December 20, 2001 - From Nat King Cole asking us to picture "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire" to choirs singing "Handel's Messiah"--the holiday season is a time for traditional music. I sat down with Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music host, Tom Crann, to hear the stories behind a few of those classics and some of his picks for the best of the season: Once again, you can tune into Christmas Day With Tom Crann on Christmas day from 9 to 11 right here on Minnesota Public Radio.
December 19, 2001 - The University of Minnesota has filed a motion it says significantly strengthens its fraud case against former basketball coach Clem Haskins. The University is trying to retrieve at least part of the one-point-five (m) million dollars it paid Haskins to buyout his contract. In documents filed yesterday, the University alleges that academic cheating in the men's basketball department began shortly after Haskins became coach in 1986. That's about seven years before former employee Jan Gangelhoff started writing papers for players. University attorney Lorie Gildae (Gil-DAY) says the new evidence documented in the motion falls into two categories:
November 5, 2001 - Anne Morrow Lindbergh published 13 books, recording her thoughts and experiences in memoirs, essays and poems. But a series of strokes left her unable to write or speak fluently during the last few years of her life. Lindbergh spent those days with her youngest daughter, Reeve, who describes the experience in her new book, "No More Words." She told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham she got the title from one of her mother's poems.
October 2, 2001 - The simple tales told in St. Paul writer Jim Heynen's new collection of short stories may be a good antidote to the horrible news from the sites of the recent terrorist attacks. "The Boys' House" introduces readers to a group of mischevious Minnesota farm boys. The boys rescue pigs from a blizzard, throw tomatoes at passing cars and feed apples to a blind pony. They also build a house out of junk cast aside by adults. Critics have said Heynen's tales are as uniquely American as the writings of Mark Twain.
October 2, 2001 - The simple tales told in St. Paul writer Jim Heynen's (HIGH-nin's) new collection of short stories may be a good antidote to the horrible news from the sites of the recent terrorist attacks. THE BOYS' HOUSE introduces readers to a group of mischevious Minnesota farm boys. The boys rescue pigs from a blizzard, throw tomatoes at passing cars and feed apples to a blind pony. They also build a house out of junk cast aside by adults. Critics have said Heynen's (HIGH-nin's) tales are as uniquely American as the writings of Mark Twain. Heynen (HIGH-nin) told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham, the boys in the book have many adventures.
September 6, 2001 - Short story writer Amy Bloom says she has no trouble getting inside the heads of her characters... even if they lead lives dramatically different than her own. Her latest collection- called "A Blind Man Can See How Much I Love You,"- introduces readers to characters who are confronted with death, cancer, sex, infidelity and love. The title story focuses on a mother coming to terms with her daughter who wants to become a man. Bloom told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham the title comes from her own life:
August 3, 2001 - Thousands of Minnesota Twins fans are heading to Cooperstown, New York, this weekend to watch the induction of former Twins great Kirby Puckett and St. Paul native Dave Winfield into the Baseball Hall of Fame. At least 12 busloads of Twins fans are expected just from Minnesota and Wisconsin. Puckett and Winfield were elected to the hall on their first ballot. Winfield will be inducted as a San Diego Padre --his first major league team. He played for six clubs in all--including two seasons with the Twins. Puckett played his entire career with the Twins. Puckett's attitude and his love for the game won him the admiration of countless fans--including All Things Considered baseball analyst Kevin Hennessey:
July 26, 2001 - We all have them, and some of us leave them behind. FINGERPRINTS. They're said to be as unique as each individual--and no two are alike. A new book "FINGERPRINTS--The Origins of Crime Detection and the Murder Case That Launched Forensic Science" examines the early days of using fingerprints to catch criminals. Colin Beavan's book opens with a description of the 1905 murder of two London shopkeepers. Beavan says the case marked the first time investigators used fingerprints found at the crime scene to identify the killers.
July 26, 2001 - Lawmakers who represent Columbia Heights announced a plan today to keep guns out of the hands of violent offenders forever. Senator Satveer Chaudhary (SAHT-veer CHOD-ree) and Representative Barb Goodwin introduced a state initiative for a lifetime ban on firearms possession at a Capitol press conference. The proposal comes on the heels of last week's shoot out between a convicted double murderer and three police officers. Alledged shooter David Byrne was legally in possession of a number of firearms because he had properly applied to have his civil rights re-instated. He was allowed to do that ten years after completing his prison sentence. This would change under the Chaudhary/Goodwin proposal State Senator Satveer Chaudhary (SAHT-veer CHOD-ree)
July 25, 2001 - A tiny insect is proving to be a big problem for some Minnesota farmers. Native Chinese Aphids are munching their way through soybean fields in the southwest part of the state. Experts aren't sure of the best way to stop them. The aphids, which feed on the juices of the soybean plant, were first found in Minnesota last year in Houston County. Ken Ostlie (AHST-lee) is an entymologist at the University of Minnesota extension service. He says the bugs reproduce at an astounding rate: