April 6, 2001 - The Minnesota Wild wrap up their inaugural season with two home games this weekend. Tonight the Wild host the Columbus Blue Jackets at 7 o'clock. On Sunday afternoon, they play the Colorado Avalanche. Both games are sold out, extending the Wild's sellout streak at Xcel Energy Center to 39 games. The Wild has already broken the N-H-L expansion team attendance record and they expect to surpass 750,000 fans with Sunday's last game. The team's performance on the ice hasn't been as spectacular. Minnesota is winless in 12 games, with their last victory coming nearly a month ago, on March Ninth. Ross Bernstein, the editor of Minnesota Hockey Journal, has been following the team through its ups and downs.
April 2, 2001 - Many Americans hold a special place in their heart for Paris and nearly all things French from inspiring architecture to picturesque boulevards and tiny cafes. Long-time "New Yorker" writer Adam Gopnick shared this romantic perspective with his wife and together they dreamed of the day when they would run away to Paris. Their dream became reality after the birth of their first child in 1995. In his new book "Paris to the Moon," Gopnick reflects on his five year personal pilgrimage that confirmed many of his Parisian fantasies while injecting a good dose of French reality.
March 30, 2001 - Basketball fans gathered at the Metrodome this afternoon to watch the NCAA mens final four teams practice. Arizona, Duke, Maryland and Michigan State are in town for the tournament, which starts tomorrow and wraps up on Monday. Charlie Pierce, a commentator for N-P-R's "Only a Game" is also in town to catch all of the action. He says final four competition is easy to classify:
March 28, 2001 - The Minnesota Wild play host to the Phoenix Coyotes tonight at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. The Wild have just six games left in their inaugural season and even if they win all of those games, they're still out of playoff contention. That's an unusual predicament for Wild coach Jacques Lemaire, who has 11 Stanley Cup Championships to his credit from his years with the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils. Still, Lemaire says he has enjoyed his first year with the expansion club team.
March 19, 2001 - Scott Carrier's quirky radio stories about sibling rivalry, swimming lessons and falling in love are familiar to many "All Things Considered" listeners AND fans of "This American Life." But the independent radio producer has also spent years writing about life and death struggles in lesser-known war zones from Cambodia to Kashmir to Chiapas. This seemingly disperate collection of stories is the basis for Carrier's book "Running After Antelope." And as the name implies, large horned animals also figure into the storyline. Carrier starts the book by looking back on a defining moment he shared with his slightly older brother:
March 16, 2001 - Baseball analyst Kevin Hennessy comments on the positive potential of the Minnesota Twins with the continued signing of strong young players, such as Brad Radke, LaTroy Hawkins, Cristian Guzman, and Corey Koskie. It is a change from the rock-bottom salary strategy for players that team had done in prior years.
March 15, 2001 - When Christina Bjork first took her idea for a children's book on impressionist Claude Monet to her Swedish publisher, she found herself swatting away dubious looks and skeptical remarks. But sixteen years after "Linnea in Monet's Garden" first hit stores, the book is an unqualified hit with fans all over the world. The story follows the adventures of young Linnea and her friend, Mr. Bloom, who travel to Paris to visit Monet's famous home and gardens and Giverny. Bjork attributes the book's sucess to its ability to appeal to all age groups.
March 14, 2001 - In a little over three weeks, the Minnesota Wild will wrap up their first N-H-L season. No one expects the team to make the playoffs, although it is still possible. The playoffs have always been a part of Brad Bombardir's pro career. The defenseman came to the Wild from the New Jersey Devils, the reigning Stanley Cup Champions. Bombardir, who grew up in Powell River, British Columbia, says winning the Cup last year is the highlight of his career so far.
March 9, 2001 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson talks with reporter Michael Khoo about Governor Jesse Ventura’s visit in Rochester, where he met with local residents on selling his budget proposal. The most revealing stop on his tour may have been to Evergreen Place, an assisted living facility in Pine Island, just north of the city.
March 6, 2001 - The Peace Corps is celebrating its 40th anniversary this week. More than seven-thousand volunteers currently serve in 76 countries around the world. President Kennedy first established the Peace Corps as a challenge to young people to spend two years serving in developing countries. But you don't have to be fresh out of college to sign up. Sixty-Seven year old Prudence Perry of Milwaukee is in the first few months of a Peace Corp assignment in Tonga, an island chain in the South Pacific. She says the most difficult aspect of daily life is the weather: