September 7, 1998 - On this special Midday program at the Minnesota State Fair, MPR’s Gary Eichten chats with Howard Sinker, sports analyst and state news editor for Star Tribune. Sinker discusses homerun derby, performance enhancing drugs, and new Vikings season.
September 7, 1998 - MPR's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji, where It's harvest time for wild rice in Minnesota, and nowhere is the season more important than on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. The reservation has more than 6,000 acres of wild rice beds within its boundaries.
September 7, 1998 - The last day of the Minnesota State Fair is more than just one last opportunity to walk around in public eating fried cheese on sticks. Today is the culmination of the 4-H livestock competitions, when all the prize-winning animals go up for auction. The bids are well above market price, and the money is split between local charities and the 4-H kids who raised the winning animals.
September 7, 1998 - Labor Day marks the end of the Minnesota State Fair. If you got a chance to walk around Machinery Hill this year, you probably noticed lawmowers have replaced many of the tractors. Farm equipment that might have been state of the art at past fairs is now on display at the Old Iron Show, a farm antique show. MPR’s Lorna Benson takes a stroll through Machinery Hill with Michael Dregni, editor of "This Old Tractor."
September 7, 1998 - Readers of the Douglas Wood best-selling fable "Old Turtle" know the work of Duluth artist Cheng-Khee Chee, who brought the book's world to life with stunning watercolors. Since the book's publication in 1992, Chee has been wined and dined by the publishing industry, but has yet to accept any more commissions. Instead, these days he is working on his own, painting full time and teaching, as he always has, about the creative act.
September 8, 1998 - Skip Humphrey, Minnesota attorney general and Democratic-Farmer-Labor gubernatorial candidate, talks with MPR’s Gary Eichten about the issues in the campaign. Topics include latest polls, taxes, education, stadium debate, and conceal and carry laws. Humphrey also answers listener questions.
September 8, 1998 - MPR’s Amy Radil reports that Duluth's Lake Superior Zoo is on the lookout for Mel, a kangaroo that jumped the zoo's 8-foot fence Saturday morning. West Duluth residents have called in a few sightings, but zookeepers have yet to lay hands on their missing marsupial. Zoo visitors pursued him, but kangaroos can hit 45 miles an hour, and Mel soon vanished down a bike trail.
September 8, 1998 - As part of a series of stories following the path of the "Father of Waters,” aka the Mississippi River, Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson has this Mainstreet report on the river's first city…Bemidji.
September 9, 1998 - As part of a series of stories following the path of the "Father of Waters,” aka the Mississippi River, Minnesota Public Radio's Kathryn Herzog has this Mainstreet report on the efforts being made to protect the health of the Mississippi…including the River Defense Network.
September 10, 1998 - Midday presents a broadcast of the Minnesota Citizens' Forum “job interview” from the Minnesota State Fair, with two candidates for Governor…Jesse Ventura of the Reform Party; and Norm Coleman of the Republican Party.