December 31, 1998 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Karlyn Campbell, a professor of speech communication at the University of Minnesota, about the role of first ladies.
December 30, 1998 - Throngs of harried workers in hard-hats are scurrying about St. Paul's Union Depot trying to put the finishing touches on the much-hyped Titanic exhibit. Today, workers are filling a giant salt-water aquarium which will hold a 20-ton section of the ship's hull recovered from the ocean bottom this summer. When the exhibit opens to the public Friday, visitors will see dozens of relics ranging from the ordinary to the exquisite. Chunks of coal used to fire the ship's engines will be displayed alongside luggage, a steward's jacket, crystal decanters and diamond rings. Titanic Conservator Stephane Pennec (steh-FAHN pon-ECK) explained the story behind some of the relics during a recent tour.
December 22, 1998 - For the past two days, a Worthington grocery store has sold pork for 30 cents a pound to protest the low prices paid to pork farmers. That's about a dollar cheaper per pound than usual. Hog producers are weathering the lowest prices in decades because there is a huge oversupply of pork on the market. Manager of the County Market in Worthington, Scott Anderson, says consumer demand for pork HAS remained high ... but even he was surprised at how many people were willing to brave the cold temperatures to buy drastically reduced pork. Scott Anderson is Manager of the County Market in Worthington. He says the grocery store basically broke even on the pork sale.
December 1, 1998 - Monsignor J. Jerome Boxleitner is celebrating his retirement from Catholic Charities today. The Governor and other top political officials are in attendance offering their congratulations to a man who took at fledgling adoption organization and turned it into a $28 million dollar charity that helps the homeless, immigrants, and countless other people living on the edge. Boxleitner didn't accomplish all this without stepping on some toes. He is well known for his frank opinions on social issues, but he is also quite adept at enlisting people's help for his cause. Boxleitner says his greatest accomplishment has been sensitizing people to the plight of the less fortunate. But he says unfortunately that plight is no easier in today's robust economy than it was 20 or 30 years ago.
November 10, 1998 - "Jackpine Bob" Cary, an author and amateur sledder from Ely, talks about the experience of dog sledding as the state's mushers and sled dogs are gearing up for another season of racing. Cary published a book on sled dogs titled "Born to Pull," which is also discussed.
November 9, 1998 - Charles Lindbergh captivated the world in 1927 when he became the first solo aviator to fly nonstop from New York to Paris. The farmboy from Little Falls, Minnesota went on to become a Pulitizer prize-winning author, but he also had his share of tragedy and negative publicity. Lindbergh attracted much criticism for his isolationist views before the U.S. entered World War Two. He caused a storm of protest when he warned of the dangers he saw of having influential Jews in prominent public positions. And in one of the most notorious kidnappings in American history, Lindbergh lost his first son, Charles Junior. The baby was taken from his crib in the middle of the night and found months later in a shallow grave. Bruno Hauptman was convicted and executed in the case, but it produced more questions than answers and still dogs the Lindbergh family to this day. In her new memoir, "Under a Wing," Lindbergh's daughter Reeve, reveals a side of family life virtually untouched by these events. The youngest of five Lindbergh children, Reeve says her parents worked hard to remove themselves and their kids from celebrity life. She says their home perched high
October 7, 1998 - Timberwolves players aren't at training camp this week. The NBA has locked the players out of training camp and cancelled the pre-season games. Players and owners are at odds over player salaries. Labor negotiatons resume tomorrow but the two sides are far apart. Bob Stein is someone who's got insight into both sides of the lockout. He served as CEO of the Timberwolves from 1986 to 1995 and before that represented players as a sports agent, and was professional athlete for 8 years. Stein says thanks to the TV revenues the owners are continuing to receive, both sides might be able to dig in for a while.
October 6, 1998 - Minnesota Republican Senator Rod Grams introduced a plan today to phase out Social Security over the next 40 years, and replace it with IRA-style personal retirement accounts. Grams says IF his "Personal Security and Wealth in Retirement Act" becomes law, the plan would be mandatory for people under 25, but optional for those 25 and older.
October 5, 1998 - To football fans, the real story of the day isn't the impeachment inquiry, it's the big Vikings-Packers game tonight. The Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings meet tonight at Lambeau Field in the battle of the unbeaten NFC teams. Each team has 4 wins, no losses. The Packers face the challenge of running their Lambeau Field winning streak to 30. We asked long-time Vikings season ticket holder Dave Lutz to preview the game for us. Lutz says while the Vikings look strong this year, he's still predicting they have LESS than a fifty percent chance of winning.
October 2, 1998 - Farmers use it to plan their crop planting, brides use it to figure out the best date for a wedding, but most of us in the Upper Midwest use "The Old Farmer's Almanac" to find out what the upcoming winter has in store for us. The 1999 edition of the Almanac just hit the newsstands and bookstores. You may have already noticed it mixed in with stacks of other similar looking yellow paperback books, some named just "Farmer's Almanac" and others bearing more futuristic titles such as "The New Millenium Almanac." Executive Director of "The Old Farmer's Almanac", Tim Clark says the competition is as much of a tradition, as the almanac itself.