October 4, 1999 - It has the power to move people out of their bedrooms and onto the living room couch -- or in some cases even out the door. The authors of a Mayo Clinic study on snoring found that the nightime noise can lead to divorce. It rarely bothers the snorer--it most often bothers their bedpartner. In one of the first studies of it's kind the Mayo Clinic researchers looked into how a snoring spouse effects the sleep of his or her partner. Dr. John Shepard is the medical director of the Mayo Clininc Sleep Disorders Center--and senior author of the study. He says the study looked at ten married couples where the husband was the snorer. He says he found that the wives were semi-awakened 23 times a night due to their snoring spouse, so they were motivated to enroll in the study.
August 24, 1999 - Minnesota author Steve Thayer's new mystery "Silent Snow" takes readers on a bizzare re-creation of one the century's most notorious crimes--the Lindbergh kidnapping. As "Silent Snow" opens, investigative reporter Rick Beanblossom--the hero of Thayer's previous best-selling book the "Weatherman"--is faced with the kidnapping of his own infant son. Beanblossom tries to solve the crime with the help of his wife--a popular Twin Cities news anchor. Through a series of clues they determine the kidnappers are trying to recreate the Lindbergh kidnapping.
August 13, 1999 - Another suspect in the juvenile prostitution ring broken up yesterday turned himself in this morning, bringing the number of people in custody to 10. Federal officials have indicted 15 members and associates of the Evans "Family" for allegedly running a prostitution ring that operated in 24 states and Canada over a period of 17 years. Police say they lured at least 50 women and girls, some as young as 14, into a tortured life of prostitution. Most of the girls and women are from Minnesota. Sargeant Andrew Schmidt of the Minneapolis police worked on the case for two years.
August 13, 1999 - He's been on the job guarding the entrance of the Science Museum of Minnesota for 21-years. Now it's time for him to take some time off and do some sightseeing. Iggy, the 40-foot Iron Iguana, is being hoisted onto a flatbed truck next Wednesday. He's going to stop by the Gillette Children's Hospital, take a drive down the Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis , and eventually settle into his new home at the new science museum overlooking the Mississippi river in St. Paul. Nick Swearer is Iggy's creator. He started building the giant sculpture when he was just 15 years old. I asked Swearer where the inspiration for Iggy came from.
August 12, 1999 - The harsh reality and natural beauty of ranching life is at the center of Minnesota writer Jonis Agee's latest novel "The Weight of Dreams". The book's main character is Ty Bonte--a Nebraska teenager who learns from his alcoholic father that violence is a way of life. Ty and his friend beat up two teenagers from the nearby Rosebud Indian Reservation. He decides to flee his home and the law. The book then follows Ty as he tries to find redemption and a new way of life as a horse trader in Kansas. Author Jonis Agee says the book questions whether Ty can truly find peace.
December 24, 1998 - On this Midday program, a presentation stories of the holiday…including Bob Potter reading "How The Grinch Stole Christmas", Kate Smith reading "The Fir Tree", Dan Olson reading the letter in the Sun Newspaper--"Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus;" the late Dave Moore reading "James Thurber"; and Greta Cunningham reading "A Brooklyn Christmas."
June 10, 1998 - Wally Lamb's HEFTY new book--I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE--centers on a pair of identical twin brothers--Dominick and Thomas Birdsey. Born in the closing moments of 1949 and the opening minutes of 1950--the boys mirror each other physically. But mentally they're quite different. Thomas slips into paranoid schizophrenia while Dominick struggles with depression. Lamb's 900 page book explores life's big issues such as: child abuse, mental illness, AIDS, racism and making peace with the past. His previous book--SHE'S COME UNDONE--shot to number one on the NY TIMES BESTSELLER LIST after Oprah Winfrey selected it for her book group. Wally Lamb told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham he used Hindu myths, Italian history, modern-day psychology and volumes of other books to research I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE.
April 29, 1998 - The book was an accident. "Irish Times" columnist Nuala (NEW-lah) O'Faolain (Oh-FWAY-lawn) was asked to compile some of her best columns in a book. As she sat down to write the introduction to the collection a memoir was born. The resulting book is: ARE YOU SOMEBODY? O'Faolain (Oh-FWAY-lawn) describes herself as a "single, childless, middle-aged woman in a conservative Catholic country." She contends Irish culture deems women are successful if they have strong husbands and a house full of children. O'Faolain (oh-FWAY-lawn) wonders whether a woman with neither spouse nor child can find respect and understanding in Ireland. She tries to answer that question in her book. ARE YOU SOMEBODY? was a best-seller in Ireland for 20 weeks--until Frank McCourt's ANGELA'S ASHES topped the list. O'Faolain (Oh-FWAY-lawn) told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham she thought no one would read the book--in fact the publisher initially printed only 2-thousand copies....
April 16, 1998 - The little girl with the big voice and the ruby slippers is an American icon--but for Lorna Luft, Judy Garland is also "mama." In her new book "Me and My Shadows", Luft chronicles life as Judy Garland's daughter and Liza Minelli's sister. She says about 30 books have been written about her mother and her family--but her book is the only one written by an actual family member.
April 16, 1998 - The little girl with the big voice and the ruby slippers is an American icon--but for Lorna Luft, Judy Garland is also "mama." In her new book ME AND MY SHADOWS Luft chronicles life as Judy Garland's daughter and Liza Minelli's sister. She says about 30 books have been written about her mother and her family--but her book is the only one written by an actual family member. Luft told Minnesota Public Radio's Greta Cunningham--she felt the time was right to tell HER story... Lorna Luft will sign copies of her book ME AND MY SHADOWS at 7:30 tonight.