Todd Melby

2012-01-24T15:07:00.000-08:00

Todd's Old, Dead Media Tour
I've recently uploaded several stories to Soundcloud, a newish audio sharing website. This series of stories, produced in 2011, focuses on media that most people would consider antiquated — typewriters, 78 record players, pipe organs, etc. Although I'm calling this "Todd's Old, Dead Media Tour," I'm hoping these cool old things stick around a while. Unless you're reading this on an iPad or iPhone, you should be able to simply click and listen. Enjoy.
Todd's Old, Dead Media Tour by toddmelby-2belowzero

2012-01-19T10:15:00.001-08:00

2011-12-20T10:48:00.000-08:00

REUTERS

Tim Pawlenty supporters listening to the former governor's
speech at the Ames Straw poll. Pawlenty finished third and
dropped out of the race the following day.
(Photo by Todd Melby)

2011 GOP presidential campaign stories
In 2011, I worked as a freelancer for Reuters covering the Republican presidential race. Since I'm based in Minnesota, I focused on the fortunes of former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. Here are links to several stories where I was a co-author or contributor:

Christian group struggles over Gingrich endorsement (12/18/11)
Bachmann campaign pressed by Perry, fundraising (9/8/2011)
Bachmann campaign manager, deputy stepping down (9/5/11 - contributed reporting)
Bachmann sticks to strategy in campaign fight (8/25/11 - contributed reporting)
Struggling Pawlenty exits White House race (8/14/11 - contributed reporting)
Some Pawlenty donors start to doubt 2012 campaign (8/11/11)
Factbox: Pawlenty clings to White House bid despite slow start (7/26/11 - contributed reporting)
Bachmann denies her migraines are incapacitating (7/19/11 - contributed reporting)
Bachmann seen with hefty campaign cash haul (7/12/11)
Romney raises $15-20 million, leads Republican cash race (6/30/11 - contributed reporting)
Bachmann to launch election campaign Monday: source (6/21/2011)
Bachmann's combative style scores while Pawlenty's stalls (6/17/2011)
Republican candidate Pawlenty aims for big Iowa splash (5/23/2011)

2011-12-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

2011-11-04T09:33:00.000-07:00

The new version of SoundCloud allows listeners to comment on an audio story. Check out 2 below zero's 2011 documentary on sex offender laws and add your own comments. Or reply to ours.

2011-08-19T10:49:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Recent Minnesota-based stories
Prize money for amazing hockey shot still up in the air (8/17/11)
Minnesota shutdown adds stress to prisons (7/15/11)
Minnesota reaches budget deal, shutdown to end soon (7/14/11)
Mondale, Minnesota ex-governor form panel to offer budget plan (7/5/11)
Minnesotans frustrated, angry over state government shutdown (7/2/11)

2011-06-14T11:22:00.001-07:00

KFAI
Last Reel: Drive-In Movie Theaters of Minnesota
I produced this story on drive-in movie theaters for KFAI's MinneCulture series. The story includes visits to the Sky-Vu in Warren, Minnesota and the Starlite 5 in Litchfield, Minnesota. The Sky-Vu features a sandwich called "The Bomb," which contains cheez whiz and barbecue layered on top of a hot dog. This story includes lots of archival drive-in promos, the sounds of popcorn popping, film projectors and such. Mostly it focuses on people and why they love drive-ins and what will be lost when the last one closes. There are two sections I really had fun editing. At 14:00, there's a one-minute scene involving Bob Cowgill's memory of watching "The French Connection" during a thunderstorm. At about 24:41, there's another one-minute scene involving the 1973 flick "The Cheerleaders," which the Sky-Vu played in the late 1970s as an attempt to win back viewers to the drive-in. It was also great just listening to Leonard and Steve Novak talk about the old days, including a tale of catching a bunch of teens trying to sneak in to the drive-in free in the trunks of cars.

2011-05-25T09:29:00.001-07:00

2011-05-10T05:55:00.000-07:00

2011-04-27T13:07:00.001-07:00

2011-04-22T07:24:00.000-07:00

JAZZ 88
Jazz Originals: Down By the Riverside with Butch Thompson
I mixed this Jazz Originals program for radio station Jazz 88 in Minneapolis. Here's a description: "In a live performance recorded at the Paul and Sheila Wellstone Center in Saint Paul, jazz pianist and clarinetist Butch Thompson plays and discusses ragtime, early jazz and blues from New Orleans, St. Louis and other Mississippi River ports. Along the way we hear from Scott Joplin, Jelly Roll Morton, Bix Beiderbecke, and others who were there when the music was new."

2011-04-15T05:29:00.000-07:00

2011-03-21T08:15:00.000-07:00

NPR'S ONLY A GAME
Minnesota Timberwolves: A Team Tired of Losing

I produced a radio story for NPR's Only A Game on the hapless T-Wolves. The show's website describes the story this way: "The Minnesota Timberwolves are born losers. Since their inception in 1989, the T-Wolves have occupied the bottom of the NBA standings for most of their existence. Despite their troubles, their fan base has remained surprisingly loyal. Todd Melby reports from Minneapolis on the woes of the Timberwolves." The story includes a brief interview with the iconic Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune. The audio is here.

2011-03-18T14:31:00.000-07:00

2011-03-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

2010-08-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

Ampers, Diverse Radio for Minnesota's Communities
Most of 2010 has been dedicated to a launching a new website for Ampers, a collection of public radio stations in Minnesota. In July, the site began featuring arts, culture, music and history stories produced by stations statewide. By mid-August, our producers had uploaded 900+ stories and concerts to the site, including features on flarf poetry, do-it-yourself chainsaw art, a man who memorizes Scandinavian drinking songs and much, much more. It's quite a collection of audio. My job is to highlight the best work in our Backstage blog, tweet about selected audio, choose a Twaud.io Story of the Day (Twaud.io is an audio tweet, but the company isn't affiliated with Twitter), write Facebook updates and noodle ways to get more people to check out the site.

The site is powered in an innovative way. Producers are uploading audio to a private network on the Public Radio Exchange (PRX). Once the audio, photos and a short description have been uploaded to PRX, those resources are sent to Ampers and are seamlessly integrated into the site. Our stations use PRX to easily share stories and concerts without having to mess with an FTP site, server or e-mail.

The site is here.

2010-06-16T14:30:00.000-07:00

Saltcast
The latest documentary by Todd Melby and Diane Richard is featured on the Saltcast, a podcast dedicated to the "backstory of great radio storytelling." Rob Rosenthal of the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies interviews us about our work and plays an excerpt from the story. The Saltcast blog and audio are here.

