January 16, 1998 - Music, English, Drama and Religion scholars will gather at Stanford University to deconstruct the work of one of Minnesota's most famous sons, Bob Dylan. The conference is billed as "The First U.S. Bob Dylan Conference" and will focus on Dylan's art and cultural legacy. MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Tino Markworth, organizer of conference.
January 24, 1998 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews Minnesota musician Peter Ostroushko about his new album “Pilgrims on the Heart Road."
January 25, 1998 - Heartache and the minefields of dating are explored in Laura Zigman's humorous new novel ANIMAL HUSBANDRY. The premise of the book comes from a true scientific theory--the Coolidge Effect. This theory is based on the premise that bulls will only mate with a cow once--then they're off to seek a new cow. Zigman stumbled upon the theory as she flipped through science journals while nursing her broken heart. She jokes, if you bring things back to the animal kingdom--dating behavior makes sense. Zigman says her main character--Jane Goodall--is autobiographical.
January 27, 1998 - MPR's Cara Hetland reports from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, where the Minnesota Twins are utilizing a caravan to hopefully draw crowds to ballpark as the team fights for a new stadium… while at the same time cutting team player payroll and dealing with talk of selling/moving team. Players admit it's tough to sell tickets for what may be a lame duck season.
January 27, 1998 - MPR’s Karen Louise Boothe profiles Jesse “The Body” Ventura, who is jumping back into the political ring with his decision to run for governor on a Reform Party ticket. It's hard to pin a label on Ventura. He's not your typical politician.
January 27, 1998 - The Minnesota Department of Transportation has finished testing an automated system for detecting and photographing traffic violations. Minnesota-DOT posted cameras at several intersections in St. Paul, Minneapolis and Bloomington, and used them to track red light runners. The system was also used to monitor the incidence of speeding in work zones and driving around railroad crossing gate arms. We talk with Bob Weinholzer, assistant commissioner at Minnesota-DOT, who prepared the report.
January 28, 1998 - MPR’s Bob Potter talks with Robert Lavenda, anthropologist at Saint Cloud State University and an expert on town festivals in Minnesota, about the origins of the carnival legend.
January 30, 1998 - MPR’s Lorna Benson walks around Rice Park with historian Paul Larson, who speaks about how the Winter Carnival is all about fortitude and making the best of what mother nature hurls our way.
January 30, 1998 - If you're thinking about pyramids and marching elephants right now, you've probably seen one too many productions of the opera "Aida." But the Minnesota Opera's new production includes few of the familiar trappings associated with the work. At a cost approaching one million dollars, "Aida" is the Minnesota Opera's most expensive production ever. It's still the same story, but Artistic Director Dale Johnson told MPR's Bob Potter that the Minnesota Opera tried to breathe new life into the production by going back to the written page.
February 2, 1998 - MPR’s Mary Stucky matches up the content of the State-of-the-State addresses through Governor Arne Carlson’s tenure. His speeches over the years reflect the changing fortunes of the state and ups and downs in Carlson’s relationship with state lawmakers.