May 25, 1998 - Traffic on many Minnesota roads is bumper-to-bumper this evening as Memorial Day travelers return home. If you got a long drive ahead and are looking for a little diversion, entertainment might be just a cow pasture away. Author John Pukite (Poo-Kee-Tee) says everyone loves to look at cows. In his new book "A Field Guide to Cows", Pukite describes in detail the 52 cattle breeds found in the United States. John Pukite (Poo-Kee-Tee) is author of "A Field Guide to Cows." He will sign copies of his book July 9th at the Barnes and Noble Bookstore in Maple Grove at 7pm.
May 18, 1998 - (note: we aired this before we learned the meeting was cancelled. Also, cuts from this q/a were in circulation Friday so it's a dead horse now). Tom Clancy's bid to buy the Minnesota Vikings is on the agenda when a committee of N-F-L team owners meets in Miami tonight. The committee will consider the financing of the 200-million dollar sale to Clancy and more than a dozen other investors ... but NFL owners are not expected to vote on the proposed sale this week. There's been speculation in recent weeks that Clancy's deal might be unraveling. The best-selling author is going through a costly divorce that makes it unclear how much cash he can put toward a Vikings purchase. And some of the Vikings current owners have worried that one of Clancy's investors - Houston businessman Les Alexander - might eventually try to move the team to Texas. Alexander reportedly has the right of first refusal, meaning he could buy the team should Clancy decide to sell it. Wheelock Whitney, one of the Vikings ten current owners, plans to re-invest with the Clancy group. Whitney says it's premature to worry Alexaner would move the team to Houston:
May 11, 1998 - As an eight-year-old boy, author Peter Balakian (Bal-AYE-KEY-en) had a hard time understanding his Armenian grandmother's parables, particularly her story about the black dog of fate. She recounted a story in which Fate, represented by a beautiful woman, rejects an offering of a luscious meal from a rich woman, but instead welcomes the gift of a dead dog from a beggar woman. When Balakian asked his grandmother to explain the story, all she would tell him is that things aren't always what they seem and that life is mysterious. In his award-winning memoir "Black Dog of Fate," Balakian retraces his childhood in suburban New Jersey where things also weren't always what they appeared to be, and his family's past was mysterious. Balakian eventually discovered his grandmother was a survivor of the Armenian genocide. --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 8023 | TIME: 7:27
May 8, 1998 - Minnesota has now become the fourth state to settle its tobacco suit. The industry is already paying out a total of thirty (B) billion dollars to settle cases in Mississippi, Florida and Texas. Mississippi Attorney General Michael Moore was the first to settle with the industry for 3-point-35 (BILLION) dollars. Florida got 11 (Billion) and Texas got just over fifteen. We asked Attorney General Moore how Minnesota's settlement affects Mississippi's:
April 30, 1998 - We've all been children once, but sometimes it's difficult to remember exactly what it was like to be nine years old. It's an age when kids are trying to understand the confusing language and rules of adults while constantly being thrust into new situations. It's frustrating when things don't make sense, and aren't fair. Author Nicholson Baker, who is often intrigued by things most of us overlook, decided to capture the essence of being nine years old, but he knew he wasn't qualified to do it. So he turned to his real-life daughter Alice. He carefully jotted down her many adventures, real and imagined, as she adjusted to a new school in England. The result is the book "The Everlasting Story of Nory." --------------------------------------------------------- | D-CART ITEM: 6123 | TIME: 7:18 | OUTCUE: "...new duties in the offing." ------------------------------------------
April 29, 1998 - The lack of rain this spring is prompting more concern about fires in Minnesota. The Department of Natural Resources has now imposed buring restrictions on the northern two-thirds of the state extending as far south as Anoka County and parts of Washington County. Dave Schuller is with the Department of Natural Resources Forestry division. Sun 28-MAY 11:23:56 MPR NewsPro Archive
April 28, 1998 - The Saint Paul Saints may be the hottest ticket in town. In fact, the team has gone so far as to send out a press release saying it will not allow ticket buyers to line up at Midway Stadium until noon Thursday to buy single game tickets. They go on sale Saturday at 8 a.m. Eric Webster is with the Saints front office. He says the team did not want anxious fans to get hurt: Again, if you want to buy single tickets, DON'T show up until noon on Thursday, and bring your tent. Tickets go on sale Saturday morning
April 27, 1998 - A public school in southwestern Minnesota has won a major legal victory. Vesta Elementary School is a small school that's owned by members of a religious community, but rented to and run by the Wabasso School District. It's a public school open to all, but the vast majority of students are members of a religious group called the "Brethren" by outsiders. The curriculum includes no religious instruction, but the school has made some adaptations to the Brethren's beliefs, such is not using television in the classroom. Several years ago, two taxpayers sued to block the school... contending it amounted to state sponsored advancement of religion. But today, the U-S Supreme Court rejected that argument by deciding not to hear the case. That means an earlier Appeals Court ruling that sided with the district will stand. Chris Thomalla school that runs the Vesta elementary school.
April 22, 1998 - A new study finds the timing of menopause is probably a function of how long it takes a female to raise her offspring. The longer it takes to rear an infant, the earlier menopause sets in....which could be nature's way of making sure young are mature before their mother dies of old age. University of Minnesota Ecology Professor and study co-author, Craig Packer, based his findings on research on baboons and lions, two mammals that take a relatively long time to raise their young.
April 17, 1998 - The Wolf Management Roundtable held its first meeting today in St. Cloud. The group is charged with developing a plan for managing Minnesota's wolf population. Wolves are expected to soon be taken off the Endangered Species list by the federal government, and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources wants to be ready with the plan. Minnesota Public Radio's Gretchen Lehmann was at the meeting and joins us now.