2010-05-04T11:26:00.000-07:00

No Brother of Mine
Public radio stations across the country are airing 2 below zero's new documentary on sex offender policies. Here's a list of stations that have aired or licensed No Brother of Mine:
• WNYC (New York City)
• WGBH (Boston)
• WBEZ (Chicago)
• KUOW (Seattle)
• Minnesota Public Radio (21 stations, statewide network)
• New Hampshire Public Radio (6 stations, statewide network)
• KUT (Austin, Texas)
• WCAI/WNAN (Cape Cod/Martha's Vineyard/Nantucket, Massachusetts)
• WNIJ (DeKalb, Illinois)
• WYSO (Yellow Springs, Ohio)
• KLCC (Eugene, Oregon)

• Yellowstone Public Radio (4 stations, Montana and Wyoming)
• KXOT (Tacoma/Olympia, Washington)
• KFAI (Minneapolis/St. Paul)

• WTIP (Grand Marais, Minnesota)
• KAUR (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
• KLNI (Decorah, Iowa)
• WFIU (Bloomington, Indiana)
• WFPL (Louisville, Kentucky)
• Saltcast, a podcast produced by the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and the Public Radio Exchange (PRX).

DOCUMENTARY No Brother of Mine by toddmelby-2belowzero

2010-04-08T13:01:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Ponzi schemer Petters gets 50-year prison sentence
A federal judge sentenced Minnesota businessman Tom Petters to 50 years in prison on Thursday for running a $3.65 billion Ponzi scheme, one of the largest ever uncovered.

The sentence means the 52-year-old founder of Petters Group Worldwide Inc likely will spend the rest of his life behind bars. Prosecutors sought a 335-year sentence, while the defense said a term as short as four years was more appropriate.

Petters blew kisses to family members in the packed St. Paul, Minnesota courtroom after U.S. District Judge Richard Kyle handed down the sentence.

Petters will appeal the sentence, said Paul Engh, a lawyer for Petters, in an interview.

The full story is here.

2010-04-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Attorney sues U.S. diocese in latest abuse case
The U.S. lawyer accusing the Vatican of covering up priests' sex abuse outlined on Monday the case of a former Minnesota priest who allegedly told a teenage girl that not touching him was a sin.

"We are sad and we are alarmed. Sad because so many kids have been wounded and because top Vatican officials don't get it and remain in denial," said attorney Jeffrey Anderson.

Revelations of sexual abuse of children by priests and alleged cover-ups have surfaced almost daily in several countries over the past few weeks.

The full story is here.

2010-03-03T13:31:00.000-08:00

No Brother of Mine
The one-hour radio documentary “No Brother of Mine” offers an unflinching look at U.S. sex offender policy that reaches beyond the headlines and into the lives of real people. Reported over four years by award-winning independent producers Todd Melby and Diane Richard of 2 below zero, this hour-long documentary combines audio-rich storytelling that puts the listener in the scene with expert interviews that lend perspective and propel the narrative forward. It provides a nuanced examination of issues surrounding federal online registration laws, residency restrictions, Romeo and Juliet laws and the growing use of civil commitment.

The documentary will air on public radio stations nationwide.

The audio is here. Or click on the big orange PLAY button to listen.
2 below zero is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Donations can be made at the 2 below zero website or the 2 below zero page at givemn.org.

2009-11-04T15:47:00.000-08:00

REUTERS
Whistle-blower in Petters case wrote company checks
The whistle-blower in the $3.65 billion fraud trial of accused Ponzi schemer Tom Petters testified on Wednesday that she wrote more than $1.2 million in Petters company checks to her boyfriend and brother.

Under cross-examination from Petters' defense attorneys, Deanna Coleman also testified that she had put her boyfriend on the company payroll with a $100,000 a year salary and that Petters was aware of it. The boyfriend received $300,000 in checks from the company while her brother received $930,000 as

Coleman tried to hide income during a divorce. In addition, defense attorneys presented evidence showing that Coleman spent more than $600,000 of investors' money on gambling during the Consumer Electronics Shows in Las Vegas in 2007 and 2008.

The full story is here.

2009-10-29T14:51:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
U.S. says Petters faked checks, orders in Ponzi scheme
Tom Petters concocted fake checks and purchase orders as part of a Ponzi scheme to deceive retailers into believing that he was transacting more business with them than he actually was, the U.S. government said at his trial on Thursday.

With Petters looking on at the first full day of testimony into his alleged $3.65 billion fraud, prosecutors questioned several witnesses, introducing what they called evidence of bogus transactions involving Costco Wholesale Corp and General Electric Co's GE Capital unit.

GE Capital executives testified how the lender extended a $50 million line of credit to one of Petters' companies, before confronting the Minnesota businessman about documentation for some Costco transactions. One said Petters became irritated when asked to repay $45 million that had been drawn down.

"Tom Petters called me and read me the riot act," said GE Capital risk executive Paul Feehan. "He gave me a butt-kicking. He was adamant that I stay the hell away from Costco."

The full story is here.

2009-10-04T12:15:00.000-07:00

NPR'S ONLY A GAME
Twins Say Bye-Bye to Metrodome
The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis — home to the Minnesota Twins since 1982 — is a place baseball purists love to hate. Visiting outfielders often lose sight of pop flies. The right field wall is elastic. The grass is fake. The seats are plastic. And some people think the home team cheated in winning its first World Series by manipulating air vents during games. The audio is here.

2009-10-03T11:47:00.000-07:00

WORLD VISION REPORT
Esperanza Perez Sings
An expensive hotel is an oasis from reality. It’s cloistered, air conditioned and perfectly manicured. Everything a person might need — food, entertainment, a place to sleep — is inside this bubble. On a recent trip to Phoenix for a conference, I stayed at a place that even had a fake waterfall. Everything was going fine.

And then one afternoon, I headed up to my room … walked out of the elevator and heard a faint voice. It was coming from inside one of the rooms. And it belonged to a maid. I couldn’t understand the words to her song — it was in Spanish, a class I’d nearly flunked in college — but it moved me.

It lifted my spirits because it was so fresh, so human, so unexpected. (Photo courtesy of World Vision Report)

2009-07-16T08:09:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Growing Food with Fumes
Big dairy farms produce more than just milk. They also generate manure. Lots and lots of it. That can be a problem for farmers and the environment. I reported on a technology that reduces manure and generates electricity for the public radio program, The Environment Report, which is based in Ann Arbor, Michigan and airs on dozens of stations around the country.

The audio is here.

2009-07-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Two indicted in Minnesota on Somali terror charges
A federal grand jury in Minneapolis indicted two men on Monday on charges of conspiracy and aiding terrorism overseas, according to court papers.
The Minneapolis Star Tribune said on Monday that one of the men, Salah Osman Ahmed, 26, is of Somali descent and lived in a Minneapolis suburb.

According to the indictment, Ahmed and Abdifatah Yusuf Isse were charged with two counts of providing material support to terrorists "and resources, namely personnel including themselves," and conspiring "to kill, kidnap, and maim and injure persons outside of the United States" between September 2007 and December 2008.
The full story is here.

2009-07-10T08:25:00.000-07:00

How radio is made
Sometimes people want to know how public radio features are created. Another independent producer — Cyrus Farivar — does a pretty darn good job of explaining how it works in this blog entry on his website.

