August 16, 2000 - The cycle of boom and bust has long been a part of life in the American West. For the tiny town of Mountain City, Nevada it's bust time again. Over the years gold, silver and copper miners have come and gone. These days its the Forest Service that's leaving and that's got the tiny town wondering if it will be around much longer. Gregory Martin spent many summers in Mountain City as a child, visiting his grandparents and aunt and uncle who ran the town's only store. Eventually the aspiring young writer realized he should chronical the story of these real life characters before they and their town disappear. His new book is called "Mountain City."
August 15, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson talks with Ryan Olcott, founder of the rock band 12 Rods, about the group’s album “Separation Anxieties.”
August 10, 2000 - Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton broke ground today (THURSDAY) on the Mill Ruins historical park, a patch of Mississippi riverbank east of the Stone Arch Bridge near downtown. The sandy ground used to be the front line of the city's milling district, which led the world in flour production for 50 years. The tiny patch of riverfront was so valuable that competing mills touched each other and in some cases, shared outer walls. Today, most of the mills are gone. The few that remain are one street over and undergoing major rennovations -- most are being converted into high end lofts and condominiums. But the crumbled remnants of several mills still poke out of the ground below...and are being unearthed a little more each day by a team of archaeologists. Bob Clouse is with the Minnesota Historical Society. He gave me a tour of the park this week.
August 8, 2000 - The second season of W-N-B-A action in Minneapolis is coming to an end this week as the Lynx finish up with two games on the road -- tonight in Charlotte and tomorrow at Houston. In Sunday's final home game, Lynx leading scorer Katie Smith made two 3-pointers against Indianapolis, extending her league-record season total to 85. If she hits a three-pointer tonight, she will also grab the record of making three pointers in the most consecutive games. Smith won't have much time to rest once the season ends. She starts training next week with the U-S women's olympic basketball team, which is preparing for the September Games in Sydney, Australia. Smith says preparing for the Olympics will help soften the dissapointment of missing a trip to the playoffs:
August 4, 2000 - Mary Jo Copeland, director of Sharing and Caring Hands in Minneapolis, got a dose of nationwide attention in Governor Bush's nomination acceptance speech last night at the Republican National Convention in Philadelphia.
August 3, 2000 - If you've driven through downtown Minneapolis lately you may have noticed a huge blue and yellow Big Top just off Washington Avenue along the Mississippi Riverfront. Two weeks from tonight, the tent will be filled with clowns and acrobats when the Canadian-based troupe Cirque Du Soleil opens its touring show "Dralion." Unlike Cirque's well-known Las Vegas shows "Mystere" which is an artsy journey through time and "O", an acrobatic water show,"Dralion" celebrates the four elements: air, water, fire and earth. The show also features a troupe of 37 Chinese acrobats recruited from the tiny village of Kunming. Lynn Heward, Vice President of Creation for Cirque du Solei, helped select the acrobats. She says Cirque auditioned 32 Chinese troupes in 10 days.
July 26, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews WCCO meteorologist Paul Douglas, who says the massive storm system on July 25, 2000 was unusual in a number of ways. For one thing, it produced many more tornado warnings than usual in Minnesota.
July 19, 2000 - Governor Ventura has declared this "Soccer Week" in Minnesota. The largest soccer gathering in the world is underway in Blaine where more than 10,000 players are competing in the U.S.A. Cup youth soccer tournament. As part of the festivities tonight, the A-League Minnesota Thunder will play an exhibition game against the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer. Also making an appearance tonight is former U.S. World Cup and Olympic star Alexi Lalas. Lalas says it's obvious that soccer is popular among thousands of Minnesota kids, but he says the sport hasn't made a favorable impression yet on some Twin Cities media.
July 17, 2000 - General Mills' acquisition of Pillsbury is just the latest merger in a wave of corporate consolidation. Professor Lawrence White teaches Economics at New York University. He says unlike the 1980s, when most deals were an attempt to restructure a company's finances ... mergers today are often the result of new business opportunities.
July 14, 2000 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Ojibwe activist and White Earth band member Winona LaDuke, who is running mate for Green Party presidential hopeful Ralph Nader. The two ran together on the Green Party ticket four years ago but weren't able to capture any electoral votes. LaDuke says this time around, she and Nader are planning a much more aggressive campaign.