October 3, 2002 - MPR’s Jon Gordon provides a summary of Game 2 of the ALDS, in which the Oakland Athletics beat the Minnesota Twins 9-1.
October 2, 2002 - MPR’s Jon Gordon breaks down Game 1 of American League Division Series game, matching the Minnesota Twins against Oakland A’s. Twins' post-season inexperience was on garish display early in the game, but the team is savoring innings four through nine, during which it battered the vaunted Oakland pitching staff and silenced the A's bats for a 7-5 victory.
October 1, 2002 - The Minnesota Twins open the postseason on the road against the Oakland Athletics. One is in the playoffs for the third straight year, the other hasn't tasted baseball's post-season since 1991…but as MPR’s Jon Gordon reports from Oakland, the Twins and the A's have a lot in common.
September 26, 2002 - The Mainstreet Radio documentary “An Uncivil War” examines The US-Dakota War of 1862, a war fought in the Minnesota River valley back in 1862 that still leaves scars today. On one side were the Dakota Indians. On the other, settlers and the U.S. government. Hundreds of people died on both sides of the five-week long war. It lead to the largest mass execution in U.S. history, when 38 Dakota were hanged in Mankato.
September 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes and Brandt Williams report on the tenth anniversary Jerry Haaf murder. The thirty-year police veteran died on the floor of the Pizza Shack restaurant in south Minneapolis after being shot in the back during his morning coffee break. The execution-style shooting remains one of the most shocking acts of violence against an officer in Minneapolis history.
September 15, 2002 - On this American RadioWorks special radio report, “Nature's Revenge - Louisiana's Vanishing Wetlands” looks at a region of the United States that is crumbling and sinking into the sea. Scientists say it's causing one of the worst and least-publicized environmental disasters in America's history. As Daniel Zwerdling reports for NPR News and ARW, there's a moral to this story: when humans try to outwit nature, it can strike back with a vengeance.
August 30, 2002 - MPR's William Wilcoxen reports on a pivotal day for the future of Major League Baseball, as players and fans await word on whether the weekend's games will proceed as usual or will be cancelled by a player's strike. A strike could prematurely end a stellar season for the Minnesota Twins. The threat of a strike has already soured some fans on the national pastime.
August 28, 2002 - MPR’s Chris Julin reports on boat watchers in Duluth Harbor. At first glance it's hard to tell if a ship is carrying wheat to Taiwan, or corn to Algeria. A free newsletter on what all the ships in Duluth Harbor are carrying and where they're going helps “boat nerds” decipher what they are viewing.
August 26, 2002 - MPR’s Andrew Haeg reports on what’s behind being a vendor at the Minnesota State Fair. For vendors, the Fair is a huge business opportunity. Competition for a slot at the fair is intense, and the barriers to entry are high. But, given the chance, those who've set up shop at the fair say it's worth the trouble and the wait.
August 19, 2002 - Major League Baseball players have set a tentative strike date for the end of month as the 2002 MLB season enters its final weeks. The key issue is a desire by owners to impose a luxury tax on high-payroll teams. The union thinks taking away too much money from the high-spending teams would slow salary increases. Many Minnesota Twins fans say they're worried a strike could spell the end of the team.