Almanac Highlights July 3, 2009

Welcome
Welcome to this special edition of Almanac as we play for you exclusive historic interviews from two of the giants of the 20th century:  Martin Luther King and Richard M. Nixon. Each interview was originally recorded by KTCA in 1959 for a series on National Educational Television called "That Free Men May Live." Long forgotten and stored away in the National Archives, these interviews are being broadcast this week together for the first time.

Martin Luther King Junior
In 1959 Martin Luther King Jr was known chiefly for his role in the successful Montgomery bus boycott.  It was years before his "I Have a Dream" speech in Washington.  King sat down for his KTCA interview while on a trip to Minnesota.  His interviewer was L. Howard Bennett, a civil rights leader and the first African-American judge in Minnesota.  Bennett and King talked about segregation in the South, but much of their conversation had to do with racial issues that were also simmering in the North.

Richard M. Nixon
Nixon was Vice President of the United States in 1959, but he was just months away from announcing his run for President when he was interviewed by KTCA General Manager John C. Schwarzwalder.  Nixon and Schwarzwalder spent most of their time talking about the challenges that communism presented to the free world. Nixon peppered his comments with his first-hand knowledge of Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev who he had met in Moscow earlier that year.

Almanac Highlights June 26, 2009

A Cartoon Monologue
Essayist David Gillette talks about food. 

Meet Kurt Zellers
He's the new Minnesota House Minority Leader.  Political reporter Mary Lahammer has a profile.

Nathan Dungan on Giving
Can you afford to give to others when you don't have much money yourself?  The intersection of philanthropy and frugality is the topic of this week's episode in our summer series of personal money reports.  Financial expert Nathan Dungan is our guide. 

Black Press Convention
The Twin Cities is the site this week of a national convention of editors of African-American newspapers.  Al McFarlane with Insight News is joined by two national colleagues as they talk about the changing newspaper industry.

Coleman/Franken Reporters
All Minnesotans are waiting for the State Supreme Court decision that could be the final chapter in the contested senate election.  But these next three guests are waiting a little more intently.  Rachel Stassen Berger reports for the Pioneer Press.  Pat Doyle is with the Star Tribune.  Jay Weiner is with Minnpost.com

Teach for America
It's a non-traditional program that targets teaching in poor American school districts.  This fall --for the first time-- Teach for America will set up shop in the Twin Cities.  Find out how the program works from Daniel Sellers, head of Teach for America in Minnesota. 

The Political Panel
We cover it all:  the senate race, the state budget, national politics.  This week's panel features Republicans Andy Brehm and David Strom and Democrats Andy Dawkins and Dee Long.

Almanac Highlights June 19, 2009

A Father's Day Monologue
Sheletta Brundidge thinks Father's Day gets short shrift. 

Severe Weather Arrives
This week saw the first tornado of the year in Minnesota... the third-latest first tornado in state weather history.  Paul Douglas stops by with an overview of this week's storms and a preview of the rest of the summer weather to follow.

Unallotments Are Announced
Governor Pawlenty revealed his unallotment cuts this week and DFL lawmakers tossed some harsh criticism his way.  Almanac political reporter Mary Lahammer has a report.

Ash Borer Invasion
State officials have a better feel for what to do about this summer's invasion by Emerald Ash Borers.  Guests Mark Abrahamson with the Dept of Agriculture and Val Cervenka with the DNR. 

A multi-state site run by Michigan State University with information about the Emerald Ash Borer .

Emerald Ash Borer information on the U of M Extension services site.

"Getting There" Excerpt
"Getting There" is a new series on the Minnesota Channel aimed at those 50 plus.  The series is running on Sundays on tpt's LIFE channel and statewide on the Minnesota Channel.  Find out more about the series by going to:  http://www.mnchannel.org/partners/gettingthere/

Entrepreneur of the Year
Tony Williamson talks about the MEDA Entrepreneur of the Year Award he and his wife Shelleye won for their I.T. firm Ajasa.

Political Science Panel
The Supreme Court Senate case decision has not yet been handed down but that doesn't stop our panel of political scientists from talking about it.  Larry Jacobs (U of M), David Schultz (Hamline University), Stacey Hunter Hecht (Bethel University) and Steve Schier (Carleton College) do the honors. 

The Wrapup
Our weekly dose of Minnesota trivial history, your thoughts about the show and some show-ending music by the Minnesota group Roma di Luna. 

Almanac Highlights June 12, 2009

The Monologue
Dominic Papatola wants to put the kibosh on all this early State Fair talk.

Digital Switch Over
Friday is the day when all of Minnesota's TV stations switch off their analog service.  Jim duBois is head of the Minnesota Broadcasters Association and gives us an update. 