2009-07-05T08:19:00.000-07:00

FUND YOUR BLISS
Starting a nonprofit — a personal story
Dmae Roberts, an independent radio producer, recently asked me to write a story about how Diane Richard and I started a nonprofit dedicated to making radio documentaries and other public media projects.

The story is available at Dmae's blog, Fund Your Bliss.

2009-06-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Franken declared Senate winner, Coleman concedes
Democrat Al Franken, a satirist turned politician, was declared the winner of a Senate seat in Minnesota on Tuesday, clearing the way for President Barack Obama's party to secure a critical 60-seat majority in the Senate.

Ending one of the longest Senate races ever, the Minnesota Supreme Court unanimously rejected each of Republican Norm Coleman's five legal arguments that an earlier recount of the November 4 vote had been unfair. Coleman quickly conceded.

Franken will become the 58th Senate Democrat, the most the party has had since 1981. Two independents routinely vote with the Democrats, giving the party the 60 votes needed to clear Republican procedural hurdles known as filibusters.

However, the party has traditionally had trouble ensuring all its members vote the same way. They will also need to rely on Arlen Specter, a former Republican from Pennsylvania who switched parties in April who has said he will vote his own way and not necessarily along party lines.

The full story is here. (Photo courtesy of Jonathunder via Wikipedia Commons.)

2009-06-29T13:50:00.000-07:00

Death's Footprint wins two national awards
2 below zero, a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to producing thought-provoking radio documentaries, received the 2009 Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) Edward R. Murrow Award for its documentary “Death’s Footprint.” It also won the Public Radio News Directors Inc.’s top honors. RTNDA announced the award today. The PRNDI award was announced earlier in June.

Produced by 2 below zero founders Diane Richard and Todd Melby, Death’s Footprint explores the environmental impact of conventional death care practices. It highlights topics such as the workplace hazards of formaldehyde used in embalming, mercury and carbon emissions from crematoria, cemetery land-use issues, green burial practices and a new method of body disposal called Resomation. The 28-minute documentary features a wide range of Chicagoans, including an embalmer, an undertaker, a Roman Catholic cemeterian, and a woman who wants to have her body composted by worms.

Commissioned by Chicago Public Radio (WBEZ 91.5 FM), the documentary was part of the 2008 Chicago Matters “Growing Forward” series. It originally aired on Chicago Public Radio in December 2008. It has also aired on KFAI 90.3 FM Minneapolis.

About 2 below zero: Founded by independent producers Diane Richard and Todd Melby, 2 below zero is a Minneapolis-based nonprofit dedicated to producing radio documentaries that start the conversation. The group’s mission is to produce media that delve into human curiosities, inventions, taboos, wonders. To ask questions that are difficult to answer—and whose answers can be uncomfortable, albeit compelling, to hear. To turn over rocks, probe tender spots and expose the private impact of public policy. To find delight and insight in surprising places. And to illuminate in some small way the unseen, unheard and rarely felt textures and rhythms of daily life.

Learn more about 2 below zero here.

The audio is here.

2009-06-17T14:36:00.000-07:00

2 BELOW ZERO
2 below zero gets a new website
As one of the senior producers at Minneapolis-based 2 below zero, I'm proud to announce the creation of a new website. Created by Adam Eggert, the site incorporates the organization's new logo and provides easy access to audio, photography, sharing capabilities (Facebook, Digg, etc.), links to the organization's podcast and all the other cool stuff one needs online today. Thanks to Adam for setting this up.

Check out the new site here.

2009-05-25T08:01:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Green Last Requests, Part Three
In 2008, I co-produced a documentary on the environmental consequences of traditional death care for Chicago Public Radio. Now comes the three-part series for The Environment Report, a radio show for 100-plus public radio stations in the U.S.

"During the past couple of centuries, the typical graveyard hasn't changed much. It's central features still include tombstones, winding paths, trees and grass. Some critics want cemeteries to ban tombstones, stop fertilizing, and institute other green practices. Todd Melby reports that traditional burial practices die hard."

The audio is here.

2009-05-18T09:57:00.000-07:00

THE ENVRIONMENT REPORT
Green Last Requests, Part Two
In 2008, I co-produced a documentary on the environmental consequences of traditional death care for Chicago Public Radio. Now comes the three-part series for The Environment Report, a radio show for 100-plus public radio stations in the U.S.

"When businesses begin offering earth-friendly alternatives to traditional products, it often takes a while for those items to catch on. The funeral industry is no exception. Todd Melby reports on one undertaker's attempt at greening death."

The audio is here.

2009-05-18T07:50:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Green Last Requests, Part 1
In 2008, I co-produced a documentary on the environmental consequences of traditional death care for Chicago Public Radio. Now comes the three-part series for The Environment Report, a radio show for 100-plus public radio stations in the U.S.

"Memorial Day is coming up. Many people still visit the graves of family and friends, maybe bring flowers. When a loved one dies, grieving prevents most of us from thinking about the environmental consequences of conventional funerals and burial. But some people are beginning to weigh the environmental costs of caskets, burial vaults and grave markers. Todd Melby reports on the green death movement."

The audio is here.

2009-04-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

2 BELOW ZERO
HK designs new look for 2 below zero
HartungKemp Design Agency has created a new graphic identity for 2 below zero, an independent media nonprofit. Created in 2008, 2 below zero specializes in producing stories and documentaries for public radio. Todd Melby and Diane Richard are the group's senior producers. Todd Melby and Diane Richard have completed four documentaries for Chicago Public Radio, including the award-winning "Spirit and Body Willing: Sex Over Age 70" and "Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Students." (Listen to the documentaries here.) The documentaries and features produced by the principals of 2 below zero have aired on NPR stations throughout the U.S., BBC Radio 4, Radio Netherlands and on popular public radio shows such as PRI's The World, Marketplace, Day to Day, Savvy Traveler, Justice Talking and the Environment Report. Thank you, HartungKemp!

2009-04-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Family planning for Somali-Americans
I recently reported on how a public health program in Minnesota adapted its family planning message to fit the cultural needs of the local Somali population. Straight talk about contraception is frowned upon in the Muslim community, so health workers have come up with a more subtle approach.

The story aired on 218 public radio stations, including Minnesota Public Radio, that broadcast PRI's The World.

The audio is here. (Artwork by Aziz. Courtesy of Minnesota International Health Volunteers.)

2009-03-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

KFAI
Wearing Faith on Their Sleeves
A few years ago, Twin Cities resident AbdulAziz Al-Salim was looking for a witty, Muslim-themed T-shirt. But all he could find were unimaginative creations. So the 23-year-old started his own company to design and sell Muslim-themed shirts. As part of KFAI's “Muslims in Minnesota” series, I reported on Muslim Tees, a small company with a big message.

The audio is here.

2009-02-23T13:01:00.000-08:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Getting people to stop burning trash
Getting rid of your trash in the city is easy. Take it to the curb on pickup day and the city does the rest. In rural areas, many people don't have garbage pickup. So they burn their trash. And that causes pollution. In this story for The Environment Report, I report on a place that's trying to change its burning habits.

