|
December 27 - 31, 2004
[ Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday ]
|
Monday, Dec. 27, 2004 |
A witness to democracy in Ukraine
The outcome of the presidential election in Ukraine is still unclear. Ukrainian opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko declared victory in Sunday's runoff election, although Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has so far refused to concede defeat. Former Minnesota Congressman Arlen Erdahl monitored the election in Ukraine, and he spoke to MPR's Phil Picardi from Kiev.
Suspect arrested in clerk's killing
The family of a slain store clerk expressed relief publicly today after police arrested the suspected gunman in California. Sunday's arrest ends an eight-day hunt for the suspect following the shooting that also seriously wounded another man in a north Minneapolis gas station. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
The "n-word'
As 2004 draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio is hearing again from some of the people we've met and the places we've visited. In this last week of the year, we'll re-tell some of our most memorable stories.
This story first aired in August.
It is all about probably the ugliest racial slur ever created. It is a word known primarily as a means to denigrate African Americans. The word packs such power to represent overt racial hatred, most people - regardless of race - will not even utter it.
This spring, Rich Stanek who was Minnesota's Public Safety Commissioner at the time, admitted he used the word more than 12 years ago in a court deposition. He says he didn't use the word against anyone. He merely spoke it. But the furor over his admission led to his resignation.
One word uttered 12 years ago. How can one word have such power?
Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt Williams went looking for some answers and he prepared the following report.
The world comes to Minnesota
What's being billed as the biggest sporting event ever in North Dakota got underway this weekend. In fact, it's so big it's spilled over the border into Minnesota. The 2005 World Junior Hockey Championship features 10 elite teams, including the defending champion U.S. team, and gold-medal favorite Canada. Both teams won their first games. The U.S. beat the team from Russia 5-4 on Christmas Day. And both teams play again today.
The games are being held at two arenas by the same name - the Ralph Engelstad Arena...one in Grand Forks and the other Thief River Falls.
Phil Picardi spoke with Mayor Dale Wennberg of Thief River Falls.
Charles Biederman dead at 98
Artist Charles Biederman died yesterday afternoon at his home in Red Wing. He was 98 and had been in declining health.
Biederman started out as a painter, and was part of the early American Modernist movement. But he came to favor three-dimensional work, which he thought better to represent nature and the play of light.
|
|
Tuesday, Dec. 28, 2004 |
Minnesotans hope tsunami survivors include friends, relatives
Local organizations are busy trying to raise money to help victims of the Asian Tsunami that killed tens of thousands of people across 11 nations last weekend. For people who live in Minnesota and have friends and relatives in affected areas, the past couple of days have been filled with worry and desperate telephone calls. MPR's Mark Zdechlik reports.
At least two dead in Ramsey explosion
An explosion Tuesday morning at a small property management office building in Ramsey killed at least two people. Rescuers continued to search for another person believed buried in the rubble. One man was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center, where he is in critical condition. Authorities don't know yet what caused the blast. Art Hughes has more.
Real Stories: About Death
Here's a Real Story from Minnesota Public Radio.
We gets a lot of great stories in the course of gathering the news. Eric Bergeson tells this one. He lives on a farm in northwest Minnesota. He says country people and city people have different ideas about death.
The most memorable of '04: Whose Recovery is It?
As 2004 draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio is hearing again from some of the people we've met and the places we've visited. In this last week of the year, we'll retell some of our most memorable stories.
Our next story was part of a series, "Whose Recovery is It?" that first aired in September.
When economists coined that term -- recovery -- it's doubtful they considered the many layers of meaning it would carry. The word seems to imply hope, happiness and comfort -- or at least movement in that direction.
But to some, the period of recovery has brought continued unease and difficulty. Minnesota Public Radio's Jeff Horwich prepared this special report.
The karaoke crooner
The venerable tradition of karaoke singing is carried out in bars around America. Impassioned singers belt out their own unique renditions of Frank Sinatra or Guns and Roses. Some of those karaoke fanatics even buy karaoke DVDs so they can polish their skills in the privacy of their own homes.
But for the true karaoke enthusiast, there's another possibility. In St. Cloud, there's a place where you can record a CD of your favorite karaoke hits.
Behold! The commentary
You can't always account for musical taste, but it's accounting for a different sort of taste that perplexes commentator Ahmed Tharwat. At his breakfast table, he has beheld the power of cheese.
|
|
Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004 |
Minnesota soldier recovers after being injured in Iraq
Some 1,300 soldiers have been killed in the war in Iraq. The number injured is much higher -- nearly 10,000. One of those soldiers is from the small central Minnesota town of Pierz. MPR's Tim Post has the story.
Vang pleads not guilty
St. Paul resident Chai Vang has entered not guilty pleas to charges that he shot eight Wisconsin deer hunters in November. Six of the hunters died; two are recovering. Vang's preliminary hearing was scheduled Wednesday in a Hayward, Wisconsin, courtroom, but he waived the hearing and entered a not guilty plea. Bob Kelleher has this report.
