm bankruptcy provision... and whether Chapter 12 works, or delays the inevitable. OUT COPY:
December 21, 1998 - The cold weather has settled in just in time for the official start of winter. The winter solstice is today, it marks the exact moment the earth starts to tilt back towards the sun. For those of us in the norhtern hemisphere, this means we'll begin to see longer hours of daylight. The Minneapolis Planetarium is marking the occasion with a special celebration tonight. Bob Bon-a-DUR is the Director of the planetarium. He says people have been celebrating the solstice for most of recorded history: Bob Bon-a-DUR is director of the planetarium. Tonight's celebration began at 5 o'clock. Shows will run every half hour until 8 p-m, with a fireworks display to mark the official moment of the solstice at 7:56.
December 21, 1998 - THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS' BEST-EVER SEASON GOT EVEN BETTER LAST NIGHT (SUN) WITH THEIR FIFTY-TO-TEN THRASHING OF THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS. WITH ONLY ONE REGULAR-SEASON GAME REMAINING, THE VIKINGS ARE NOW ASSURED OF FINISHING THE YEAR WITH THE BEST RECORD IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL CONFERENCE ... AND THAT MEANS THEY WILL ENJOY THE HOME-FIELD ADVANTAGE IN THE N-F-C PLAYOFFS. MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO'S WILLIAM WILCOXEN HAS THIS REPORT... --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 5286 | TIME: 3:15 | OUTCUE: standard. --------------------------------------------------------- THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS REALLY ARE A GOOD TEAM -- THE BEST IN THEIR DIVISION, IN FACT. BUT THEY MAY NEED A REMINDER OF THAT AFTER LOSING BY FORTY POINTS TO THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS. THE BLOWOUT VICTORY WAS THE VIKINGS' FOURTEENTH WIN THIS YEAR COMPARED WITH ONLY ONE LOSS. THAT RECORD PUTS THIS YEAR'S VIKINGS IN
December 22, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio’s Kathryn Herzog on rural gang activity in Foley, Minnesota. Herzog interviews a school principal, a health consultant, and a group of students about the issue.
December 22, 1998 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports on the people behind the balsam boughs in Minnesota.
December 22, 1998 - In the next couple of months farmers around the region will be asking bankers for money to plant next years crop. Nationally, the Farm Credit System reports more than one billion dollars in bad farm loans this year. In Northwestern Minnesota, some experts say 60 percent of farmers may not qualify for financing next year. That's causing sleepless nights for farmers and lenders. Minnesota Public Radios Dan Gunderson talked to one lender on the front line.
December 22, 1998 - The Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis is taking steps to broaden its mission beyond its longtime role as purveyor of the classics. The Guthrie has appointed a well known figure in the New York theater world as "artistic advisor", to help it focus on living writers and contemporary work. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts has more.
December 22, 1998 - Productions of "A Christmas Carol" are a holiday staple, most notably in Minnesota at the Guthrie Theater. For the last two years, visitors to the St. Paul Hotel have been going directly to the source to get their annual dose of Charles Dickens' classic tale, or at least to the great great grandson of the source. Gerald Charles Dickens is winding up a 43-day American tour, performing his great great grandfather's work while his audience sips an afternoon tea, or digs into an evening feast. Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts met up with the present-day Dickens this afternoon....
December 22, 1998 - For the past two days, a Worthington grocery store has sold pork for 30 cents a pound to protest the low prices paid to pork farmers. That's about a dollar cheaper per pound than usual. Hog producers are weathering the lowest prices in decades because there is a huge oversupply of pork on the market. Manager of the County Market in Worthington, Scott Anderson, says consumer demand for pork HAS remained high ... but even he was surprised at how many people were willing to brave the cold temperatures to buy drastically reduced pork. Scott Anderson is Manager of the County Market in Worthington. He says the grocery store basically broke even on the pork sale.