Vietnam Vets Day
There's a big day of events planned Saturday June 13 at the State Capitol Mall.  The day was organized by the Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs.  Veteran Clark Dyrud is Minnesota's Commissioner of Veteran Affairs and joins Cathy and Eric. 

Election Update
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie talked to the media this week, reviewing November's elections and previewing possible election reforms he'd still like to see. 

Wikipedia bio of Mark Ritchie.

Live Music with Corey Stevens
Blues performer Corey Stevens stops by Studio B on his way to the 5th annual BBQ and Blues Festival Saturday June 13 at Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis. 

Dealing with Debt
That's the topic of this week's money talk with financial guru Nathan Dungan.  Nathan chats with a couple facing hard times and learns some tips from a counseling pro. 

Worksheets

• 30 Day Money Tracking Exercise
• Money-In, Money-Out Budget Sheet

These files are in Acrobat PDF -you will need the free Acrobat Reader to view and print them.

Legacy of a Leader:  Elmer Andersen
We preview a documentary of Minnesota Governor Elmer Anderson on the eve of what would have been his 100th birthday.  Catch "Legacy of a Leader" Sunday June 14th at 8:30 pm on the Minnesota Channel. 

This Week's Political Panel
We talk about the race for governor... unallotment... and the never-ending Senate race with this week's political pundits.  Democrats Mike Hatch and Denise Cardinal meet up with Republicans Gregg Peppin and Brian Sullivan.

The Wrapup
It's a complex story, but we get to the bottom of the first Governor in Minnesota history to change his name.  We quiz you again about state history and then have a live show-ending tune by Corey Stevens. 

Almanac Highlights June 5, 2009

The Week's Monologue
Ah, the sweet weather.  California native Jim Ragsdale loves this time of year.

Drought Hits Us
Nearly half of the state is too dry.  Craig Edwards talks about that and the weekend's forecast for rain. 

And Then There Were Dozens
Tim Pawlenty's announcement this week opens the door for many to ponder a run for governor.  Our Mary Lahammer tracks down some of the hopefuls. 

H1N1
What's the proper level of concern about this flu virus?  Mike Osterholm heads the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the U of M. 

Sports with Fitzy
Larry Fitzgerald Sr. stops by for his monthly Minnesota sports chat. 

Money Talk with Nathan Dungan
It's another in our series of summertime money chats with financial guru Nathan Dungan.  This week's topic explores whether Minnesota students should be required to take a finance class in high school.  Weigh in with your own opinion at 651-229-1430. 

Free Day Sunday
Sunday June 7th is free admission day at all Minnesota State Parks and MHS historic sites.  Find out all about it.

Did You Know?
Did you know that Governor Pawlenty had a little fun to break the ice at his big announcement on Tuesday?

Senate Reporters Panel
Our trio of Senate reporters talk about the oral arguments before the State Supreme Court on Monday. 
Rachel Stassen-Berger (Pioneer Press), Pat Doyle (Star Tribune) and Jay Weiner (MinnPost) are our guests. 

The Wrapup
Two Minnesota history questions (who WAS the first Minnesota governor to change his last name?) and a show-ending piece of music by Mark Mallman who appeared on Channel 2 this week back in 2001. 

Almanac Highlights May 29, 2009

A Visual Essay Monologue
It's burning season David Gillette tells us. 

Going Hi Def
Two more Twin Cities newscasts are going HD soon, WCCO is making the switch on Saturday.  Media analyst extraordinaire John Rash talks about the economics of high definition television.

Rybak Returns from China
The Minneapolis mayor has just returned from his city's first trade mission to the Far East.  We'll chat business and look at a very funny photo of the mayor with basketball star Yao Ming. 

Talking Financial Literacy
It's our summertime series of reports in which we look at the ways that people spend and save money.  Financial expert Nathan Dungan explains our approach to the series and hands out the first of his homework assignments. 

Download the Money Temperament worksheet here.
This file is an Acrobat PDF -you will need the free Acrobat Reader to view and print it.

3 Minute Egg
On Saturday June 6 at 9 pm on the digital Minnesota Channel tune in Matt Peiken's half hour Minnesota arts magazine. We bring you a clip from the show.  To see more of Matt's arts reporting check out his website:  www.3minuteegg.org

Subterranean Twin Cities
That's the name of a new book from the U of M Press by Greg Brick.  Find out what's going on under your feet here in the metro.  Author Brick joins Cathy and Eric in the studio.

Refugee Crisis in Pakistan
UNICEF now says that fighting in that country has displaced more than three million people.  The Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee is one the groups trying to help.  ARC head Daniel Wordsworth is our guest.

