Monday, September 27

Green Bay Packer Quarterback Brett Favre broke the hearts of Minnesota Vikings fans yesterday when he hit Corey Bradford with a 23-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds left, giving the Packers a 23-20 victory over the Vikings. The Vikings had taken the lead when Randy Moss caught a touchdown pass from Randall Cunningham with just under two minutes left in the game. Pioneer Press reporter Don Banks was at the game and he joins us now.

Ron Offutt grows more potatoes than anyone else in the world. He grows potatoes that are perfect for French Fries. Press reports call him the Sultan of Spuds and the Lord of the Fries but his success has a price. Growing the perfect French fry has an environmental downside, as people in small towns near Offutt's potato farms have learned to their dismay. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

You don't have to get up at three in the morning and squeeze into a pair of long johns to go deer hunting anymore. Hunters are now stalking deer and other animals on their computers. As Minnesota Public Radio's Jon Gordon reports, a Twin Cities software company leads the way in virtual hunting and fishing.

MPR's Chris Farrell analyzes the current turbulent economy.

Ron D. Offutt is the biggest potato grower in the world. His privately owned company raises 1.8 billion pounds of potatoes a year, many of them in Minnesota. They go to make French fries for fast food chains like MacDonald's. Offutt is also the top supplier to frozen French fry processors like JR Simplot and Ore Ida. But his success has a downside. Many people who live near Offutt's potato farms worry about the pesticides sprayed on his fields but they soon find they're up against a system much bigger than they are. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports, in the second of a two part series.

Police say Southeast Asian gang members may be responsible for a shooting Friday in Maplewood and another Monday in St. Paul. The possibility worries both police and members of St. Paul's large Hmong community, who say they're searching for ways to counter gang activity. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.

A new mural commemorating the great Hinckley Fire of 1894 will be unveiled today at the Hinckley Community Center. The fire produced a firestorm which incinerated hundreds of square miles and killed more than 400 people. The mural, by Ojibwe artist Steve Premo shows the historic rescue of a family by a young Ojibwe woman whose identity has only recently been discovered. Mainstreet Radios Leif Enger reports.

The people planning the light rail project proposed for Minneapolis and Bloomington settled a design controversy yesterday by deciding the train will go over Lake Street on a bridge rather than cross on the ground. The design for the twelve-mile-long line approved by the Hiawatha Avenue Corridor LRT planning group now goes to the Federal Transit Administration in Washington DC. The FTA must approve the plan before up to $250 million in federal funds become available. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Erin Hart reviews new plays at the Children's Theatre, Jungle Theater, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre and Eye of the Storm Theatre.

MPR's Mindy Ratner checks in from China where the government is busy preparing for the 50th anniversary of the advent of communism and Mindy learns to fan dance.

East Grand Forks' downtown business district has officially reopened. The area has been closed since virtually the whole town was damaged or destroyed when the Red River flooded in 1997. The community has been rebuilding ever since. Mayor Lynn Stauss took part in a ribbon-cutting and parade yesterday to celebrate the reopening. He's on the line now.

Six wolf pups in Forest Lake, Minnesota have come all the way from Canada by plane. The pups were orphaned when a hunter legally shot their mother - and then broke Canadian law by taking them home. Canadian Fish and Wildlife found the malnourished pups. Now the wolves are at the Science Wildlife Center in Forest Lake, a nonprofit education and research center. Peggy Callahan is the Director of the Center. She and Outreach Biologist John Weller showed me around the place, and introduced Bob Potter to the pups.

Koch Petroleum Group has agreed to pay a $6 million fine for criminal violations at its Rosemount Refinery. It's the largest federal environmental fine in Minnesota history. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure report.

It's been six months since state and federal fisheries experts signed a historic agreement with the Red Lake Indian Reservation to collaborate on a long-term recovery plan for walleye on the upper and lower Red Lakes. Now, biologists say the stocking program on the Red Lakes appears to be working, even as new possibilities are explored. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Robertson reports from Bemidji.

