January 2, 2002 - The Minnesota native, along with Norwegian explorer Liv Arneson will begin a kayak trip in mid-May that will take them from the North Shore of Lake Superior to the St. Lawrence Seaway.
January 3, 2002 - MPR’s Laura McCallum provides a collection of political commentary regarding Governor Ventura’s upcoming final State of the State address of his term. In a break with tradition, Ventura will speak from the Governor's Residence with no live audience present. The governor says he'll focus on the state budget and the projected nearly two-billion dollar deficit.
January 3, 2002 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews political analyst Chris Gilbert about Ventura’s upcoming State of the State speech. In a break from the tradition of giving the speech to a live audience, Ventura has decided instead to speak from his official residence. He is not expected to take questions afterward. Gilbert says tonight's fireside chat format suits Ventura.
January 3, 2002 - Former Minnesota Republican Governor Al Quie joins Gary Eichten in the MPR studios to talk about the State of the State. Governor Ventura gives his state of the state at 6:30 Thursday night--we'll have LIVE coverage with immediate comments from Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum and Senate DFL Majority Leader Roger Moe.
January 4, 2002 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports that the Minnesota Twins may not be a team next year but at least they have a new manager. The team announced third base coach Ron Gardenhire will receive a two year guaranteed contract to replace Tom Kelly, contraction or not.
January 4, 2002 - Governor Ventura is taking offense about Roger Moe's attacks on Ventura's budget, blaming Ventura on a national deficit. MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that Governor Ventura is taking offense about Roger Moe's attacks on Ventura's budget, referring to state's budget shortfall as the "Ventura deficit."
January 4, 2002 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Karen Anderson, mayor of Minnetonka and president of the National League of cities, to get her reaction to Governor Ventura’s State of the State speech that gave broad outlines for his plans to close a projected nearly $2 billion state budget shortfall. He specifically said that aid to local governments is high on his target list for cuts.
January 4, 2002 - On this segment of MPR’s Word of Mouth, host Chris Roberts looks at city politicians and art organizations making a plea for support from Governor Ventura and the Minnesota legislature for funding. MPR’s Laura McCallum also provides a short report.
January 4, 2002 - Minnesota Public Radio's Laura McCallum reports on Governor Ventura’s final State of the State address of his term. He used the speech to provide Minnesotans with his perspective on the state's budget problems. The state faces a nearly two-billion dollar projected budget shortfall. The governor says if the Legislature doesn't act quickly to solve the problem, he'll use his authority to cut government spending.
January 7, 2002 - Retired sports writer and popular Star Tribune columnist Jim Klobuchar talks with Gary Eichten about the Minnesota Vikings.