May 24, 2000 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Walter Mondale, former U.S. ambassador to Japan and former vice-president, on congressional bill that would allow China permit normal trade status. Following Mondale interview, David Foster, director of the NW quadrant of states for the United Steelworkers of America, shares his view on the bill and its impact.
May 24, 2000 - Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger reports that on the Rainy River, the border between Minnesota and Canada, lake sturgeon is rising. Surviving near obliteration by commercial fishing and polluting paper mills, the sturgeon has resurfaced as a gamefish of almost mythical power. With the coming of summer, anglers by the hundreds of thousands are stalking Minnesota's lakes and rivers. Their objective, almost always, are walleye, northern pike, panfish and trout. Yet for a few anglers, a walleye holds no attraction; a twenty-pound northern, no allure; a rainbow trout, no romance…but lake sturgeon is a different matter.
May 24, 2000 - The 400 Bar in Minneapolis is a West Bank institution, with a rock and roll crowd, hot bands, cold beer and almost no one over 30. Now wildly successful bar readings in New York and L.A. are inspiring 400 Bar owner Tom Sullivan--who wonders will it work here?
May 24, 2000 - Memories are easy to come by for anyone who sifts through piles of old family photographs. But what about pictures of people you've never met and places you've never been? For author Lawrence Sutin, these images were even more useful than a family album in sparking his memories. In his new book, "A Postcard Memoir", Sutin relies on 97 antique postcards to help chronicle moments in his life. Sutin says he first began collecting old postcards during the 1970s.
May 25, 2000 - Governor Jesse Ventura stops by MPR to talk with host Midday host Gary Eichten and answer listener call-in questions. Topics include mining, NWA, governmental roles, education, hemp, and trade.
June 13, 2000 - The Victorian grandeur of St. Paul's Summit Avenue and the dusty, noisy sewing rooms of the Pillsbury flour mills provide the backdrop for Minnesota native Mary Sharratt's debut novel "Summit Avenue." Set at the dawn of the first World War, Sharratt's tale follows the experiences of a young German immigrant who travels to America after the death of her mother, in the hopes of creating a better life. Sharratt says this period of American history is particularly interesting because of the many changes in society.
June 27, 2000 - Suzanna Sherry, University of Minnesota constitutional law expert, talks about the key rulings and trends at the U.S. Supreme Court.
June 27, 2000 - On this Voices of Minnesota program, MPR’s Dan Olson profiles two Minnesota musicians - Ann Heymann, gaelic harpist; and Jerry Mayeron, big band leader.
June 28, 2000 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on the second day of Governor Jesse Ventura’s bus tour through northwest Minnesota. The Governor has been drawing big, enthusiastic crowds at every stop. His focus has been partly on recent flooding in the Red River Valley, but he's also been outlining his vision for the future of rural Minnesota.
June 29, 2000 - MPR’s Lynette Nyman details the experience of Hmong veterans and widows of veterans as they start their path to citizenship. The veterans are using a new law which exempts them from the English language requirement for naturalization. Still, it's not a free pass to become an American; rather one with other obstacles.