Environment Report stories air on public radio stations in New York, Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, California, Oregon, Minnesota and elsewhere.

The audio is here.

2009-02-16T13:48:00.000-08:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Ospreys nest near fish hatchery
Ospreys are birds of prey that eat fish. In this story, I report on a pair of osprey that tried to nest near a fish hatchery.

2009-01-06T08:10:00.000-08:00

REUTERS
Al Franken wins Minnesota Senate seat in recount
Democrat Al Franken beat Republican incumbent Norm Coleman to win the U.S. Senate seat from Minnesota, officials conducting a final recount said on Monday, though the loser promised to challenge the result.

The outcome found Franken edged Coleman by 225 votes out of nearly 2.9 million votes cast, but Coleman's lawyers complained the recount was conducted unfairly and promised a court contest that could take weeks to resolve. More here.

2008-12-31T19:30:00.000-08:00

THE WORLD
Young Somalis disappear
The violent civil war in Somalia is now in its seventeenth year. Thousands have died. Millions have lost their homes. Now the war appears to be affecting people living in the United States. In Minneapolis, several Somali men — and at least one high school student — are believed to have returned to their East African homeland. Their families are worried that they might be fighting as insurgents in the war against Ethiopia, whose troops have occupied the country since 2006.

The audio is here.

(Photo: Abdirizak Bihi and daughter. Bihi's nephew — Burhan Hassan — is one of many Somali-Americans from Minneapolis who are now thought to be living in Somalia. Hassan was a student taking advanced placement classes at Roosevelt High School in Minneapolis before he disappeared. Photo by Todd Melby)

2008-12-30T12:56:00.000-08:00

REUTERS
Minnesota edges closer to deciding Senate winner
The end drew closer on Tuesday in Minnesota's drawn-out U.S. Senate race, with Democrat Al Franken holding a slim 50-vote lead over incumbent Republican Sen. Norm Coleman, officials said.

Franken was leading Coleman 1,211,951 to 1,211,901 -- with at least 1,346 absentee ballots still to be counted by early next week.

"We're darn close," said Minnesota Secretary of State Mark Ritchie, a Democrat and member of the five-member board trying to determine the winner of the November 4 contest. More here.

2008-12-17T15:20:00.000-08:00

CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO
Death's Footprint
Death's Footprint, a documentary I co-produced with Diane Richard, on the environmental consequences of traditonal funeral and burial practices aired today on Chicago Public Radio's Eight Forty-Eight show.

Here's our introduction to the story: "Nine million people live in the Chicago area. One thing is clear: all of us are going to die. What you may not know is what happens to all those bodies, and the effect they have on the environment. Chicagoland cemeteries take up thousands of acres of open space. Funeral homes use gallons of toxic chemicals a year. And cremation consumes lots of energy and emits toxins into the environment. Today, many Americans are looking for ways that make their deaths greener. But change is coming slowly. The way we practice death has deep cultural and religious traditions."

This program includes interviews with an embalmer, an undertaker, a 34-year-old woman who wants to have her corpse composted by worms, the sounds of a crematorium and an exploration of the newest, greenest body disposal technique: resomation.

Death's Footprint won an Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television News Directors Association (RTNDA) for best documentary. The program also won a best documentary award from Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI).

The audio is here.

2008-12-11T15:02:00.000-08:00

HEARING VOICES
Singing Salvation Army Bell Ringer
Hearing Voices is a new weekly hour series from NPR. It bills itself as "the best of public radio: a sixty-minute stream of 'driveway moments' all connected by a weekly theme." This week's theme is Christmas and the show is airing a piece I produced last year on Arthur Jackson, a Salvation Army bell ringer at the Mall of America. The show is called Christmas Mashup and it airs on about 90 stations nationwide, including WNYC in New York City and Iowa Public Radio, right here in the Heartland of America.

2008-12-05T15:04:00.000-08:00

KFAI LISTENING LOUNGE
Joe Strummer's London Calling
Every Monday night, I host a radio show called The Listening Lounge. I believe there ought to be a place on the radio for surprises. The Listening Lounge tries to be that delightful, and sometimes disturbing, place. When we air newsy documentaries, you won't hear experts droning on for decades. You'll hear vibrant stories about real people. And when we air shorter audio experiences, we get out of the way and let sound tell the story.

On Dec. 22 and Dec. 29, we'll hear from Joe Strummer of the Clash in a two-part series dedicated to his BBC Radio show. Here's a description: "Joe Strummer, the legendary gravel-voiced punk-poet from The Clash, loved to listen to music on the radio. Even as he toured the world with "the only band that matters," he still had a dream to one day spin records for the BBC World Service, where he heard the latest UK hits over the shortwave band as a teenager in Africa. He finally got his wish in 1999, when BBC World Service premiered Joe Strummer's London Calling. Between then and 2002, Strummer hosted a series of programs with a simple format — one man and his eclectic record collection." On the Dec. 22 show, listen to an interview with Strummer. On the Dec. 29 show, listen to Joe Strummer's first show for the BBC, unedited.

2008-12-02T10:37:00.000-08:00

WGBH and MARFA PUBLIC RADIO
Consuming Desire
Two more public radio stations recently aired Consuming Desire, a documentary I co-produced with Diane Richard. WGBH in Boston and Marfa Public Radio in far west Texas aired the report in the days after Thanksgiving — the traditional beginning of the holiday shopping season. Consuming Desire examines Americans' love of shopping. In particular, what motivates us to buy more than we need and whether this culturally sanctioned pursuit hints at darker aspects, financial or emotional, in our lives. The documentary previously aired on Chicago Public Radio, KFAI in Minneapolis and KVNF in western Colorado. To listen, click on the Consuming Desire link in this post.

2008-11-05T11:40:00.000-08:00

MINNESOTA MAGAZINE
An Electrifying Occupation
For Nina Tortosa, working a double shift is part of the fun of her job. When the 34-year-old aerodynamics engineer for General Motors in suburban Detroit works extra hours, she wears jeans and a dingy, gray University of Minnesota sweatshirt, circa 1993. That’s because Tortosa (B.A. ’98, M.S. ’00) is laboring inside a wind tunnel, crawling under the bodies of clay model cars, taking measurements, and getting dirty. “It’s a blast in there. It’s kind of like playing, but at work,” she says. Read more here.

2008-09-20T13:40:00.000-07:00

PRX
Two Jobs, Still Not Making It
After her stepfather died, Monique Williams' mother went "out of control." So the teenager from Hammond, Indiana rented her own apartment and worked two jobs. She graduated from high school, but didn't have the money for college. Instead, she worked a pair of part-time jobs. Monique's job at a grocery store deli paid $7.29 per hour and her job at Wendy's paid $5.90 per hour. "It wasn't that much ... that's why I had to keep working," she says.

This story is part of the Promise Commentary series, an intimate look at the promises candidates are making this election year. The was commissioned by the Public Radio Exchange (PRX) and is available to member stations nationwide.

The audio is here.

