October 24, 2000 - When author Michael Chabon, wanted to find a way to write about an era that he treasured he turned to comic books: All his life, he has been drawn to the fashion, music, writing, politics and social history of the late thirties and forties known to comic book fans as "The Golden Age" when Superman, Batman and others became American icons. "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay" is Chabon's ode to this often disparaged artform. His heroes are two cousins, an American hoping to make it big in comics, and a Czech immigrant fleeing the Nazis. Together they invent , "The Escapist", a masked hero battling evil across the world. The horrors of Nazi Germany effect them directly, but also fuel their creative fires as they use "The Escapist" to convince the public that the US needs to join World War Two.
October 20, 2000 - Governor Jesse Ventura ordered the National Guard to provide assistance to crews fighting the brush fire north of the Twin Cities. The fire is burning just east of Interstate 35 between Stacy and Wyoming. Ashes from a homeowner's recreational fire sparked the blaze which has burned about 10,000 acres, and forced numerous evacuations. Jean Sheppy is a ranger with the national park service, and she's at the fire command center in the wildlife area.
October 17, 2000 - The Saint Paul Central library will close Saturday afternoon at 4 o'clock and won't reopen for at least 18 months. The 84-year-old library is getting such an extensive update that library officials decide it would be better to close the downtown facility rather than try to work around the mess. Library Director Carol Williams says it wasn't an easy decision.
October 16, 2000 - Well, we are almost through the second ramp-meter-less rush hour in the Twin Cities. While the jury won't return for weeks, this morning there were few major snarls on the metro area's roads. It may be a little early to be nostaligic, but for those of you trying to remember what it was like to be halted, watching others speed by, we present this tape recorded last week from writer and commentator Michael Finley.
October 10, 2000 - Fourth District Congressman Bruce Vento died today of complications from a rare form of lung cancer. The 12-term Democrat learned he had the disease in February, and addressed his House colleagues in March, after announcing he was retiring. Here is an excerpt from that speech.
October 6, 2000 - The 19th annual Twin Cities Marathon takes place this Sunday.The 26.2-mile course begins near the Metrodome in Minneapolis and finishes at the State Capitol in St. Paul. 85 runners have competed in all 18 previous Twin Cities marathons. 73-year-old Mary Lou Carlson is the oldest female runner of this elite group. Carlson's husband inspired her to start running. He took up the sport while she was in her fifties... at first she thought he was crazy...especially when he ran in the winter.
October 4, 2000 - Governor Jesse Ventura unveiled his latest attempt to get young people to the polls today.... a video parody of the popular movie "The Matrix." In the five minute video, Ventura stars as the leader of a futuristic rebel group trying to convince a young college student that he can change the world IF he exercises his right to vote. The video, which will be shown across Minnesota college campuses this fall is a production of the Dudley Riggs' Brave New Workshop. Script-writer Jeff Hopkins says the college student in the video is modeled after Keanu Reeve's character in the movie, NEO.
October 3, 2000 - With the Presidential candidates choosing to focus their campaigns in battleground states like Florida and California, tonight's debate may be the best chance Minnesotans have to get a close look at the major party candidates. We asked two local political analysts how important tonight's debate is. Democrat Sara Stoesz says it is critical. Republican political analyst Tom Horner doesn't think tonight's debate will make or break either candidate
October 2, 2000 - St. John's University in Collegeville this past weekend dedicated a new curatorship for organizing the writings of the Knights of St. John. The archive will feature a heavy emphasis on Malta, the tiny Mediterranean country settled by the knights in 1530. The five islands that make up Malta were a British colony until 1964. Over the last 15 years, it has become a major shipping, financial and insurance center. The Maltese ambassador to the United States, George Saliba, attended the dedication. He told Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis that he hopes the collection will interest medeival scholars and maybe inspire people to visit his country.
September 29, 2000 - Republican U.S. Senator Rod Grams spoke at length this afternoon about his son Morgan's arrest earlier this week. Morgan Grams is in a New Mexico jail, charged with felony theft and resisting arrest. Grams appeared choked up as he talked. Here is an excerpt.