September 10, 2002 - In the year since the terrorist attacks, thousands of copies of a book by a St. Paul author have made their way to the families of the September 11th victims. The book is called "The Next Place." It's a children's book about dealing with loss and grief.
September 15, 2002 - On this American RadioWorks special radio report, “Nature's Revenge - Louisiana's Vanishing Wetlands” looks at a region of the United States that is crumbling and sinking into the sea. Scientists say it's causing one of the worst and least-publicized environmental disasters in America's history. As Daniel Zwerdling reports for NPR News and ARW, there's a moral to this story: when humans try to outwit nature, it can strike back with a vengeance.
September 17, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on data from the U.S. Census that show the state's Asian population is economically well-off compared to other minority populations in the state. While the 90's were a prosperous time for Minnesota as a whole, the numbers show many minority groups did not prosper as much as their white neighbors.
September 19, 2002 - A three judge panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals convened today in St. Cloud. The judges heard arguments in one of Minnesota's longest-running attempts by a local government to shut down a strip club. The King's Inn has put up a passionate fight over the years to stay in business in Benton County. Their fight has also become an important test for a state law that allows local governments to regulate adult businesses.
September 23, 2002 - Children of immigrants often have trouble fitting into North American culture. Language is at the heart of the problem. Some children of immigrants reject their native language and culture in hopes of fitting in. Parents are concerned that different generations in the family may not be able to speak to each other. They are left with a balancing act of preserving language, while joining the the American melting pot.
September 25, 2002 - Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post profiles Jane Gray Swisshelm, a St. Cloud newspaper editor of the 1850s-1860s with strong opinions. She used her position to fight against slavery and for advancement of women's rights…but while she wrote articles advocating more freedom for some, she also pushed horribly racist views toward Native Americans, such as the complete extermination of the state's Dakota Indian population.
September 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that rankings by the U.S. Census Bureau show members of some immigrant groups in Minnesota remain mired in poverty. While all minorities improved economically during the 1990s, Minnesota has one of the highest percentages of Asians in poverty when compared to other states. The ranking also confirms the widely held belief that there are more Somalis in Minnesota than anywhere else in the US.
September 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes and Brandt Williams report on the tenth anniversary Jerry Haaf murder. The thirty-year police veteran died on the floor of the Pizza Shack restaurant in south Minneapolis after being shot in the back during his morning coffee break. The execution-style shooting remains one of the most shocking acts of violence against an officer in Minneapolis history.
September 27, 2002 - On this Word of Mouth episode, a look at the current environment of poetry. Contains a State of the Arts report with interviews and readings, including Louis Alemayehu reading his poem, Crazy Eyes, No Boundaries.
September 30, 2002 - For the first time in eleven years, the Minnesota Twins head into Major League Baseball's playoffs. The Twins will be underdogs when they open their best-of-five game series with the Western Division champion Oakland A's on the West Coast. Whether they win or lose in the playoffs, 2002 will go down as a landmark season for the Twins.