2008-09-10T13:29:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Senator seeks to have sex sting plea voided
I reported on the appeal of Sen. Larry Craig's arrest last year in a men's toilet sex-sting operation at the Minneapolis airport. The highlight in the 45-minute hearing at the Minnesota Court of Appeals was this exchange between Craig's lawyer — Billy Martin — and one of the judges.

During Wednesday's oral arguments, which lasted less than an hour, Martin said Craig was only looking into the stall to see if it was occupied.
"But the police officer could see that his eyes were blue," responded Judge Natalie Hudson. "He was peering in the crack."

"Your honor," replied Martin, "you're guessing. You shouldn't have to guess on appeal."

The story is here.

2008-09-01T12:10:00.000-07:00

MINNESOTA MONTHLY
True Faith in Fashion
A few years ago, Twin Cities resident AbdulAziz Al-Salim was looking for a witty Muslim-themed T-shirt, but found only unimaginative creations. So the 23-year-old started Muslim Tees with two other Minnesotans. The company has sold about 1,000 shirts and been featured on Beliefnet.

The firm’s most popular shirt appropriates a popular icon — the cell-phone battery symbol — to explain one of the benefits of Ramadan, which this year starts September 1. “Non-Muslims focus on the not eating part,” says Al-Salim. “They forget there’s this whole other side that’s about reconnecting.”

Read the rest of the article is available at Minnesota Monthly.

2008-06-16T12:51:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Roman Cress, Olympian

I produced a radio story about school administrator Roman Cress, a Minneapolis sprinter who will be competing in the 100-meter dash at the 2008 Games in Beijing. Cress was born in the Marshall Islands and moved to Minneapolis as a young child. He'll be running for the Marshallese team at the Olympics. The story aired on public radio's The World, a co-production of WGBH, PRI and the BBC.

I also created this audio slideshow, which was promoted on The World's website.

2008-05-25T17:04:00.000-07:00

10,000 ARTS
Where we live
An essay I wrote last year for mnartists.org has been reprinted by 10,000 Arts, a quarterly co-production of mnartists and Rake magazine. (Photo by Colin Kopp)

Here's the beginning of the essay: "I've been living in the same city for a long time. Maybe that's why I crave the unusual. I abhor cookie-cutter architecture, which is just as prevalent in urban areas as in cul-de-sac suburbia. How many three-story brick condos with railed terraces have you seen constructed in recent years?

I want buildings that curve, use everyday materials in strange ways, use strange materials in everyday ways, inspire fear, or give me pause. I like to nestle next to Moos Tower on a sunny day, bike under the Guthrie's blue-black cantilever at night, and duck into that new box buried behind the Walker Art Center that frames the winter sky.

I also like the dangerous: decrepit structures with peeling paint and collapsed roofs. Walking across the cracked, aging pedestrian bridge at I-94 near Augsburg College-with cars buzzing on the highway below-makes my heart beat a little faster. Crossing the Lowry Avenue truss bridge is thrilling when you poke your head out the window to look at the Mississippi River's waves through the steel openings of this 1955 landmark. (Let someone else drive.)"

You can read more here.

2008-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

WALKER ART CENTER
Next Exit: The Shifting Landscape of Suburbia
I moderated this panel discussion at the Walker Art Center. Here's a description: "In today’s expanding metropolitan areas, the lines between urban and suburban are rapidly blurring. Population growth, immigration, and transportation are among the many factors that city planners, designers, and developers confront as they prepare for the next million people to move into Minnesota’s suburbs. Join panelists Lance Nekar of the Metropolitan Design Center, Dan Bergin of Twin Cities Public Television, Michael Lander of Lander Group, and others for a discussion about the challenges and successes of new suburban design, how suburbs are becoming destination environments, and the cultural implications of these shifts." The video is available here. (Photo: Greg Stimac, Mowing the Lawn (Chandler, Arizona), 2005/2006)

2008-04-03T15:00:00.000-07:00

MINNPOST
Audio tour of an Alcoa Care-free house
Imagine never having to paint your house or put on a new roof. Wouldn't that be great? After World War II, the world's third largest aluminum manufacturer tried to sell America on the idea of living in an aluminum house. The company set up sales offices around the country in an attempt to sell "care-free living." I toured a 1957 Alcoa Care-free House in St. Louis Park, Minn. with architectural historian Charlene Roise. You can listen to that report and see pictures at MinnPost.

2008-04-02T14:11:00.000-07:00

MINNPOST
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
Major League Baseball is celebrating the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" this season. Written by Jack Norworth in 1908, the song was originally performed in vaudeville acts before catching on with fans. At Monday's opener, Twins fans auditioned for a chance to sing the sport's unofficial anthem at an upcoming game.

Bryce Jasper of Plymouth loves the tradition of belting out the song during the 7th inning stretch. "Everybody knows it," he says. "Everybody loves it. We all sing it. It just makes you feel good." (Photo courtesy of Minnesota Twins)

2008-03-31T14:04:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Somali Cause hopes to change U.S. policy
Somali-Americans in Minneapolis are trying to focus more attention on the conflict taking place in their homeland. The East African country is driven by violence, as government troops backed by Ethiopia fight against Islamist insurgents.

The audio is here.

2008-03-21T14:55:00.000-07:00

MINNPOST
Area students gather in support of Tibet
Teinzin Dadon's father escaped from Tibet three decades ago. After arriving in India, he made his way to the United States. Today, Teinzin, a high school senior, shouts from a bridge in Minneapolis, asking drivers to support her father and all Tibetans.

Listen to the story by clicking on the radio player.

2008-02-04T09:45:00.000-08:00

THE WORLD
Super Tuesday Preview
Super Tuesday 2008 was supposed to be the day that would decide who the Democrats would choose as their presidential nominee: Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton. This story examines how the economy influenced voter choices in Minnesota.

The audio is here.

2008-01-31T14:41:00.000-08:00

DAY TO DAY
Bouncing Queen
A quirky tradition at the St. Paul Winter Carnival is the Bouncing Team: Fourteen guys holding a round, canvas blanket rocket a young woman 30 feet into the air. She does an aerial gymnastic move. They catch her. The Winter Carnival started in 1886, so did the Bouncing Team; they've been tossing woman skyward ever since — not one dropped yet. Aired on NPR's Day to Day.

2008-01-01T11:06:00.000-08:00

MINNESOTA MONTHLY
Icons or eyesores?
“A lot of postwar buildings aren’t huggable,’” says Charlene Roise. Most aren’t eligible for the National Register of Historic Places either—a building typically must be 50 or older to win protection from the wrecking ball. And that’s a problem says Roise, an architectural historian based in Minneapolis, because many modernist structures are in danger of being altered or bulldozed. Here’s a short list of buildings she’d like to see preserved.

Orchestra Hall and Peavey Plaza

Ribbon-cutting: 1974
The concern: Minnesota Orchestra is planning a $90-million addition that would, among other things, double the size of the existing lobby. The 2009 expansion will eat up a chunk of Peavey Plaza.
Why save it? Peavey Plaza proves concrete can be park-like and is one of the few open spaces in downtown Minneapolis, says Roise.
Roise’s rallying cry: Think Mary Tyler Moore. “You look at that building and you say, ‘Ooh, 1970s!’”

