December 13, 2002 - The pressure pattern at higher latitudes has had more to do with our weather this fall than El Nino. Indices of atmospheric pressure such as the Arctic Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, and Pacific North American pattern all favored periodic intrusions of polar air over Minnesota. These have been very evident on numerous days. Minnesota has reported the lowest temperature in the contiguous 48 states this fall on the following dates.....
December 10, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews W. Harry Davis, prominent local civil rights activist and educator, about his autobiography, entitled "Overcoming." In it, he describes growing up in poverty, helping found the Minneapolis Urban Coalition, running a local Golden Gloves Boxing organization and serving on the Minneapolis School Board for 20 years.
December 9, 2002 -
December 6, 2002 - I will be calling in from Finland, MN on Friday morning since I am attending a meeting of snow observers up there ..also I am stopping in on the Wurzers at Knife River to talk about making snow observations there......
November 29, 2002 - MPR's Morning Edition, November 29, 2002 Many cold temperatures, below zero and single digit overnight readings, accelerated the freezing of soil and lakes around the region this week. Embarrass, MN reported a morning low of -17 degrees F on Tueday, November 26, the coldest reading in the 48 contiguous states that day.
November 28, 2002 - Today is the twentieth anniversary of what was then the costliest office building fire in U.S. history. It was Thanksgiving Day, 1982, when a fire destroyed the Northwestern National Bank in downtown Minneapolis. The bank would later change its name to Norwest, and then again to Wells Fargo. Despite the fire, banking customers were able to do their business the next day through branch offices. Joining us on the line is Bob Seeger, the Chief Architect for Wells Fargo Bank, who worked for the bank that night 20 years ago.
October 29, 2002 - Artists, art lovers and art critics all have reputation for being, well, a little snobbish, self-involved, you know what I mean. In an act of great self awareness, a group of artists have put on a new musical that takes a long, hard, yet hilarious look at the artistic life. Halfcast Productions presents "Artist in Trouble," a musical satire of the business of art and the various characters involved.
October 11, 2002 - 150 years ago this week the Rock Island Line departed from Chicago on its maiden voyage. Over the next 50 years, the Rock Island Line would extend through 14 states and play a big role in the settlement of the West. Then it would inspire a song that would travel around the world. A documentary airing today at noon traces the history of the railroad and the song and how they fit into the story of America. In this excerpt, reporter Jim Bickal tells how the song was first discovered in a southern prison.
October 4, 2002 - Topic: Warm start to the week Much like the first week of the month, the last day of September (Monday the 30th) brought record warmth to many parts of the state. The following record high temperatures were reported..... Rochester 86 F (tied 1952) Benson 88 F (tied 1976) Owatonna 88 F Red Wing 86 F Moose Lake 82 F (tied 1976) Many other locations reported temperatures in the 80s F, though not record-setting. Topic: One of the wettest growing seasons..... May through September, the primary growing season for Minnesota gardeners and farmers, was one of the wettest in history for many locations. In fact, statewide many communities reported well over 25 inches for the period. The Twin Cities reported 28.52 inches of rainfall, the 2nd wettest ever growing season (1892 was 31.42 inches). Crookston in the Red River valley reported over 24 inches of growing season rainfall, their 2nd wettest in history, while Rosemount in Dakota County reported 30.10 inches, also their 2nd wettest growing season. Topic: Paper airplanes galore!! An article in the American Meteorological Society Bulletin describes an event that took place in Oklahoma this year to promote the study of aerodyanamics and the upper atmosphere. Organized by Takeoff Technologies in Pomona,
October 4, 2002 - 3M, one of the country's biggest manufacturers, is about to expand into the service industry. The idea is to sell contracts to customers who buy products that need ongoing services. 3M's CEO James McNerney's (mick-NER-knee's) new strategy could add a whole new dimension to the 16 billion dollar company. 3M's move is the topic of an article in this week's edition of "The Business Journal." Reporter Sam Black, who wrote the article, says the company is looking to develop ongoing relationships with its customers.