August 31, 1999 - If the results of a new genetic study underway at the University of Minnesota can be duplicated in humans, diseases such as sickle cell anemia and hemophilia may soon be a thing of the past. For the first time, U-of-M scientists say they have successfully repaired a gene that causes a deadly liver disease. Dr. Clifford Steer is leading the study. He says researchers developed a technique that allows them to go into a cell with a single defect and essentially re-write its genetic code.
August 30, 1999 - To close out the millennium, Minnesota Public Radio's All Things Considered presents a look back at Minnesota life in 1900 via a 12-part series, entitled “A Minnesota Century.” This segment is the the story of Rhoda Emery, a young woman who thought she would never make it as a schoolteacher, but ended up dedicating 50 years to the profession.
August 27, 1999 - Research on rape tells us that survivors suffer long after their physical wounds are healed. In her new book "Telling: A Memoir of Rape and Recovery" Minneapolis author Patricia Weaver Francisco shares her struggle to regain her life.
August 25, 1999 - The anti-depression drug Prozac may be an effective treatment for Anorexia Nervosa. Researchers say studies have shown the drug seems to help patients resist a relapse by boosting their abnormally low mood which is a side-effect of starvation. The University of Minnesota is participating in one of several national studies on Prozac. Principal investigator Dr. Scott Crow, says while it is too early to report any findings from the U-of-M study, he expects to discover similar results in his patients.
August 24, 1999 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Janet Harvey of Elk River, who has submitted a “Jesse” quilt in the Fine Arts Competition at the Minneosta State Fair. Harvey explains her reason behind the full-size fabric portrait of Governor Ventura.
August 20, 1999 - The St. Paul stadium delegation is on its second ballpark tour in Camden Yards tonight. The home of the Baltimore Orioles opened in 1992, and has been an incredible success for the team. It's classic open-air ballpark style integrated into an urban neighborhood has been a big hit with fans. Though it isn't selling out quite as consistenly as it did a few years ago, Orioles' vice president Joe Foss says the team is still at the top of the American League for attendance. Foss is a St. Paul native who will play tour guide to the delegation.
August 19, 1999 - Some Minnesotans are giving their two-cents worth to a stadium fund -- and not a penny more. Governor Jesse Ventura suggested the fund as a way for stadium backers to contribute all or part of their state sales-tax rebate to the cause. So far the response has been fairly mixed with some contributors expressing scorn for a publicly-financed stadium.... but the fund is slowly building up. Finance Director for the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission Roger Simonson is opening the mail.
August 17, 1999 - The Twin Cities other pro baseball team wants a better stadium too. The Saint Paul Saints are hoping to convince the city of Saint Paul to kick in $2.2 million dollars to fix up Midway Stadium which was built in 1982. Saints General Manager Bill Fanning says even though the Saints continue to sell out Midway, many fans are cheering in discomfort.
August 17, 1999 - A plutonium-powered NASA spacecraft is hurtling toward a close encounter with Earth tonight to use the planet's gravity to sling it toward Saturn. The Cassini probe is scheduled to fly within 725 miles of Earth. Anti-nuclear activists fear some kind of error could cause the spacecraft to plunge into the Earth's atmosphere and shower the planet with deadly radioactive debris. But NASA officials said there was only a 1-in-1.2 million chance of accidental re-entry. As a child growing up in Cocoa, Florida, Jesse Lee Kercheval experienced the shock of space experiments gone awry along with the intense national pride associated with the Apollo missions and lunar landing. In her memoir "SPACE", Kercheval recounts a time when all of America was riveted by rockets, astronauts and outer space.
August 16, 1999 - The Olympics are intended to embody the best a country has to offer. So it's not surprising the bribery scandal involving Salt Lake City has taken some of the luster off the upcoming summer games. But if that cynicism is left unchecked, 1972 Olympic swimmer John Naber, says the athletes will be the ones to suffer. In his new book, "Awakening the Olympian Within", Naber collected inspirational stories from 28 athletes who overcame odds to win Olympic gold or failed in their quest, but gained valuable life lessons. Nabor says the problem with this Olympics, is that no one wants to hear those stories just yet.