Minneapolis Public Service center

Ribbon-cutting: 1956
The concern: The land beneath this five-story beauty might be worth more than the building.
Why save it? Built as part of mid-century urban renewal, it’s symbolic of the city’s efforts to revive its slumping downtown. It also features the same material—porcelain enamel metal—found on Lustron houses (several exist in Minneapolis) and White Castles. How cool is that?
Roise’s rallying cry: “It’s a little jewel.”

Metrodome

Ribbon-cutting: 1982
The concern: With the Twins and Gophers leaving, the stadium’s days appear numbered.
Why save it? Aesthetics aren’t the only reason to save a building. Innovative construction methods sometimes warrant historic consideration. Which brings us to the Dome’s roof: It’s air-supported Teflon. Sure, it’s collapsed three times. But mostly it’s stayed up.
Roise’s rally cry: “We shouldn’t just toss it out without talking about it,” Roise says. But, she adds, “I’m not going to lay down in front of a bulldozer for it.”

This story appeared in the January 2008 issue of Minnesota Monthly.

2007-12-19T14:45:00.000-08:00

DAY TO DAY
Salvation Army Bellringer
A crack addict finds Jesus, stays off drugs and rings bells for the Salvation Army. Oh, and he sings too. Aired on NPR's Day to Day.

2007-11-12T12:21:00.000-08:00

2007-10-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Global Hit: Munni Begum
Ghazals are poems often set to music and sung with great emotion. The poetic form of couplets goes back to 7th century Arabia. Later the ghazal gained prominence in Persian verse, and spread to India and Pakistan. Poets writing in Urdu adopted the form. For the past 30 years, Munni Begum has set these Urdu poems to music. Today, she’s one of the top ghazal singers, loved by Pakistanis and Indians alike. Earlier this month she performed in Minneapolis. Independent producer Todd Melby was there.

2007-10-10T11:37:00.000-07:00

MEDILL ALUMNI
Merciless Multitasking
"In this industry, it ain't easy staying relevant," I wrote in the Fall 2007 issue of Medill Alumni, the publication for graduates of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.

"I'm a 46-year-old independent journalist who reports on architecture, sexuality and local-global issues. I report for the printed page, public radio, online and podcasts. And, boy, am I tired." Click on the page image to read the rest of the article.

2007-09-17T12:24:00.000-07:00

2007-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Global Hit: Super Split Single
Vinyl records are as much a thing of the past as the Titanic. At least that's what most of us think. One man in Minnesota refuses to give up on vinyl. A portrait of Mpls Ltd, a record label that still releases records.

2007-08-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Witnesses describe horror of collapsed bridge scene
A woman sobbed against an embankment near the collapsed Minneapolis bridge, comforted by strangers and a priest. She told them she had been talking on her cell phone with a friend who was driving on the span when the call was suddenly interrupted.

"She can't talk," one of the men said, explaining the woman had rushed over to the bridge but could not find her friend.

Martha Robeson was also crying, worried that her two granddaughters had been hurt or killed in Wednesday's rush-hour collapse of the 500-foot (160 meter) span over the Mississippi River.

"I want my grandbabies. That's all I want," the 39-year-old said of the 6- and 4-year-old girls who had been on a city-sponsored swimming trip.

Witnesses described a frightening rumble, then a thunderous roar, as the 40-year-old steel and concrete span buckled and collapsed, crashing 65 feet into the river.

Cars were crushed under huge slabs of concrete, flipped onto their roofs or thrown in the river as the bridge, packed with vehicles in bumper-to-bumper commuter traffic, went down.

Leif Hanson and a friend were bicycling nearby and rushed to the tumultuous scene. "There was a truck below, having explosions," he said.

His friend Andy Schwich said he saw rescuers pull up a lifeless body, likely one of at least half a dozen people killed in the unexplained collapse of the bridge. At least 20 people were injured.

On a refurbished stone railroad bridge parallel to the collapsed span, hundreds of cyclists and pedestrians stopped and stared on an unusually warm summer evening.

After the ambulances had left, floodlights were set up, tow trucks lined an adjacent avenue, and an oversized two-story-high backhoe moved into position to begin cleaning up the wreckage.

Down in the river, a single rescue boat searched vainly amid a tangle of steel girders and chunks of concrete, a few cars submerged just beneath the surface. By nightfall, some 50 cars had been searched by rescue teams.

Other stories I reported during the aftermath of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis:

2007-06-20T12:24:00.000-07:00

2007-06-13T10:20:00.000-07:00

REUTERS
Minnesota Muslims in Culture Clash at Airport
For Mahamed Jama, a Minnesota taxi driver, the Islamic restriction on drinking alcohol is a seamless rule for life.

"He who carries alcohol, he who drinks and he who sells it are the same thing," he says.
That belief could affect his livelihood.

The commission that runs the Minneapolis airports in May began enforcing a new policy allowing it to revoke the licenses of drivers who refuse to ferry passengers carrying alcohol -- something that has happened to 4,854 travelers trying to get a cab at Minneapolis International Airport in the last five years.

Read more here.

2007-05-07T10:13:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Muslim Cabbies Say 'No' to Alcohol
Minneapolis is home to one of the largest concentrations of Somali immigrants in North America. For the past seven months, officials at the airport there have been struggling with how to accommodate the religious beliefs of Somali Muslim cab drivers without inconveniencing certain passengers. Many of the cabbies refuse rides to anyone carrying alcohol. The airport authority wanted those drivers to put special lights on the top of their taxis to identify them as alcohol-free. But that idea was scraped. Now there's a new rule that could put some drivers out of business.

2007-04-12T09:54:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Global Hit: JoSH
Reporter Todd Melby tells us about a Pakistani pop duo named JoSH. They're a hit in South Asia and are hoping for success at home in Canada.

2006-11-13T12:19:00.000-08:00

2006-04-26T11:10:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO
Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Schools
In the small town of La Harpe, Illinois, high school students don’t have access to classes most suburban kids take for granted. Not Spanish, not Calculus, not even Pre-calc. That’s because La Harpe’s homes and farms generate little property tax revenue. And in America, that’s how schools get a significant portion of their funding. “Flatlined: How Illinois Shortchanges Rural Students,” starts in the La Harpe high school gym, where the Sweetheart Dance is in full swing.

Winner of Sigma Delta Chi Award, Best Documentary, 2007. Part of a series (“Chicago Matters: Valuing Education”) that was awarded a Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, 2007. I produced this documentary with Diane Richard.

2006-01-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Car Sharing Gets Profitable
There's nothing unusual about renting a car by the day. It's commonplace at airports nationwide, but for most Americans, renting a car by the hour is a strange notion. Renting a car by the hour is often called "car sharing." Car sharing is good for the environment because its users only get the car when they need the car. They usually take buses and bikes to get around. Car sharing has caught on in a few big cities on the east and west coasts. That's largely due to the efforts of a pair of private companies, Zipcar and Flexcar. Now those firms are poised to expand their operations. Listen to this story here.

