October 13, 2000 - Hundreds of mourners came to St. Paul to pay a final tribute to Bruce Vento, who passed away on October 10th, 2000. The former school teacher and twelve-term Congressman was hailed as a champion of the environment, the working class, and the needy. Vento died at the age of 60 from a rare form of lung cancer, as a result of exposure to asbestos.
October 18, 2000 - Clyde Bellecourt, co-founder of the American Indian Movement, discusses his views on voting in U.S. government elections.
October 18, 2000 - MPR’s Katherine Lanpher talks with highly acclaimed gay poet and memoirist Mark Doty. The two discuss his second memoir “Firebird.” Doty reads from his book.
October 19, 2000 - From Bob Dylan, to Prince, to the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota has a long and varied musical tradition. An exhibit opening this weekend at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul takes a look at that tradition.
October 30, 2000 - MPR’s Bob Reha profiles William "Jack" Jackson, a North Dakota author who travels around gathering strange stories…like a dogfight with a UFO over Fargo, finding the back door to hell, and meeting a ghost named Sophie.
November 2, 2000 - Senator and former presidential candidate talks about presidential candidate Ralph Nader and Democrats.
November 10, 2000 - Mainstreet Radio’s Mark Steil presents a special report on The Armistice Day Blizzard. Steil talks with meteorologist Paul Douglas on how the storm formed and interviews numerous survivors who recollect on their experiences in the infamous storm.
November 10, 2000 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill profiles Frank Kutka and his farm near Mahtowa, about an hour south of Duluth. Kutka is experimenting with corn from all over the world to create a variety that will grow up north. His work is attracting attention around the country, and experts are hoping it may result in new crops that will help marginal farms.
November 10, 2000 - It's an event that's a part of Great Lakes lore. On November 10, 1975, The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the biggest, fastest, and most powerful iron ore carriers at the time, sank in a fierce storm on Lake Superior. All 29 crew members went down with the ship. MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Captain Dudley Paquette, the last living captain who sailed on Lake Superior during the infamous storm.
November 10, 2000 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews meteorologist Mark Seeley about the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940. The storm brought strong winds which averaged over 25 mph for a 24-hour period and gusted over 60 mph. Rain turned to sleet and snow in the late morning on November 11th, and worsened to blizzard conditions very rapidly, as snowfall rates approached 4 inches per hour. The air temperature fell by as much as 40 degrees over 24 hours and inch thick ice coated poles and phone lines, breaking many of them. 49 Minnesotans perished; many duck hunters caught off-guard by the storm.