July 8, 2005 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich takes a behind-the-scenes look at an area firm developing a Taco Johns national ad campaign…which includes a 19-year-old Capuchin monkey.
July 11, 2005 - MPR's Bianca Vazquez Toness reports on scouting and its appeal to Muslim girls. The scouts are adapting, changing their ways to attract and keep girls who haven't traditionally joined a troop, including the children of immigrants.
July 13, 2005 - Heather Barringer of Zeitgeist has a not-so-secret confession…she is a headbanger, and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir” holds a special place in her heart.
July 13, 2005 - Seventy five year ago, Sinclair Lewis became the first American to win the Nobel Prize in literature. He traveled the world and was welcomed in the most distinguished of literary circles. Yet he referred to himself as "Sauk Center in a Saville Row suit." Lewis grew up in the central Minnesota town of Sauk Center. His fictional town of Gopher Prairie is said to be based on it. Lewis said "to understand America, it is merely necessary to understand Minnesota." A new collection of his stories is out, and they may help readers better understand Minnesota. Sally Parry, executive director of the Sinclair Lewis society, edited the book, "The Minnesota Stories of Sinclair Lewis"". She's in Minnesota for Sinclair Lewis Days in Sauk Center, including a conference on his works. She says Lewis had a love/hate relationship with his home state.
July 13, 2005 - MPR’s Marianne Combs reports that The MacPhail Center for Music is building a new home in Minneapolis…and a new future while breaking down old walls. MacPhail unveiled the design for an expanded music education center in the Mill District, in what's becoming a new cultural corridor.
July 15, 2005 - Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports that many farmers in northwest Minnesota aren't sure how much longer they can hang on after several years of crop failure. Minnesota Farm Service Agency officials are adding up the damage from wet fields in northern and western Minnesota. A report will go to Governor Pawlenty in preparation for seeking a federal disaster declaration.
July 15, 2005 - MPR's Brandt Williams reports on the Minnesota Twins loss in the first game of the second half of the season, falling to the Los Angeles Angels 3-2 at the Metrodome. The loss puts the Twins 10 games behind the division leading Chicago White Sox.
July 19, 2005 - The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra concertmaster Steven Copes usually turns on the CD player in the car or when he's cooking a meal for friends at home. He's drawn to music that has a lot of rhythm, and artists with very distinctive voices, including blues artist Sun House.
July 19, 2005 - Kasit Piromya, Thailand's ambassador to the United States, visited with St. Paul mayor Randy Kelly and Twin Cities area business groups to talk about health care and the medical device industry. Ambassador Piromya says Minnesota medical products can help Thailand achieve some long-term goals.
July 20, 2005 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on a recent discovery 400ft below the surface of Lake Superior…the Benjamin Noble, a ship lost with all 20 crewmen, back in 1914. It disappeared into the depths of the lake during an April storm, and it's been the target of numerous unsuccessful searches over the years.