2005-05-05T10:30:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO
Consuming Desire
Consuming Desire examines Americans’ love of shopping. In particular, what motivates us to buy more than we need and whether this culturally sanctioned pursuit hints at darker aspects, financial or emotional, in our lives. Central to the story are six or so Chicagoans who present an array of behavior that may or may not be problematic, depending on the listener’s own point of view. These individuals “show” their collections of purses, pottery, designer clothes and more. They also talk about the exhilaration they feel when the buy, and also for some the negative emotions that come after binges. Their insights raise questions about the difference between collectors and compulsive buyers and how ephemeral and even addictive the “shopping high” can be.

Experts on collecting and compulsive buying place the sources’ stories in a broader context. As many as five percent of Americans now show signs of being compulsive buyers, according to a soon-to-be-published study. Issues around medical treatments, legal precedents and other newsy bits are explored.

Rounding out the story is a critical perspective of rampant consumerism given by members of a Voluntary Simplicity group in Chicago. One member invites the listeners to shop “frugally” with her: It’s for them to decide in what ways she’s different from the other shoppers, or if the emphasis she pays to frugality is perhaps itself extreme. I produced this documentary with Diane Richard.

2004-12-20T09:38:00.000-08:00

MARKETPLACE
Targeting Crime
Retail giant Target made itself into a modern Scrooge earlier this month when it banned the Salvation Army and those red Christmas kettles from outside its stores. But yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus -- the company does have other gifts to give.

2004-09-23T09:30:00.000-07:00

MARKETPLACE
1960s sex discrimination has ramifications today
It wasn't that long ago that companies could legally fire female employees when they got married or became pregnant. Some of those women who lost their jobs back then are taking a financial hit now.

2003-04-10T11:17:00.000-07:00

CHICAGO PUBLIC RADIO
Spirit and Body Willing: Sex Over Age 70
The sexuality of older Americans is an unspoken subject. After all, who can imagine their parents having sex, much less their grandparents? But for many people age 70 and above, sexuality often remains an important part of life and their identity. And they may face obstacles to fulfilling their needs for physical and emotional intimacy — among them, skewed demographics, lack of sexual information, health and medical issues, children's attitudes and the reactions of nursing aides and peers.

However, at one Chicago-area senior apartment complex, Oakton Arms in Des Plaines, the sexual well-being of residents is supported, thanks largely to its executive director, Jay Lewkowitz, who is also a sex therapist. In this 28-minute documentary, four Oakton Arms residents — Frieda, Bill, Si and Alice, each over age 85 — talk candidly about their personal lives, revealing their desires, frustrations and joys of sex.

In addition to airing on Chicago Public Radio in 2003, portions of this documentary also aired on Radio Netherlands International in 2004 and BBC Radio 4 in 2006.

Winner of Edward R. Murrow Award, Best Documentary (large market), 2004.

Listen to the 2003 documentary by clicking on the audio player.

2002-09-25T10:01:00.000-07:00

THE WORLD
Salah Hassan Galmo
Remembering the Ethiopian singer Salah Hassan Galmo. The singer died of a heart attack at the age of 35. He sang in his native Oromo language. Before his death in 2002, he lived in Toronto and Minneapolis. I interviewed Ethiopian-Americans about this revered man.

2002-09-09T09:41:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Endangered Mussel Rides to Renewal
Up and down the Mississippi River, people once collected tons of mussels for the pearl button industry. Factories stamped out pearl buttons from the shells, sometimes wiping out 50,000 tons of mussels annually in the early part of the last century. In recent years, the biggest threat to local mussel species has come from the zebra mussel. That invasive species came to North America in the ballast water of ships and has since disrupted many local ecosystems. Today, there’s a new effort underway to bring back local species like the Higgin’s Eye Pearly Mussel, and it’s in an unlikely place.

2002-05-27T09:33:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
Cracking down on the ELF
The Earth Liberation Front is an underground group that attacks institutions it believes harm the environment. During the past five years, its members have caused approximately $40 million in damages. ELF's most notorious acts of destruction include torching a luxury ski resort, destroying the executive offices of a forest-product company, and setting on fire university labs involved in genetically-modified crop research. For some time, environmentalists and others have debated whether this sort of activity was simply a public protest, or acts of terrorism. But since September 11th, that debate has escalated with increased efforts to label those involved in such attacks as terrorists.

2002-05-13T10:03:00.000-07:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
States combat chronic wasting disease
A brief update on the two-part series created for The Environment Report on the fatal ailment affecting wild deer herds (see December 31, 2002 stories).
Listen the brief story here.

2001-12-31T09:52:00.000-08:00

THE ENVIRONMENT REPORT
What is chronic wasting disease?
Wildlife officials in the Midwest are battling the appearance of a deadly illness found in elk and deer. Called chronic wasting disease, or CSD, this ailment attacks an animal's brain, slowly eating away healthy tissue. Several captive elk herds in the western U.S. and Canada have been infected with chronic wasting disease. Those heard have now been quarantined, but not before other animals from those herds were sold to farmers in 21 state nationwide.

Listen to audio here.

2001-12-31T08:58:00.000-08:00

THE ENVIRONOMENT REPORT
Keeping an eye on chronic wasting disease
Several captive elk in Colorado have tested positive for chronic wasting disease. This fatal neurological ailment attacks an animal's brain, slowly eating away healthy tissue. Chronic wasting disease, or CWD, has also spread to the wild deer population near the Colorado and Wyoming border. That's prompted wildlife officials in the Great Lakes region to begin looking for CWD in their wild deer herds.

Listen to the story here.

2000-12-20T14:18:00.000-08:00

STATELINE
Minnesota Legislative Vet Puts Premium on Listening
Stately oil paintings of dozens of past governors line the halls of the Minnesota State Capitol. No such portraits exist of legislative leaders. But in the offices of the Senate majority leader, tiny photographs of past leaders are bunched together in a single frame. The last photo shows the current leader, Democratic-Famer-Laborite (DFL) Roger Moe, looking a youthful 36 years old.

The year was 1981.

Twenty legislative sessions and six election cycles later, Moe still reigns over the 67-member body. The son of farmers from northwestern Minnesota, Moe took charge of the DFL caucus at a time of huge budget shortfalls caused by a recession.

""It was an extremely stressful time," Moe says. "We had many, many special sessions. It was a very difficult time for the state."

And a trying time for Moe, who was attempting to move out from under the shadow of his predecessor, political heavyweight Nick Coleman, DFL Majority Leader from 1971 - 1981.

Moe succeeded, in part, by adopting a style of leadership based on inclusion. "Maybe it was just a case of misery loves company," he says. "(I tried to) get as many people involved in the process as possible and kind of share the blame."Although born of political necessity, Moe's practice of listening to legislators from both parties, sharing ideas and building consensus, has produced thoughtful legislation, he says.

