July 17, 2002 - Ray Crump, former Twins equipment manager and owner of Dome Souvenirs Plus, shares his optimism of the 2002 Minnesota Twins roster. The team has a nine game lead in the division. At this time in 2001, the Twins led the division, only to see that lead disappear as they collapsed in the second-half of the season.
July 23, 2002 - David Thornton, manager of policy and planning at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, discusses the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's issuing of two air pollution alerts already this summer and talks about what causes air pollution and it's impact statewide.
July 24, 2002 - Mark Stutrud, president of Summit Brewing Company; Jeff Lonto, author of "Legend of the Brewery: A Brief History of the Minneapolis Brewing Heritage;" Ted Marty, president of August Schell Brewing Company discuss Minnesota Brewing closures while Grain Belt Premium finds a new home....it's just the latest chapter in a long history of beer brewing in Minnesota. Strutrud, Lonto, and Marty also talk about what brewing has meant to the state and what the future may look like for local breweries.
July 29, 2002 - Former presidential candidate and longtime Minnesota U.S. Senator Eugene McCarthy visits the MPR studios to talk about politics and literature. McCarthy also answers listener questions.
July 29, 2002 - In this short documentary, Narrator Earl Leaf presents various insights on the history of the “poorhouse,” as well as a look into how society treats poor people today, compared to the era of the poorhouse.
August 2, 2002 - St. Paul Pioneer Press sports reporter Gordon Wittenmyer provides commentary on the Minnesota Twins bullpen. Wittenmyer says Eric Milton has been especially strong since the middle of June, but he's always been a dominant player.
August 5, 2002 - Richard Florida says that Husker Du, Jimmy Jam and the Gay Men's Choir have a lot more with economic development in the Twin Cities than you may think. He is the author of The Rise of the Creative Class: And How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life. He's a professor of Economic Development at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. Florida spoke recently at the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce.
August 6, 2002 - Ed Lotterman, a consulting economist; and Jeanne Boeh, chair of the economics department at Augsburg College in Mpls, discuss President Bush signing "fast track" trade legislation and its implications for the US economy.
August 7, 2002 - Pasadena, California may conjure up an image of suburban smog and sprawl these days, but the unique physical and social landscape of the city has been a lure since the beginning of the 20th century. Citrus groves provided employment for thousands, and it was the perfect setting for resorts for the wealthy. Writer David Ebershoff told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann that it was also the perfect setting for his latest novel, named for his hometown, "Pasadena."
August 12, 2002 - Neil Gaiman became the toast of the comic book world with his "Sandman" series. He then became a best selling novelist with his books "Neverwhere" "Stardust" "and "American Gods". Now he has written "Coraline", a horror novel for children. "Coraline" is about a little girl who discovers a malevolent netherworld hidden behind a door in her house. It's ruled by a hideous being known as "the other mother" who kidnaps Coraline's real parents. She then tries to imprison the girls herself. Gaiman, an Englishman who now lives just outside the Twin Cities, says he began writing the novel for his daughter 10 years ago. He followed G.K. Chesterton's admonition that fairy tales are more than true, not because they say dragons exist, but because they say dragons can be beaten.