The Minnesota Orchestra has won a critical state variance for its proposed $23 million amphitheater in Brooklyn Park. The citizen's board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency voted yesterday to exempt a handful of neighboring properties from state noise laws. The variance was one of the last major hurdles for the project, which has been contentiously debated for a year and a half. Opponents are now promising to take their fight to court. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire reports.

Eight people will be awarded the 1999 National Humanities Medal by President and Mrs. Clinton today at a special ceremony at the White House. Two of the medal winners are Garrison Keillor and August Wilson. Wilson now lives in Seattle, Washington, but he began his career as a playwright in St. Paul. At an event yesterday sponsored by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Wilson talked about what has inspired him as a writer. Garrison Keillor also spoke at yesterday's event. He talked about the difference between being a writer and hosting A Prairie Home Companion.

Sun Country Airlines and the Metropolitan Airports Commission are planning a ground breaking ceremony for a new terminal at the Minneapolis St. Paul Airport today. The facility will replace the Humphrey Charter Terminal. Airport officials say the additional gate space will help them attract more airlines to Minneapolis-St. Paul. Minnesota Public Radio's Mark Zdechlik reports.

Federal Reserve Board Chairman Alan Greenspan addresses the Minnesota Meeting tonight. Many around the country will watching for any indication the Fed will raise interest rates next Tuesday. The Fed chairman prides himself on his often impenetrable prose - in part because his words often provoke dramatic movements in the financial markets. At the same time, Greenspan has ushered in an era of relative openness at the Fed, one of the most powerful and historically secretive institutions in the world. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Catlin reports.

Artistic inspiration often comes from unlikely places. For example, when a young Julian Lennon brought home a picture he had drawn at school his father John asked him what it was. Julian relied "It's Lucy in the sky with diamonds" and a pop classic was born. MPR's Jim Bickal has the unusual story about the origin of another memorable tune, this time with a Minnesota connection.

Fall colors should be at their peak this weekend along the St. Croix river near the Twin Cities. If you're planning a drive, and you want to see more than just leaves, you might want to listen a new tape that offers a guided tour to the historic spots and scenic views between Taylors Falls, Minnesota and Prescott, Wisconsin. Jim Shattattauer is the author of Secrets of the St. Croix: exploring the Hidden Treasures of the St. Croix River Valley. He says the idea for the tape came to him while he was on vacation.

Ventura spokesman John Wodele reacts to comments by Jesse in Playboy magazine.

Chris Gilbert, chair of the Political Science Department at Gustavus-Adolphus College in St. Peter, on Jesse.

A group of Northern Minnesota Loggers says it will file suit today against the US Forest Service and two environmental groups. The loggers claim the group's religious views are unduly influencing forest management decisions. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher Reports.

Governor Ventura has offered an explanation for the controversial interview he gave Playboy magazine but he's stopping short of an apology. Politicians and some religious leaders have reacted angrily to a quote in which he criticizes organized religion. Many people also took offense at other comments from the interview, which they considered to be offensive to women and out of touch with the prevailing morality. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.

Today is the self-imposed deadline for identifying new owners for the Minnesota Twins. Finding new investors is part of an agreement between the team and Mayor Norm Coleman to bring the Twins to downtown St. Paul. It appears a deal could be close that would bring three Twin Cities sports teams under one ownership group. But with time running down, much remains uncertain. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

University of Minnesota President Mark Yudof says the school needs to recommit itself to helping its student athletes. In his state of the university speech, Yudof also said faculty salaries need a boost for the university to be competitive in attracting and keeping educators. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.

Seventy-five hundred people are expected to run in the Twin Cities marathon on Sunday. The 26 mile run will start on Fifth street and Park Avenue in downtown Minneapolis and finish at the State Capitol in St. Paul. Over 200,000 spectators are expected to watch the runners. Dr. Wade Lillegard from the St. Mary's-Duluth Clinic of Sports Medicine says running in a marathon takes quite a toll on the body.

Without further ado, here's Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Roberts with the Word of Mouth arts roundup.

Meteorologist Mark Seeley says it may snow.