June 12, 1998 - This weekend a music festival touted as the nation's largest outdoor vocal music concert makes its premiere in Central Minnesota. BIG SING U.S.A. is a two-day celebration of a capella music featuring national headliners including "The Bobs" and "Rockapella". Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann talked to two local groups showcasing their talent at the festival. The words "a capella" typically conjure images of barbershop quartets or four guys on a street corner, harmonizing 50's hits. But the style has moved far beyond its early roots. 90's Acapella groups blend ethnic rhythms, jazz harmonies and vocal percussion to create a decided
June 2, 1998 - The Who's Song "My Generation" spoke for many baby boomers in the sixties, who couldn't envision the day when they'd be their parents' age. Thirty years on.... it's happened. According to the American Association of Retired People, one person every eight seconds turns 50 in the United States. Over time, the impact of baby boomer numbers has changed schools, the workplace and family life. And now, officials in Minnesota and throughout the country are trying to anticipate what kind of impact they'll have on the greying of America. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports.
May 22, 1998 - This Memorial weekend, many people will be going to the movies to see Robert Redford's adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Horse Whisperer." It's just the latest example of a long-standing interest in the special relationship that can exist between humans and horses. Horse whispering sounds almost mystical, but it's actually just a more natural approach to training and riding horses. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann introduces us to a Central Minnesota woman who's a horse-whisperer-in training. (NAT - behind this first para I will bring up sound of horse trotting)
May 14, 1998 - It's an old argument with a new twist. Which is more important: economics or the environment? Residents in the rural parts of Minnesota continually face this question when it comes to feedlots. Livestock operators on small farms want to expand to keep their businesses afloat. But their neighbors don't want more odor or more pollution problems. All this week we've been looking at environmental issues around the state...some of which fall under the authority of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. In the fourth of our week-long series, Gretchen Lehmann reports on one Central Minnesota county where officials believe counties should handle feedlots, not the MPCA.
May 7, 1998 - ** use this version ** Until fairly recently, people with disabilities often tried to hide their disability or were kept from public view by a society uncomfortable with their condition. But with the passage of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990 and the rise of the disabilities movement, people with disabilities have moved more into the public eye. This is particularly apparant in the number of individuals with visible disabilities who have chosen a life in public office. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports. Franklin Roosevelt casts a long shadow for any person with a disability who aspires to public office. With few photos of him in his wheelchair and almost no public acknowledgement of his disability, Roosevelt set a hard to overc
April 24, 1998 - Many of us enjoy gazing into a summer sky, but across Minnesota, a select band of people are staring harder than most. They're not taking in a sunset or star-gazing, but watching for thunderstorms and tornados. These individuals are weather spotters...and whenever dark clouds begin to move in from the west, they prepare to report in to the National Weather Service on whatever storms are coming their way. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports.
April 23, 1998 - News headlines in recent years have declared a crisis at many churches. The problem? -- more than 50% of teenagers stop going to church. According to some religious scholars, these findings aren't new, they follow a pattern in church attendance since the 1940s. All this month, in a series of reports and commentaries, Minnesota Public Radio is exploring religious issues in everyday life. Today, Reporter Gretchen Lehmann takes a look at teen involvement in religious life.
April 17, 1998 - The Wolf Management Roundtable held its first meeting today in St. Cloud. The group is charged with developing a plan for managing Minnesota's wolf population. Wolves are expected to soon be taken off the Endangered Species list by the federal government, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to be ready with the plan. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann was at the meeting and joins us now.
April 1, 1998 - MPR’s Gretchen Lehmann profiles the historical impact of the “Willmar 8” and how it will be remembered by future generations. Lehmann interviews a member of the “Willmar 8” and two academics.
March 20, 1998 - The economy is strong - unemployment is low...seems just the equation that MIGHT mean the end for the nation's food shelves. But many food shelf operators say it's likely they'll serve even MORE people this year because of welfare reform. There have already been reports of a jump in the number of new clients looking for food. At this point, the connection isn't conclusive, but food shelf operators believe they are in a unique position to gauge the effects of welfare reform. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann reports. It's the beginning of the month, the only down time here at St. Francis Food Shelf in Little Falls. By month's end, when paychecks have been stretched thin, there will be a long line of people waiting to pick up their monthly allot