September 12, 2000 - In Bemidji author Kevin McColley's new novel "The Other Side", a civil war era farm boy flees after killing a local bully in a fight . After drifting for a while, he ends up in Missouri with Quantrill's Raiders, a rag-tag guerilla army involved in brutal attacks against northern civilians. McColley says he'd wanted to write a Civil War novel for a long tine, but only felt he'd found a subject that hadn't been done to death when he ran across accounts of the raiders. His novel, which has now been nominated for a National Book Award, examines how ordinary people can do horrible things. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr he actually finished the book four years ago, but it has taken that long for him to get over the experience of dealing with the subject matter. Kevin McColley's novel "The Other Side" is published by Simon and Schuster. He will read from his book at St Olaf College in Northfield October 11th.
September 4, 2000 - Americans buy nearly thirty million new computers a year. The arrival of the new often means pitching the old. In 1998, about 350,000 p.c.'s became obsolete in Minnesota alone There are a lot of old televisions heading to the landfill too. Both computers and tv's contain cathode ray tubes, the largest source of lead in the waste stream. Cities and states are beginning to worry about what will happen to all the plastic, steel, lead, and heavy metals in electronics products as they reach the end of their useful lives. An innovative Minnesota program is trying to deal with the issue by defining who's responsible for the products we use, even when we decide to throw them away. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
August 16, 2000 - The jury in the Donald Blom kidnapping and murder trial deliberated for four hours last night before retiring for the evening. The jury got the case after hearing several hours of closing arguements from prosecution and defense attorneys Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
August 16, 2000 - Donald Blom is guilty of first degree murder in the killing of Katie Poirier. The jury in the case returned the verdict this afternoon, after debating for a little more than ten hours. Blom now faces an automatic sentence of life without parole: Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill was in the court room in Virginia this afternoon and joins us on the line. Stephanie: describe the scene in the courtroom as the verdict was read. What was Blom's reaction? What happened then? Members of the Poirier family talked with reporters immediately after the verdict. What did they say?
August 9, 2000 -
August 9, 2000 - In a highly unusual move Donald Blom who stands accused of kidnapping and murdering Katie Poirier today took the stand in his own defense. He told the jury he WAS in Moose Lake on the day Katie Poirier disappeared, but said he returned to his home in the Minneapolis suburbs by 9pm, some hours before Poirier was apparently abducted. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill was in the St. Louis County Courtroom in Viriginia, and joins us now. Stephanie, What were the main points of Bloms' testimony ? (Talks about first contact with the police, which set the emotional tone for the rest of the testimony: then he talked about what hapepened on the night of Katie Poiriers disappearance.) Last week the court heard a tape of Blom confessing to killing Katie Poirier. What did he say about that on the stand? When the prosecution attorneys got to cross-examine Blom: what attack did they take?
August 8, 2000 - Testimony continues in the Donald Blom kidnapping and murder trial. Today during the second day of defense witnesses dramatic testimony pointed to another possible suspect in the killing of Katie Poirier.
August 7, 2000 - Environmental questions are seldom simple. A little publicized fight over hydro-electric power in Manitoba is a classic example. Dams built over the last three decades have caused irrevocable change the Manitoba landscape and destroyed the traditional lifestyle of Cree Indians living in the area. Now the demand for electricity is increasing, and one of Manitoba Hydro's biggest customers Northern States Power is considering a new contract. There's a possibility of new dams. Some of the Cree people are campaigning for the removal of hydro power and have enlisted Minnesota activists to help: but as Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky reports they are opposed by members of their own tribe, who say the future lies in embracing the new projects.
August 7, 2000 - Artspace, the company which moved the Schubert Theater across downtown Minneapolis, today revealed a dramatic modern design for a new downtown building. The Schubert Performing Arts and Education Center will stand on Hennepin Avenue between the Schubert at its new location and the Hennepin Center for the Arts, acting as an atrium for both. The three-storey building features two sweeping glass structures that stretch above and around the facade. Architect Joan Soranno of the HGA firm told Minnesota Public Radio's John Bischoff she wanted to capture dance forms in her design. The estimated cost of the project and refurbishing the Schubert is $27 million. Artspace says it has raised a little over $2 million of that so far. You can find pictures of the design for the Schubert Performing Arts and Education Center at the MPR website at www.minnesotapublicradio.org
August 4, 2000 - {Word of Mouth Round Up}