Almanac: TPT's weekly public affairs program

Almanac Hosts: Eric Eskola and Cathy Wurzer

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RealVideo Archive - 2005 (January to March)

Entire Almanac for January 7, 2005	Watch the show
A Monologue J. G. Preston talks about Scandinavian names. You Betcha.	View the clip
Tsunami Crisis Hugh Parmer with the American Refugee Committee talks about his group's challenges to deal with the historic disaster in Asia.	View the clip
The Ukrainian Election Former Minnesota Congressman Arlen Erdahl is back from Ukraine after observing that nation's recent landmark election.	View the clip
Sons of Bedtime Nooz WCCO TV icon Dave Moore is remembered in a new play by sons Peter and Andy Moore. Don't worry, it's not a Daddy Dearest kind of a thing. "The Sons of Bedtime Nooz" is playing at the Great American History Theatre starting January 15.	View the clip
Senator Mark Dayton Minnesota's senior Senator joins us after his recent trip to Iraq.	View the clip
Moderately Interesting Lawmakers Our Mary Lahammer introduces us to a small group of moderate lawmakers who may play a large role at the state legislature this year.	View the clip
The Political Panel The first week of the session is now ending. Do you know what your lawmakers are up to? Republicans Fritz Knaak and David Strom and Democrats Dee Long and Blois Olson try to answer our questions.	View the clip
The Wrapup Two Minnesota History questions, a fun New Year's Eve viewer comment and some show-closing bluegrass music from years past.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for January 14, 2005	Watch the show
A Medical Monolog Dr. Mark DePaolis is a real doctor and a real monologist.	View the clip
No Smoking in Restaurants!! Will that become the cry of the land here in Minnesota? Today an anti-smoking bill was unveiled in the State House. We have a debate for you.	View the clip
New School Board Members Lydia Lee is the first Chinese American elected to the Minneapolis School Board. Peggy Flanagan is the first Native American elected there. Each took the oath of office this week and they join us on the Almanac couch.	View the clip
A New Tone at the Capitol? Perhaps in the Senate but apparently not in the House. Our Mary Lahammer talks to state legislative leaders about the start of this year's session.	View the clip
Baby It's Cold Outside, But Not Very Snowy Consulting meteorologist Frank Watson is back to tell us why our wimpy winter has had a change of heart.	View the clip
Remembering Jack Horner Back in 1947 Jack Horner of KSTP-TV hosted the very first live TV broadcast in our region. This week Jack Horner died at age 92. On the 50th anniversary of that 1947 milestone we had Jack on Almanac talking about the historic fete. It was a wonderful interview and we'll clips of it for you.	View the clip
On Foot: A History of Walking We don't walk much any more for either work or pleasure. Author Joe Amato has written an interesting book on the subject. He's our live (and lively) guest.	View the clip
Airport Expansion at Minneapolis-St. Paul International It's a massive and controversial plan to add gates to the Lindbergh and Humphrey Terminals. A Metropolitan Airports Commission committee gave preliminary approval to the plan this week. We have a debate between MAC member Bert McKasy and plan critic Minneapolis Mayor R. T. Rybak.	View the clip
Wrapup History questions, viewer comments and show-ending music courtesy of Papa John and the Hot Club of East Lake.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for January 21, 2005	Watch the show
Funding Roads and Rails The Citizen League wants the state to totally rethink how it funds transportation in our state. Pssss. It might affect all of us. Citizens League prez Sean Kershaw explains.	View the clip
Fatal Hospital Mistakes Minnesota released the nation's first hospital serious error report this week. Find out what the numbers mean with Bruce Rueben with the Minnesota Hospitals Association.	View the clip
Peace and Understanding in St. Paul Not at the Cathedral, but at the Capitol! Our Mary Lahammer gives us the lowdown on the smooth start to the legislative session.	View the clip
St. Kate's Centennial The College of Saint Catherine is celebrating its centennial with the world premiere of an opera "Mozart in Manhattan." It was created by St. Kate profs. We'll hear a bit of the opera live in our studio. "Mozart in Manhattan" will be performed February 4 and 5 at O'Shaughnessy Auditorium. More info at www.ticketmaster.com	View the clip
Gambling Proposals There are a bunch of 'em you betcha. A casino at the Mall of America. A possible racino in the metro. We hear many perspectives from a group of those involved in the issue.	View the clip
Our Poli Sci Panel Larry Jacobs (U of M), David Schultz (Hamline University) and Guy Charles (U of M Law School) give us their sense of the week's big political happenings. First in line for comment is Thursday's inauguration.	View the clip
The Wrapup Who was that axe-shaving Minnesotan? And what was the Willie Stargell/tuba incident out at old Met Stadium? When we ask questions such as these it can only be Index File time.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for January 28, 2005	Watch the show
Monologue Time! Dominic Papatola thinks creatively about economics.	View the clip
Governor Pawlenty's Budget We first hear on the topic from Pawlenty Chief of Staff Dan McElroy.	View the clip
More Budget React Courtesy of Lynn Reed with the Minnesota Taxpayers Association and former state finance commissioner Jay Kiedrowski.	View the clip
No Time for Cold Feet It's a new documentary on the Saint Paul Winter Carnival Medallion hunt and we have clips for you. Filmmaker Trent Tooley is here to explain how you can see more of this wacky film.	View the clip
Sports with Fitzy What's wrong with the Timberwolves... and what's right with the Gopher women and men hoopsters? These are among the topics tonight as Larry Fitzgerald stops by for his monthly Almanac sports chat.	View the clip
Republican Senators and the Governor Our Mary Lahammer reports on concern on the part of some Republican state senators about aspects of Governor Pawlenty's Budget.	View the clip
A Political Panel Of course we have a panel for you after this busy political week in St. Paul. Democrats Ember Reichgott Junge and Blois Olson square off with Republicans Sarah Janecek and David Strom. Find out more about tonight's political panel on our website. Just click the button Political Panel Bios.	View the clip
The Wrapup What did Willie Stargell do to that Tuba at Met Stadium in 1965? What was the 6-day event in Minneapolis in 1886? Tune in to find out.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for February 4, 2005	Watch the show
The Monolog James Ragsdale has his eye on a certain TV network job.	View the clip
The House Republican Agenda Speaker Steve Sviggum unveiled his caucus' agenda Friday morning. He'll join us live to explain it.	View the clip
A New Vehicle Purchase Fee? Transportation maverick Dick Day has his own ideas of how to get more money for roads. His plan calls for a hike in the gas tax and a vehicle purchase surcharge. Senator Day will debate his plan with Scott Lambert with the Minnesota Auto Dealers Association.	View the clip
Walking in a Spring-like Wonderland Paul Douglas drops by to chat up temperature inversion and warm weather and similar matters. Paul's day job is at WCCO TV.	View the clip
Double Dutch Elm Discussion Dutch Elm Disease is quite the problem right now again in the Twin Cities. We hear from reports from both sides of the river.	View the clip
Have We Seen All This Before? That's the question that Mary Lahammer is asking at the Capitol as this year's legislative start seems to strongly resemble last year's.	View the clip
Life of the Party Chairs Minnesota Republican Party Chair Ron Eibensteiner trades wits and opinions with his State DFL counterpart Mike Erlandson.	View the clip
The Wrapup That's what we call the part of the show when we ask you Minnesota History questions and play back for you your comments.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for February 11, 2005	Watch the show
A Singing Monolog Toni Halleen has a valentine to share with us.	View the clip
Congressman Mark Kennedy Announces Friday in Watertown Minnesota's 6th District member of Congress announced he was running for the Senate seat vacated this week by Mark Dayton.	View the clip
Gas Tax Hike Down the Pike? A bipartisan Senate group is pushing a transportation plan that includes a ten cent gas hike. Senator Mark Ourada supports the plan. House member Phil Krinkie doesn't.	View the clip
Congressman John Kline It was a big week in Washington and Second District Congressman John Kline stops by Studio B to give us his take on matters ranging from Iraq to North Korea to Social Security.	View the clip
Red Wing's Really Big Shoe The Red Wing Shoe Co is celebrating its 100th birthday in a REALLY big way. Company President David Murphy is our guest.	View the clip
Check Out the Website! J.G. Preston gives you a quick tour of some new things on our website.	View the clip
Mark Dayton on Mark Dayton Back in 2000 our Mary Lahammer did a documentary called "Minnesota's Choice for Governor" that focused on the personalities of that election's candidates. It featured insightful comments by Mark Dayton about his political roots and philosophy. We bring you a series of excerpts.	View the clip
A Political Panel Yeah, we have one for you during this very busy political week. Democrats Wy Spano and Dee Long do battle with Republicans Fritz Knaak and Brian Sullivan. And don't forget the button to the left that gives you bio and client information on tonight's group.	View the clip
The Wrapup What were Vulcans loading into that plane back in 1947? And who sang the national anthems before the NHL Hockey Game in St. Paul last year?	View the clip

