September 7, 1999 - MPR’s Bill Wareham reviews the Mill City Music Festival, which for the first time, had an “all local” line-up. Wareham discusses perfomance highlights, including Prince, Sugar, Jack McDuff, and Slim Dunlap.
September 13, 1999 - Sports commentator Howard Sinker describes the experience of watching/listening to Minnesota Twins pitcher Eric Milton throw a no-hitter on September 11th, 1999 against the Anaheim Angels.
September 15, 1999 - Presidential hopeful Bill Bradley is in Minneapolis this afternoon to attend a campaign organizing meeting at the Sabathani Center. His opponent, Vice President Al Gore is considered the front runner in the race for the Democratic ticket. But Bradley appears to be close behind. In a statewide poll of New York voters released today Bradley is now in a virtual tie with Gore. The same poll in July had Gore leading Bradley by 18 points. MPR political commentator Sara Stoesz is a democrat who hasn't made up her mind yet about whether to support Bradley or Gore...but she says it's clear Bradley has made big inroads in Minnesota.
October 4, 1999 - A new poll shows Governor Ventura's approval rating has dropped 19 percentage points since July. The Star Tribune poll was taken a few days after release of Ventura's interview with Playboy magazine where he called organized religion a sham and a crutch for weak minded people. The poll shows 54 percent of Minnesotans approve of Ventura's overall job performance, compared with 73 percent last summer. We asked two MPR commentators for their thoughts on the governor's comments. Ken Stewart is a Family Therapist in Roseville.
October 29, 1999 - Commentator Nanci Olesen got a couple of insights about the people who live near her. Olesen shares a Halloween memory, titled “Pumpkin.” It involves a third trimester and a very unique costume.
November 22, 1999 - For more on the design of the Lindbergh terminal, we turn to Michael Schrock. He's a Minneapolis architect who's done some recent work at the terminal, and is also president-elect of the Minneapolis chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
November 25, 1999 - A Thanksgiving Day special, "Giving Thanks: A Celebration of Fall, Food and Gratitude." Produced by MPR's John Birge, it includes a rare recording of actor Charles Laughton, essays by Bill Moyers, Donald Hall and Garrison Keillor, and the music of Aaron Copeland, Vivaldi and more.
November 25, 1999 - It's the time of year for pausing to consider what we are thankful for, which as commentator Nanci Olesen found out, can evoke a range of emotions.
December 21, 1999 - A look at Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol and how it's shaped our view of Christmas and charity. Features a 1940 version of A Christmas Carol featuring Lionel Barrymore as Ebenezer Scrooge. Our review of A Christmas Carol was written and produced by John Rabe, with assistance from Kara Fiegenschuh. It included selections from To Charles, With Love, a special production created and produced by Bridget Carpenter, the NEA-PCG playwright in residence of the Guthrie Theatre. We heard My Carol by Doris Baizley, read by Sue Scott; and excerpts of Octoclaus by Eric Ehn, read by Dan Gorenstein; and A Christmas Golem by David Grimm, read by Steve Yoakam.
December 21, 1999 - It's being billed as the final full moon of the 1900's--bigger and brighter than anything we've seen in 133 years. Tonight and tomorrow's full moon coincides with the winter solstice and happens when the moon is at its closest point to earth, but astronomers aren't hyping this celestial event. John Dickey is a professor of astronomy at the University of Minnesota. He says he's not sure what all the fuss is about.