February 11, 2002 - Rob Horton is 12 years old and lives with his father at the Kentucky Star Hotel in Lister, Florida. Ever since his mother died six months ago, he has a sadness so big he imagines that he can stuff it in a suitcase. He has a secret too, would you believe a real tiger locked in a cage in the woods? You'll find out more about Rob Horton, his sadness and his secret when you read "The Tiger Rising" nominated for a National Book award for children's literature and our next selection for Talking Volumes, the joint book club of MPR, the Loft Literary Center and the Star Tribune. Kate DiCamillo is the author of The Tiger Rising. She has a flair for children's stories that involve animals, her first book, Because of Winn-Dixie, featured a friendly dog and got a friendly nod from critics and librarians who gave it a Newbery honor award.
February 12, 2002 - As part of the American RadioWorks project called "Radio Fights Jim Crow," MPR’s Brandt Williams talks with older African Americans in Minnesota about their memories of segregation in the feature “Up South.”
February 13, 2002 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews Minneapolis musician and composer Andrew Broder about CD “The Fog.” Broder talks of his craft and use of a turntable as an instrument.
February 14, 2002 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles acclaimed playwright Lee Blessing's new play Thief River, which portrays two gay men growing up in rural Minnesota who choose very different paths in life. Over the next fifty years they remain in contact; their experiences reflect the changing attitudes toward homosexuality in America.
February 18, 2002 - LaVelle Neal, who covers the Minnesota Twins for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, talks about spring training from Fort Myers, Florida. The team survived Major League Baseball's off-season talk of contraction this year, thanks in part to a decision by the Minnesota courts that requires the team to honor its lease at the Metrodome. Still, it's a strange year for the Twins, who could be playing their last season.
February 19, 2002 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews co-author Paul Larson about "Cap Wigington: An Architectural Legacy in Ice and Stone," a Minnesota Historical Society publication. In interview, Larson highlights accomplishments of the noted African American architect.
February 19, 2002 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports how the use of technology is helping to make planting crops a precise science. Instead of kicking back during the winter, many farmers are now keeping busy…at the computer. They’re using global positioning systems to do what’s called "precision agriculture," which uses satellite coordinates to help map their fields.
February 19, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley tagged along on a recent tour Grand Meadow's dome schools in southeastern Minnesota. The 96,000 square foot school is touted as the largest of its kind in the country and will serve about 365 students in preschool through 12th grade.
February 19, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews author Paul Nelson about his book "Fredrick L. McGee: A Life on the Color Line."
February 25, 2002 - One place that's never been popular for sailing or cruising is the North Shore of Lake Superior. The big lake is famous for its sudden storms. MPR's Stephanie Hemphill reports that local boaters have been pushing the state to build safe harbors along the rocky North Shore. Duluth City Council looks at a plan for a harbor that's created its own storm of controversy.