January 15, 1997 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on the debate over potential removal of the children’s book series “Goosebumps” in some Minnesota school libraries, including titles such as “The Horror at Camp Jellyjam.” The Goosebumps debate began last Spring at Johnsville Elementary School in Blaine.
January 15, 1997 - As part of a series on poverty, MPR’s Stephen Smith reports on low-income housing.
January 16, 1997 - MPR’s John Rabe calls various students (MPR employees' kids) at home to see if they are reading, per Governor Carlson’s guidance, who ordered kids to read books today and report back on their reading in school tomorrow.
January 18, 1997 - The big sports story this week was the "kick felt 'round the NBA." The NBA suspended Chicago Bulls forward Dennis Rodman for at least eleven games for kicking a courtside cameraman in this week's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The suspension will cost Rodman about one million dollars in salary and lost incentives. Weekend Edition Sports Commentator Jay Weiner says in Rodman's case the severe punishment may fit the crime.
January 20, 1997 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire profiles Seed Academy and Harvest Preparatory School, an African American private school in North Minneapolis. The school began in 1985 as a pre-school program in its founders' house. Ten years later there are 300 students enrolled in pre-school through sixth grade.
January 20, 1997 - As urban public schools struggle to increase academic achievement among many poor and minority children, a private school in Minneapolis is succeeding where others have failed. Seed Academy and Harvest Preparatory School began ten years ago as a pre-school program in its founders' house. Today there are 300 students enrolled in pre-school through sixth grade.
January 22, 1997 - MPR's Lorna Benson reports that founders of a new Center for Cross-Cultural Health are hoping to minimize medical anxieties by better preparing Minnesota health care workers trying to deal with a cultural curveball.
January 24, 1997 - The first case of a prostitute suing a customer under Minnesota's Civil Coercion law has been settled. We'll have a report.
January 24, 1997 -
January 25, 1997 - The St. Paul Winter Carnival is underway this weekend. To get in the spirit of winter-mania I decided to try a device relatively new to this area--a Norwegian kicksled. It looks like a dogsled but it runs on calories. About 70-thousand kicksleds are sold in Norway each year. Sue Bittken is an Interpretive Naturlist at the Lowry Nature Center. She says Americans call them kicksleds but Norweigens call them SPARKS.