Housing Crisis Panel
One in eight Americans is at least one month behind on their home mortgage payments.  And foreclosures in the Twin Cities continue to drive down home prices here.  We explore this issue with Augsburg College economist Jeanne Boeh, U of M Law School prof Prentiss Cox and Brad Fisher from the Minneapolis Area Realtors Association.

The Wrapup
Two great Minnesota history questions for your viewing pleasure.  Think you know the answer?  Call our voicemail at 651-229-1430.  Show ending music this week is by Dan Wilson who performed on Almanac one year ago this week. 

Help in Hard Times on Almanac

Nathan Dungan, a nationally recognized author and personal financial expert will begin a series of six reports for Almanac this Friday (5/29). The topic? The one that Americans dread talking about most: how we make and how we spend our money. During the course of the series, Nathan will speak with people about their current situations, the mistakes and successes they experienced, and their plans for the future. We will cover topics such as financial literacy, hyper-consumerism, retirement, frugality and philanthropy. And each week's segment will end with a practical homework assignment. This series of conversations and reports is funded in part by Marquette Financial Companies and Marquette Asset Management.

Almanac Highlights May 22, 2009

This Week's Monologue
Jim Ragsdale has reached a milestone and he's not afraid of talking about it. 

The Session That Was
Mary Lahammer wraps up the wild end to the 2009 legislative session. 

Governor Tim Pawlenty Live
Last week legislative leaders came to the Almanac studios to give us their take on the looming end of session.  This week it's Governor Pawlenty's turn.  We talk about vetoes and unallotments and impacts.

The governor's Web site.

Memorial Day Grilling
Chef JD Fratzke is with the St. Paul restaurant "The Strip Club: Meat & Fish" and he's here to offer some grilling tips in time for the holiday weekend with the help of Todd Churchhill of the Thousand Hills Cattle Company. Learn more about The Strip Club at http://www.domeats.com/ and then check out Thousand Hills Cattle's website at http://www.thousandhillscattleco.com

Paul's Weather
Paul Douglas from WeatherNation stops by for his monthly Almanac weather chat and talks up the week's wild weather.

Minnesota's Greatest Generation
That's the name of a new exhibit opening May 23 at the Minnesota History Center.  We give you a tour of the exhibit courtesy of MHS curator Brian Horrigan.

More Holiday Grilling
Mary Lahammer is back with Chef JD Fratzke for some more grilling tips.  And don't forget to check out the recipes on left side of the home page of our website.

This Week's Political Panel
Unallotment will be a big topic with Democrats Wy Spano and Javier Morillo-Alicea and Republicans Sarah Janecek and Gregg Peppin. 

Almanac turning 25

In six months Almanac --the longest-running primetime TV show in Minnesota history-- will celebrate its 25th birthday.  In anticipation of our celebration,  I thought it would be fun to trot out some goofy stats about the show.

Today's stat:  150,000.  That's a conservative estimate of the number of Minnesotans who over the years have called in to the Almanac comment line to leave history question answers, news tips, complaints, comments, even topical songs.  We have had dozens of regular callers including our favorite who we nicknamed “Art.”  Art called in each week faithfully for years with monotone guesses to our Index File question. Many weeks he got it right.  One time on the show I confidently wrote that we had never asked a history question about a certain topic.  Art called in to say I was wrong, we had asked about that subject some eight years earlier.  I looked it up and Art was right. We haven’t heard from Art for some time now, we figure he’s gone to that big Index File section in the sky. 

Almanac Highlights May 15, 2009

The Week's Monologue
Dominic Papatola has notions about what is going on under the State Capitol dome. 

The Capitol:  Where We Stand Tonight
Our Mary Lahammer brings us to be speed on where things are Friday night at lawmakers get ready for a long weekend. 

Legislative Leaders Live!
The four top lawmakers sit down on the Almanac couch as they stare down the final 36 hours of the legislative session.  House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller are joined by Senate Majority Leader David Senjem and House Minority Leader Marty Seifert. 

Did You Know?
Did you know that it takes a whole lot of Legos to make a model of the state capitol??

Capitol Security
Legislative Auditor James Nobles doesn't think capitol security in St. Paul is up to the task.  Auditor Nobles joins us to talk about his report's findings. 

Chuck Lazarus
Trumpeter Chuck Lazarus stops by the Almanac studio to perform.  Chuck will be playing "A Night in the Tropics" with the Minnesota Orchestra Saturday May 23 at Orchestra Hall. 

An All Star Panel of Former Lawmakers
This week's political panel are all former legislators.  Democrats Roger Moe and Ember Reichgott Junge are joined by Republicans Phil Krinkie and Dan Dorman.

A Wrapup
Two Minnesota sports history questions... your thoughts about early voting... and a show-ending tune by Chuck Lazarus et. al.