Statewide smoking ban eyed
The growing number of Minnesota cities and counties passing smoking-bans for bars and restaurants has set the stage for a statewide anti-smoking debate during this year's legislative session.
Currently, seven Minnesota cities and four counties have passed some kind of ordinance prohibiting smoking in restaurants, bars or public places.
The Minnesota Smoke-Free Coalition has been behind some of those ordinances, and when the Legislature convenes next Tuesday, the organization will push anti-smoking legislation it calls the "Freedom to Breath Act." Phil Picardi spoke with Smoke-Free Coalition Executive Director Steve Mosow.
Best of '04: Dayton's Bluff school
As 2004 draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio is hearing again from some of the people we've met and the places we've visited. In this last week of the year, we'll re-tell some of our most memorable stories.
Our next story on that list first aired in September, part of a week-long series called "The Education Achievement Gap: Minnesota's Embarrassment."
When educators talk about "the achievement gap" they're referring to the wide disparities in performance among racial groups of students.
African American and Hispanic students consistently score below their white peers on standardized tests. Students from low-income families face a similar divide . That puts schools in high-poverty areas, with many students of color, at a distinct disadvantage. Many are struggling. But others appear to be defying the odds, making huge academic gains. Dayton's Bluff Elementary was one of St. Paul's lowest performing schools just a few years ago. Now, it's one of the best.
Tim Pugmire took us inside the Dayton's Bluff school for a look at what it takes to close the gap.
Help is on the way (audio)
Twin Cities organizations with roots in southeast Asia are scrambling to help native countrymen in the wake of Sunday's tsunami. In addition to U.S.- based charitable organizations, groups from Sri Lanka, India and Thailand are mustering aid for relief trips to hard-hit regions. The Tamil Association of Minnesota has set up a relief fund through Wells Fargo, and the group's public relations director will deliver the money raised to relief organizations in Tamil Nadu & Sri Lanka at the end of next week. Shivanthi Sathanandan will make the trip. She is also a student at the University of Minnesota.
|
|
Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004 |
Local members of Sri Lankan community awaits word from home
Minnesota's Sri Lankan community is still waiting for word on friends and relatives back home. Sri Lanka was hard hit by Sunday's Tsunami. Thousands were killed and even more were hurt or left homeless.
Study: Eat fast food, get fat and sick
A new study provides scientific evidence of what many have suspected for a long time: a diet which includes regular helpings of fast food makes people fat and increases their chances of developing diabetes.
Gophers head to Nashville
A big weekend of Bowl games starts tomorrow morning when the Minnesota Golden Gopher football team takes on Alabama in the Music City Bowl. Music City is Nashville, Tenn., by the way.
It's a matchup of mediocre proportions -- as both teams finished their seasons with 6 wins and 5 losses. Minnesota's lack-luster finish came after winning it's first five games of the season.
But record was good enough to earn a bowl invitation and a fun-filled week in Tennessee.
Grand Forks hosts World Junior Championship hockey tournament
Hockey players from around the globe are in Grand Forks and Thief River Falls this week for the World Junior Championship tournament. Ten teams are playing hoping to win the gold medal.
|
|
Friday, Dec. 31, 2004 |
Boise job cuts are bad news for International Falls
Sixty-four people lost their jobs this month at the Boise paper mill in International Falls. About half of them were let go just this week. The cuts are part of a restructuring at the Boise mill, which is the largest employer in International Falls. The loss of jobs is a major blow to the town's fragile economy. Community leaders are now trying to figure out what to do next.
Pawlenty seeks to protect Canadian drug reimportation
Gov. Tim Pawlenty is looking to protect the supply of cheap Canadian prescription drugs. He's has written to Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin urging him to continue allowing re-importation of prescription drugs. Recent news reports suggest that Martin's health cabinet wants to block the current system. But Canadian pharmacies and others who support reimportation say they'll pursue other measures to keep the business going.
The Kato Ballroom celebrates 50 years
The Kato Ballroom opened its doors back in the early 1950s around the advent of rock and roll. Before long, the Kato established itself as a Mankato hotspot hosting legends like Buddy Holly, Jerry Lee Lewis and even Louis Armstrong. This New Year's Eve the Kato revisits that history with a party celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Soaring solos
At almost every rock concert since the 1970s, the guitarists on stage have had a lot of back up: people in the audience, sometimes dozens of them, all playing imaginary instruments. Many air guitarists see themselves as artists in their own right. Some of the finer practitioners in the area will gather at the Triple Rock Social Club in Minneapolis tonight for the U.S. Air Guitar Regional Championships.
Fish letter
There's something about the end of the year that inspires even the most driven of us to slow down, reflect and take up the pen. That urge has spawned an enduring tradition -- the holiday letter. We thought we would share a bit of one letter that reached our newsroom.
|
| All Things Considered Archive |
|
|
|
© 2026 | Home : Terms of Use : Your Privacy Rights