March 26, 1998 - The World Figure Skating Championships begin this week in Minneapolis and you can choose any superlative you wish to describe the event. "Biggest" and "best" certainly work. The event spotlights 225 of the world's best figure skaters from 50 countries. The World Championships is the biggest skating event in Minnesota figure skating history - which is saying quite a lot since the area was once one of the world's figure skating capitols. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. (PRODUCER NOTE: FIEDLER CD #4 BAND 2 CONTAINS 'SKATERS WALTZ'. THE MELODY BEGINS AT :53 if you want music under/up after SOC. ) audio . . . ambience Target Center plaza World Figure Skating Championships co-chair Bett
March 19, 1998 - Minneapolis playwright Kim Hines tells the story of three prominent African American women of the time who are largely unknown to most Minnesotans. Hines has written monologues portraying the life of businesswoman Amanda Lyle, social worker Gertrude Brown, and attorney Lena Smith.
March 18, 1998 - MPR’s Dan Olson takes a look at the timpani, sometimes called the kettle drum, as it takes the spotlight at The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. Earl Yowell, the chamber orchestra's principal timpanist, plays the seldom performed Johann Carl Fischer’s Timpani Concerto.
March 5, 1998 - A new survey shows it is relatively easy for underage drinkers to buy alcohol in Minneapolis . The Minneapolis Health Department undertook the study to gather evidence showing the cost of underage drinking. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.
March 4, 1998 - The boys' hockey tournament, Minnesota's biggest high school sporting event, opens this week in St. Paul. The tournament comes two weeks after the (first) girls' hockey tournament, and the constrast could not be more striking. No body checking is allowed in the girls' tournament. Boys, on the other hand can use their body anywhere on the rink to slam into whomever has the puck. Rink-wide checking has been the rule in boys' hockey for 25 years. Checking is popular with fans, but critics say it should be banned because of the rising rate of injury. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports. Nineteen year old Ben Peyton from Edina remembers seeing his teammate pass the puck to him. tape . . . and as i was looking back, i to
February 25, 1998 - Threats against a black Minneapolis police officer, Sergeant Alisa Clemons, are being investigated by the Hennepin County Sheriff's department. Clemons won re-instatement to her police job two years ago after an arbitrator ruled the city wrongly accused her of sending racist hate mail. Clemons' supporters see the new threats made against her last week as continuation of a campaign by people in the police department to force her out. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.
February 24, 1998 - Threats against a black Minneapolis officer, Sergeant Alisa Clemons, are being investigated by the Hennepin County Sheriff's office. Clemons won reinstatement to her police job and back pay last year after an arbitrator ruled the city wrongly accused her of sending racist hate mail. Clemons' supporters see the threats made against her last week as a continuation by officers in the police department of a campaign to force her out. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.
February 23, 1998 - As part of the continuing MPR series Voices of Minnesota, a presentation of conversations with James Griffin, one of Minnesota's first Black police officers and first deputy police chief for St. Paul; and Hennepin County Judge Pamela Alexander, Minnesota's first Black female judge.
February 23, 1998 - Growing consumer interest in organic food is convincing more Minnesota farmers to change their farming techniques. But small scale farming advocates say the trend may be too late in a state increasingly dominated by bigger farms dependent on chemicals for weed and pest control. Advocates of smaller farms say consumer tastes play a big role in determining what kind of farming the state will have in the future. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.
February 18, 1998 - Eighty families face eviction from their east St. Paul apartments in April. The buildings near Lake Phalen are being demolished to make way for middle income town homes. Most of the families will get taxpayer help in the form of relocation money and a lump sum settlement. But advocates for the families say the closing of the Lakewood Apartments is another example of how city efforts to spruce up neighborhoods often come at the expense of poor people. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson has more.