January 21, 2003 - The Guthrie Theater's new production of "Mrs. Warren's Profession" forces audiences to consider issues like women's rights, religion, and prostitution. These topics were considered so racy when George Bernard Shaw wrote the play in 1893 that censors in London wouldn't allow it to be staged. When "Mrs. Warren's Profession" opened in New York in 1905, it was viewed as scandalous. I spoke with Catlin O'Conner who plays the title role in the Guthrie production. She says when Shaw penned the play, he was forbidden from even using the word prostitution.
January 23, 2003 - Last fall Olmsted County launched "Somali Meals on Wheels". The Rochester-based program's a spin-off of the traditional Meals on Wheels program, which provides free lunch for those who meet state and federal qualifications. The new version is considered the first of its kind. It offers the same nutrition packed meal but incorporates the distinctive flavors of East African cooking.
January 28, 2003 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich looks at “snow snakes,” an ancient Native American winter sport game that involves a decorated wooden stick (or sometimes bone) and a track of snow and ice.
January 29, 2003 - MPR's Elizabeth Stawicki reports that three Twin Cities-based news organizations are asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to keep open the option for access to documents filed as part of the lawsuit to keep the Minnesota Twins in the Metrodome.
January 31, 2003 - Housing advocates and a group of Minneapolis City Council Members are speaking out against a five-year spending plan scheduled for a vote today. They say the plan abandons promises to help residents most in need---especially those who can't make ends meet enough to afford a place to live. Supporters of the plan, though, say the money is just not there.
February 24, 2003 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on local storyteller Nothando Zulu, and her work during Black History Month. February is the month when all Americans are encouraged to learn more about the culture and history of African Americans. Schools, libraries and other organizations ask African American scholars, artists and professionals to be part of their Black History Month events. Nothando Zulu, hasn't had a day off all month.
February 25, 2003 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on Minneapolis budget cuts. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says proposed cuts in Local Government Aid will cost the city nearly forty-five million dollars over the next two years. Rybak offered a preliminary estimate of how much each department will have to cut from in order to balance the city's budget. The cuts will be deepest in the city departments with the largest budgets: police, fire and public works. Some city officials say they fear these cuts will make it harder for police and fire departments to protect the people of Minneapolis.
March 6, 2003 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports on more than a thousand gay and lesbian Minnesotans appearing at the Minnesota State Capitol to protest a proposal to remove sexual orientation from the state's human rights law. They called the bill mean-spirited. The bill's author says he wants to prevent homosexuality from being taught in the schools.
March 6, 2003 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports on an old business with a new owner. The Renville Locker butchered meat under the same family ownership for 38 years in southwestern Minnesota. Over that time the population of the region has changed, and more change is on the way. There may be no better symbol of the shift than the new face behind the meat market counter.
March 10, 2003 - As part of the series “A Lesson on Learning: Behind No Child Left Behind,” MPR reporter Tim Pugmire reports on the battle over federal and local control over education in K-12 schools.