January 20, 1998 - Life is pretty bleak in a small village on the western coast of Ireland until a fugitive named Christy Mahan arrives and promptly announces he has killed his father. So begins John Millington Synge's comic play about a town caught up in the excitement of a dramatic event and a young man who is transformed by his hero's welcome. "The Playboy of the Western World" opens tomorrow at the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis . Guthrie Artistic Director Joe Dowling says Synge's play is an Irish classic...that avoids pandering to the stereotypical notions of Ireland and the Irish.
January 16, 1998 - Music, English, Drama and Religion scholars will gather at Stanford University to deconstruct the work of one of Minnesota's most famous sons, Bob Dylan. The conference is billed as "The First U.S. Bob Dylan Conference" and will focus on Dylan's art and cultural legacy. MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Tino Markworth, organizer of conference.
January 13, 1998 - There's sure to be plenty of fish tales at this Saturday's ice fishing extravaganza on Gull Lake. After all, the nearly 7000 fishermen who compete will have to come up with some story for their family and friends about why the big one got away. But, for those fortunate enough to win the big prizes, there better not be a hint of exaggeration in their stories...or a polygraph test is sure to point it out. Suspected cheaters are being scrutinized more than ever, after two fishermen were forced to forfeit their top prizes last year when officials suspected foul play at an ice fishing contest in Forrest Lake. Bob Slaybaugh with the Brainerd Jaycee's says contest officials at the Gull Lake contest this weekend are taking no chances on a repeat.
November 5, 1997 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews Philip Blackburn and Chris Strouth about the creative world of electronic music. Blackburn is with the American Composers Forum in St. Paul, which promotes the work of avant-garde, jazz, classical and new age composers. Strouth works for Twin/Tone records, the label associated with Minneapolis' most famous rock bands, like The Replacements and Soul Asylum. Strouth also runs his own experimental electronica label, called "Ultramodern."
September 29, 1997 - An article in today's New York Times explored the possible link between chemicals in the environment and rising cancer rates in children. For the past twenty years researchers have noticed a moderate but steady increase in childhood cancers, averaging about one-percent per year. But little is known about what's causing the increase. Much of the cancer research has been conducted at the University of Minnesota. Professor of Pediatrics, Dr. Les Robison, told Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson researchers believe the rising childhood cancer rate is real, and not a function of increased reporting.
September 26, 1997 - Last summer, researchers at the 11th International Conference on AIDS in Vancouver were practically bursting with excitement over new drugs that had reduced HIV in some patients to undetectable levels. A year later, the drugs have worked their magic on thousands of AIDS patients bringing many back from the brink of death. The treatment successes have prompted sudden changes in patients lives, government health insurance plans and prevention programs. Tomorrow Minnesota AIDS activists will discuss these changes during the 1997 State of AIDS Conference in Minneapolis and plot their next step in dealing with the disease. As Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, most are still optimistic about the treatment breakthroughs even though new data is beginning to dispel the notion that these drugs can cure AIDS.
September 23, 1997 - Throughout the summer, the two state agencies that regulate out-of-home placement for children, have been collecting public testimony on a so-called "umbrella" rule. The last of those public hearings will be held in St. Paul over the next couple weeks with one tonight at the Hubbs Learning Center on University Avenue. The new "umbrella" rule basically merges the foster care licensing roles of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Human Services. State lawmakers pushed for the merger partly to comply with new federal guidelines, but also as a way to give more attention to the needs of foster children. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports.
August 22, 1997 - One hundred years ago, the "Minnesota Hospital for Indigent Crippled and Deformed Children" opened in Saint Paul. The hospital was the brainchild of Doctor Arthur Gillette, an orthopaedic surgeon who believed the state had a duty to care for children with disabilities. Today, the hospital is privately owned and has a different name....Gillette Children's Specialty Health Care...but its mission remains the same. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson spoke recently with some people who spent literally years of their lives at Gillette. Their memories of pain, pleasure and personal triumph are still vivid.
August 6, 1997 - Following "National Night Out," Midday discusses effective crime prevention and crime control. Studio guests are Officer Steven Huspek of the St. Paul Police Department's FORCE Unit and Carol Brusegar of the Minneapolis Police Department Crime Prevention/SAFE program. Listeners call in with questions.
July 14, 1997 - A water-borne parasite has sickened ten kids after they played in a fountain at the Minnesota Zoo. The Minnesota Department of Health says the children contracted cryptosporidiosis, a disease passed through oral contact with human or animal feces. It's the first recorded outbreak in a public recreation area. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports, state health officials fear more outbreaks could occur as the number of water slides, fountains and wading pools increase.