Moe points to the 1990's, when the public demanded lawmakers get tough on criminals. In many states, the result was a boom in prison construction that resulted in empty cells when crime rates fell. A bipartisan Minnesota Senate, he says, took a "balanced approach" by also spending funds on prevention and victim rights programs.

"Many states overreacted and now they are still in a prison building binge.Very costly. And as you know, the last thing you can have is an empty prison," Moe says.

As legislators have become younger and more diverse (more than one-third of Minnesota Senate members are women), the importance of inclusiveness hasincreased, he says.

"The generations being elected now in government are not the kind of folks who adhere to some of the old rules of kind of get in line, wait your turn, seniority rules," Moe says. "From day one, everybody feels that they should be playing a part and so the rules have changed a lot."

Republicans also appear to have a say under Moe's regime. Duane Benson, former Senate minority leader, has been quoted as saying Moe "puts the Republicans to sleep" during sessions. In a 1997 Minneapolis Star Tribune article, Benson said, "He hears their bills, he puts them on conference committees, he makes them think they've got a role to play."

Although Republicans won control of the Minnesota House of Representatives two years ago, the GOP hasn't threatened the DFL's comfortable majority in the Senate. In the most recent election, Moe and his colleagues won 39 seats compared with 27 seats for Republicans (and one Independent member who is unaffiliated with Governor Ventura's Independence party).

Moe didn't fare as well in his first bid for statewide office. In 1998, the legislative veteran signed on as the lieutenant governor candidate for Hubert H. (Skip) Humphrey III, son of the former vice president. The pair finished a distant third in the election that "rocked the world" by sending Jesse Ventura to the governor's mansion.

With the 2001 legislative session set to begin in January, Moe faces several challenges. Economic forecasters are predicting $924 million in surplus revenue by the end of the 2000 - 2001 fiscal year, prompting calls from Republicans for across-the-board tax cuts. Such rhetoric leads Moe to call again for a "balanced approach" of "middle-class tax cuts" and "investments" in popular programs.

And then there's Ventura.

In recent weeks, Moe has criticized Gov. Ventura's part-time, broadcasting gig with the rock 'em, sock 'em XFL football league. The league, which begins play in February, will have Ventura away on Saturday nights during the legislative session. Moe's central objection: Being governor is a full-time job and his salary of $114,506 reflects that fact.

Ventura has brushed off Moe's criticism.

Despite the difference of opinion, Moe expects little political fallout in his relationship with Ventura. "As a matter of fact, I think I've probably been one of his best friends in the legislature in terms of getting his programs passed."

The original article is here. (Photo by Todd Melby)

1999-12-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

SAVVY TRAVELER
Buying a Turkish Carpet
Travelers, like marauders from the Middle Ages, often return home with the spoils of conquered cities. While most of us enjoy buying souvenirs of our trips, it's easier said than done in places where bargaining is a fact of commercial life. Todd Melby and Diane Richard recently visited Istanbul, Turkey on their honeymoon, with thoughts of buying an authentic Turkish carpet.

1999-06-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

CITY PAGES
Cut, Kill, and Carry
Hidden behind a four-story warehouse in South St. Paul is an outpost of unremarkable buildings that house Long Cheng Hmong Livestock & Meat Processing. The largest is a yellow metal shed. Near the entrance hangs a hand-lettered sign: "Warning: No kill or service after 5:00 p.m." On this drizzly Tuesday morning, deep puddles have formed throughout the uneven parking lot. Inside the shed, a dozen or so people stand watching two men in white hardhats, work clothes, and rubber boots butcher pigs for Long Cheng, a family-owned slaughterhouse that sits at ground zero in a dispute over the future of the small city's meatpacking tradition.

Before the mighty Swift and Armour plants closed (in 1969 and 1979, respectively), thousands of workers wielded knives and slaughtered livestock here. At its peak, during World War II, the Swift factory employed more than 5,000 people. Unlike its relatives from earlier this century, though, Long Cheng, whose owners are Hmong, doesn't deliver its products to the supermarket. Its customers show up at the plant, choose a live animal — usually a pig, chicken, or cow — and watch employees kill, cut, and package the meat for on-the-spot carryout.

Read more here.

1999-04-22T10:55:00.000-07:00

CITY PAGES
Wheels of Fortune
It's 11:40 on a Friday morning and the bus is right on time. There are only a handful of us waiting at the rusty Metro Transit shelter on 36th and Lake on this balmy day; we scatter among the 47 seats, settling in for the one-hour trip to Mystic Lake Casino. The bus heaves to a stop at Cedar Avenue, Bloomington Avenue, and a few other Lake Street corners before heading south on I-35W past sprawling car dealerships where most of the passengers can't afford to shop.

Trumpeted in advertising throughout the casino ("Odds Are, You'll Like Our Free Rides"), this charter is one of seven making twice-a-day trips throughout Minneapolis, St. Paul, and a few first-ring suburbs. It's part of Mystic's guest service, explains spokeswoman Patti Nystuen. Many of the customers are elderly, she says, "and they don't always want to drive. We can take them right there."

Read more here.

1998-09-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

SAVVY TRAVLER
Greyhound Journey
There we were, just two hours into a daylong Greyhound journey across the Great Plains, and one of my sons, Zach already had a story to tell.

We'd had to take separate seats as the journey began, and it seems that his seatmate, a scruffy man in his 20s, told him about the time an M-80 firecracker blasted a June bug through his shirt.

"He showed me the scar!" Zach said.

Why travel from Minneapolis to Dickinson, N.D., by bus? If not for the tales, then certainly by necessity. For a parent with two children, air fare is outrageously expensive, the only passenger train misses the mark by a full 130 miles, and a rental car? That just seems too unadventurous for a trip to Teddy Roosevelt's beloved Rough Rider Country.

The only remaining choice: Greyhound.

I told myself that since 12-year-old Zach and 10-year-old Kurt had winningly managed several nine-hour car and train trips, a 14-hour bus ride could be manageable and even prove memorable, especially considering the rich mix of people one often encounters on a Greyhound.

I was not disappointed.

Read more here and listen to crackly, early Internet audio.

1998-09-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

CITY PAGES
Person: Lisa Vecoli
In a litter-strewn hallway just outside a St. Paul specialty bookstore, Lisa Vecoli confronts a friend. "I'm going to be pissed if I find out you're buying out from under me," she says, only half joking.

With an alphabetized list and a checkbook at the ready, the long-haired, pickup-driving bibliophile is prepared to make sacrifices in pursuit of her passion: Lesbian pulp fiction of the '50s and '60s.

Like other pulp novels of the post-World War II era, those with gay content featured titles and cover art designed to woo readers on the spot. Women's Barracks, published in 1950 as an allegedly "frank autobiography of a French girl soldier," is credited with being the first lesbian paperback original. It drew criticism from the 1952 U.S. House Subcommittee on Pornographic Materials, and caught Vecoli's eye at a suburban bookstore in 1992.

"This looks like it could have lesbians in it," Vecoli remembers thinking.