May 28, 2002 - The number of reported lyme disease cases last year fell just short of the record set the previous year. The state Health Department recorded 461 cases last year, four fewer than in 2000. Only 5-20 percent of deer ticks actually carry lyme disease. Dave Neiztel is an epidemiologist with the Health Department. He attributes the record and near record years to warm weather that encouraged more people to spend more time outdoors.
May 16, 2002 - Children's book author Mary Casanova was inspired to write her new book after spending time with eagle researchers on Minnesota's Rainy Lake. "When Eagles Fall" introduces young-adult readers to 13-year -old Alex. She's an angry girl sent to live with her father in Minnesota's north woods. Alex is dealing with the death of her younger brother, her parent's separation and typical teenage growing pains. Alex's emotions get the best of her as she defies her father and sets out on an adventure to save a baby eagle.
May 16, 2002 - Children's book author Mary Casanova was inspired to write her new book after spending time with eagle researchers on Minnesota's Rainy Lake. "When Eagles Fall" introduces young-adult readers to 13-year -old Alex. She's an angry girl sent to live with her father in Minnesota's north woods. Alex is dealing with the death of her younger brother, her parent's separation and typical teenage growing pains. Alex's emotions get the best of her as she defies her father and sets out on an adventure to save a baby eagle. Mary Casanova told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham Alex is a good kid who takes a turn and winds up in trouble.
April 24, 2002 - **NOTE--This is NOT converted--in an edit session** Edna O'Brien's latest novel, "In the Forest," is causing an uproar in her native Ireland. The book is based on a real life triple homicide that terrorized a O'Brien spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham about "In the Forest." O'Brien grew up in the same county where the murders took place and says a trip home prompted her to write this story.
January 21, 2002 - As a young boy growing up in Duluth, Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Director Rex Levang listened to broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera and dreamed of being a contestant on the Opera's Quiz. Well, his dream came true, as Rex was part of a panel of opera fans who answered questions sent in by listeners and crafted by the Quiz Master. He recounts his experience with MPR’s Greta Cunningham.
January 21, 2002 - What if you could remember everything that's ever happened to you--the good and the bad. That's the premise of Minnesota-born author Anne Ursu's new novel "Spilling Clarence." The book centers on the psychological reactions that afflict the residents of Clarence, Minnesota after a leak at a psychopharmaceutical factory spills a drug into the atmosphere. One by one, the residents are traumatized by memories of the past. Anne Ursu says the idea to write a novel focusing on memory was a happy accident.
January 18, 2002 - Minnesota's climate is nothing if not extreme. The state seems to see it all including blizzards, floods, drought, and tornadoes. The new "Weather Permitting" exhibit at the Minnesota History Center explores how Minnesotans have experienced weather over the past decades. The exhibit is expected to be on display for five years and features artifacts, hands on activities and fun weather facts. I toured "Weather Permitting" with the exhibit's curator--Loris Sofia Gregory. She says the exhibit was a natural given Minnesota's diverse climate:
January 17, 2002 - MPR’s Greta Cunningham interviews conductor Nicholas McGegan as he prepares The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra for their performance of George Frideric Handel's "Gloria in Excelsis Deo," a piece that had been lost and wasn't performed for more than 300 years.
January 16, 2002 - The Minnesota History Center has kicked off a film series exploring the lives of women who live in Islamic countries. The documentary films explore a similiar theme--women struggling to find their place in a restrictive society. With one exception the films are directed by Islamic women. The History Center's Danielle Dart was in charge of choosing four films to screen from a catalog of 25. She says she picked films that highlighted a wide range of experiences.
January 15, 2002 - A proposal for two new stadiums will be voted on this year, but there is concern that there is only a vague proposal about how the stadiums will be funded. MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on debate going on within Stadium Task Force.