October 11, 2000 - Presidential hopefuls Al Gore and George W. Bush are in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, preparing to face off tonight in their second debate. Gore has dipped in the polls since their last meeting, but the race is still so close that neither candidate has an advantage once the margin of sampling error is factored in. Democrat Sara Stoesz says Gore has to correct a few key mistakes.
October 6, 2000 - The exhibition games are behind them and tonight the Minnesota Wild take on the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim to open the regular National Hockey League season. The wins and losses now count toward the Wild's season record. No one expects the Wild to contend for the Stanley Cup. But the editor of the Minnesota Hockey Journal Ross Bernstein (Burn STEEN), says the team looked pretty good in the preseason.
September 29, 2000 - The Minnesota Thunder Professional Soccer team will try to defend its A-League title tomorrow night when the team takes on the Rochester Raging Rhinos at Frontier Field in Rochester, New York. This is the third consecutive championship meeting between the Thunder and Rhinos. Last year Minnesota defeated Rochester in the title match at the National Sports Center in Blaine. The year before, the Rhinos defeated the Thunder in the championship match held in Rochester. Sports reporter Tim Leighton covers the Thunder for the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
September 20, 2000 - The Minnesota Wild will go for their first preseason win tonight when the take on the Mighty Ducks in Anaheim. Last night, St. Paul's NHL expansion team held their own against the San Jose Sharks with a 3 all overtime tie. Editor of Minnesota Hockey Journal, Ross Bernstein listened to the game on the radio. He says the Wild were surprisingly good.
September 15, 2000 - The Minnesota Wild Hockey team believes it will sell out its first NHL season tomorrow when 80-thousand individual game tickets go on sale at 10am. Already the team has sold more than 15-thousand season tickets in an arena that holds just 18,600 fans. This morning, Wild Vice President Bill Robertson showed me around Xcel Energy Center where some 500 workers are hurriedly laying tile, hinging doors and painting in anticipation of the team's home opener October 11th. Robertson says its gratifying to get to this final stage where the arena is nearly ready, the team is practicing and the fans are getting excited.
September 14, 2000 -
September 14, 2000 - Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeye says the wording of the St. Paul schools referedum ballot question violates state law. In a non-binding opinion, she said the referendum's title is illegal because it advocates for its passage. The St. Paul Schools are looking into amending the wording, which now reads St. Paul Schools Referendum for Student Achievement. David Magleby is a political science professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. I asked him what he thought of the referendum's title.
September 11, 2000 -
September 11, 2000 - Voter turnout is typically very low in primary elections and there are no indications that tomorrow will be any different. Chris Gilbert is the chairman of the political science department at Gustavus Adolfous college in St. Peter, Minnesota. He says that races around the state haven't created much excitement.
September 7, 2000 - Minnesota is the birthplace of the Mississippi, the proverbial father of all rivers. So it's not surprising that river recreation figures prominently in the lives of many state residents. But Thomas Waters wants us to know more about rivers and streams than just the best place to fish or launch a boat. In his new book "Wildstream: A Natural History of the Free Flowing River," the professor emeritus of stream ecology shares his knowledge of ox bows and eddys in a way most readers without a scientific background can comprehend. I met up with Waters this week at Rice Creek in Roseville, where he used to take his university students on field trips.