August 22, 2001 - Usually Big Rig Trucks drive around the Minneapolis Convention Center, but for the next few days, they are driving through it. The National Truck Driving Championship got underway today with some 400 competitors vying for the title of safest driver. The competition tests driver's safety knowledge and their skill in manuevering their massive machinery in delicate situations. David Bowers placed 13th in last year's competition in the 3-axle class. He's been practicing every weekend since March in the hopes of winning this year's event.
August 20, 2001 - The local Jewish Community Relations Council is also advising people who oppose the Ku Klux Klan to stay away from the group's Saturday rally at the state capitol. Council president Steve Silverfarb estimates there are about six active hate groups in Minnesota and says he wouldn't be suprised if some of them joined in the rally:
August 16, 2001 - Saint Paul School District officials say just over half of the students in a new summer learning program WILL ADVANCE a HALF grade this fall. Nearly 500 struggling students who completed at least 80 hours of summer school will start this fall as 3.5, 5.5, or 8.5 students instead of fourth, sixth and ninth-graders. However, 340 students did not meet the attendance requirement in the summer Excel program ... so they will be held back this year. Saint Paul School Superintendant Pat Harvey says she believes these particular students can succeed in school, but they need more time.
August 16, 2001 - Bronze swords and ancient manuscripts are coming to St. Paul next year as part of a Vikings exhibit at the Science Museum of Minnesota. The travelling exhibit wasn't originally scheduled to stop in Minnesota, but museum officials convinced the Smithsonian Institution to extend its tour. The world-reknown exhibit has drawn huge crowds in New York and Washington DC. It commemorates the Vikings arrival in North America about 1000 years ago, and includes artifacts and archeological finds from museums throughout Europe. Joe Imholte (im-Holt) is the Operations Manager at the Science Museum. He says the exhibit will also address some myths that have developed over the years.
August 15, 2001 -
August 15, 2001 -
August 13, 2001 - Parts of the world's largest collection of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia are on display at the University of Minnesota as part of the "Basic Holmesian Library." Minnesota Public Radio's Tasya Rosenfeld went for a visit.
August 13, 2001 - Researchers from the University of Minnesota and the National Cancer Institute are analyzing data from a four-year study on how easy it was for minors to buy tobacco in rural communities. They sent fifteen, teenage girls from the metro area to small towns across the state to test the effectiveness of local anti-tobacco ordinances. While final compliance numbers are not available yet, 16-year-old study participant Danielle Eastberg says in a number of cases, she was able to purchase cigarettes.
August 10, 2001 - Temperatures around the state have finally dropped to comfortable levels, but the latest heat wave has caused a record number of fatalities in Duluth. Four men and one woman were found dead Wednesday, as a result of heat stroke after the unusally hot weather. Mayor Gary Doty says it's hard to believe that something like this could happen in Duluth:
August 7, 2001 - Extreme heat may prevent more than a few National Night Out events from taking place this evening. Still, thousands of Minnesotans are expected to fill the streets for the eighteen-year-old event which aims to fight crime by encouraging neighbors to get to know each other. Brooklyn Park is going for its tenth national record in a row for the number of block parties for its under one hundred thousand population. Lee Glamm an officer with the Brooklyn Park Police Department says he registered 164 parties, although a few were cancelled due to the heat and many others have decided to move their gatherings indoors.