October 1, 1998 - Midday presents the first general election gubernatorial debate, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, and broadcast from Brainerd Community College. Norm Coleman, Republican candidate; Skip Humphrey, DFL candidate; and Jesse Ventura, Reform candidate, participated in debate. Topics include state surplus, taxes, healthcare, agriculture, education, and stadium funding.
October 1, 1998 - Leaders of the Hmong community are asking state lawmakers to help stop a pattern of violence in their community. There have been a number of high profile crimes against Hmong women and children recently that have shaken the community of forty-thousand. Yesterday, about 30 Hmong professionals met with lawmakers to see what government support is available to prevent further violence. DFL state representative Andy Dawkins represents the frogtown neighborhood of St. Paul where many Hmong people live. Dawkins says the Hmong are a "hurting community" and yesterday's meeting was a first step.
October 1, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports on an accordian “jam session” in front of Mahler Music Center on Randolph Avenue in St. Paul.
October 2, 1998 - Father Robert Drinan, former Massachusetts Congressman, and Elizabeth Holtzman, former New York Congresswoman, share insights into the presidential impeachment process. Both were members of the House Judiciary Committee which investigated President Nixon. Drinan and Holtzman also answer listener questions.
October 2, 1998 - Childhood memories can be at times a comfort or sometimes a scourge. However there is no real guarentee they are ever accurate. Canadian author Andre Alexis, who was born in Trinidad, explores how time and circumstances can change how and what we remember. Alexis told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr his novel Childhood is quite different from more famous literary accounts of childhood.
October 5, 1998 - David and Daniel Kamish, father and son writing team discuss their book "The Night the Scary Beasties Popped Out of My Head." Their work will also be featured in an art exhibit at the Children's Museum, opening October 31st.
October 6, 1998 - Rod Grams, Minnesota Republican U.S. Senator, discusses his plan for phasing out social security with IRA style personal retirement accounts and welfare style federal safety net. The proposed bill is called “The Personal Security and Wealth and Retirement Act.” Grams also answers listener questions. Toward end of program, Virginia Reno, Director of Research for National Academy of Social Insurance, shares details on subject of Social Security reform.
October 7, 1998 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls. In this first hour of program on Minnesota's wetlands and waterfowl, Rachel Reabe interviews Tim Bodeen, director of the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center; Kevin Brennan, member of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife; and Dr. Jay Leitch, economist at North Dakota State University. The group discuss Minnesota's vanishing wetlands, actions being taken to protect them, and educating the public about the wetlands.
October 7, 1998 - A Mainstreet Radio special broadcast from the Prairie Wetlands Learning Center in Fergus Falls. In this second hour of program on Minnesota's wetlands and waterfowl, Rachel Reabe hosts a discussion on hunting in the wetlands with Doug Wells, wildlife manager at the Fergus Falls office of Natural Resources; and Tom Brimhall, chairman of the local Ducks Unlimited. Reabe then interviews John House, wildlife artist, and winner of DNR duck stamp contest.
October 7, 1998 - With the opening of Minnesota’s sixty-day duck season, Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson spent a few hours in a duck blind near Fergus Falls and filed this report. Minnesota has more waterfowl hunters than any place in the nation. Some 130,000 duck hunters are expected to shoot 800,000 ducks in two months.