March 27, 2001 - Elton John's latest musical hit -AIDA- opens its national tour in Minneapolis tonight. Based on a Verdi opera -the musical tells the story of a captain in the Egyptian Army who falls in love with a slave from the neighboring country of Nubia. Patrick Cassidy stars as the Egyptian Captian, named Radames (Rah-dah-mays). He told Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Curtis that he jumped at the chance to take on the role:
March 27, 2001 - Minnesota Senator Paul Wellstone has pushed through an amendment that could prove critical to the prospects for the McCain-Feingold campaign finance reform package. Wellstone's provision would ban ads by special interest groups in the weeks leading up to an election. Critics on both sides of the aisle say the amendment may violate the right to free speech. And some of campaign finance reform's biggest foes voted for the amendment- hoping the constitutional questions it raises will weaken the final bill. Wellstone says his amendment is an important piece of campaign finance reform.
March 26, 2001 - The Department of Natural Resources is predicting an increase in tent caterpillars this spring. The caterpillars munch their way through Minnesota's northern forests, stripping the leaves off trees as they go. Last year, the insects consumed two (M) million acres of forest -- this season's devastation could cover twice that. Mike Albers is a Forest Health Specialist with the DNR. I asked him what causes the invasion:
March 22, 2001 - Minnesota Author Evelyn Fairbanks has died at the age of 72. Fairbanks wrote "Days of Rondo," a memoir about growing up in St. Paul's largest black neighborhood in the 1930's and '40's. The Rondo neighborhood was razed in the 1960's to make way for interstate 94. Fairbank's book was published in 1990 and is now in its fourth printing. In 1991, Fairbanks gave up city life and moved to the outskirts of tiny Onamia, Minnesota, where she operated a 20 acre tree farm. In a 1995 interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Beth Friend, Fairbanks described why she was drawn to the country.
March 22, 2001 - Minnesota Author Evelyn Fairbanks has died at the age of 72. Fairbanks wrote "Days of Rondo," a memoir about growing up in St. Paul's largest black neighborhood in the 1930's and '40's. The Rondo neighborhood was razed in the 1960's to make way for interstate 94. Fairbank's book was published in 1990 and is now in its fourth printing. In 1991, Fairbanks gave up city life and moved to the outskirts of tiny Onamia, Minnesota, where she operated a 20 acre tree farm. In a 1995 interview with Minnesota Public Radio's Beth Friend, Fairbanks described why she was drawn to the country:
March 22, 2001 - Minneapolis-based Net Perceptions said today it will cut 124 jobs, or almost 50 percent of its workforce. Only a year ago, the e-commerce marketing company was considered a star of the Twin Cities' budding internet economy. John Riedel is a Co-Founder and board member of Net Perceptions. He says his company is not alone in experiencing difficulties in the economic downturn:
March 21, 2001 - The Nature Conservancy will purchase and maintain two wildlife areas in western and northwestern Minnesota with a three-point-two (M) million dollar grant from the 3M Foundation. Rob McKim is state director of the non-profit preservation group. He says there's less than one-tenth of one percent of native tallgrass prairie left in Minnesota, and the 3M contribution will help protect and restore what is left:
March 15, 2001 - One of the world's best collections of Ancient Egyptian Art is coming to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The exhibit, on loan from the British Museum in London, contains objects spanning three and a half thousand years of history and includes objects ranging from large granite statues to tiny ornately carved pieces of jewelry. The collection is travelling to eight U-S cities arriving in Minneapolis in December 2002. MIA Curator Robert Jacobsen says he is particularly excited about one particular piece.
March 14, 2001 - It was another rough day on Wall Street... the Dow dropped more than 300 points, slipping below the ten-thousand level for the first time since October. An increase in profit warnings from big companies is one reason the market is down. Northwest Airlines, for example, announced today it expects to lose up to 150 (M)million dollars in the quarter ending March 31st. But the local impact of the gloom on Wall Street reaches far beyond poor earnings for one company. Economist Sung Won Sohn says Minnesota's economy is still relatively strong. But bad news on Wall Street can serve as a warning of tough times ahead:
March 12, 2001 -