Entire Almanac for February 18, 2005	Watch the show
The Monolog J.G. Preston is inspired this week by the stories about Reggie Fowler.	View the clip
The Reggie Fowler Saga Reggie Fowler held a Friday afternoon news conference in the Twin Cities to address concerns about his resume. You'll hear from him and then we'll interview Jay Weiner of the Star Tribune. Jay has spoken more times this week to Fowler than any other Minnesota reporter.	View the clip
The Legislative Week that Was Our Mary Lahammer keeps us up to date on the wacky happenings under the state capitol dome.	View the clip
Minnesota: A History of the Land It's an epic four-part history of our state's changing landscapes. A History of the Land airs next Monday and Tuesday night on many Minnesota PBS stations including tpt. See a clip and find out more about the series with guest Scott Lanyon with the U of M's Bell Museum.	View the clip
Peter Ostroushko Live!! Minnesota music legend Peter Ostroushko composed and performed the music for Minnesota: A History of the Land. The soundtrack was released this week by Red House Records. We give you a live sneak listen.	View the clip
The Minnesota Orchestra's Maestro Wait. There's more music on the show this week! Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Osmo Vanska pays his first visit to Almanac and talks about the recently-announced upcoming season.	View the clip
A Political Panel Politics and Policy through the eyes of this week's political panel. Remember that we now have panelist bios and client lists available for your reading enjoyment. Just look for the button in the left hand column.	View the clip
The Wrapup Minnesota history... your comments... and another live tune from Peter Ostroushko. It's all good.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for March 4, 2005	Watch the show
The Monolog James Ragsdale thinks he has a good idea. You be the judge.	View the clip
A Joint State-Indian Casino Plan Our Mary Lahammer brings us a tape report on Friday's big political news.	View the clip
Casino Plan Details Three tribal leaders join with the Governor's Chief of Staff discuss today's new casino plan. Guests are Chief of Staff Dan McElroy, Judy Roy with the Red Lake nation, George Goggleye with the Leech Lake nation, and Erma Vizenor with the White Earth band.	View the clip
Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson A few weeks back House Speaker Steve Sviggum sat down at the Almanac table. This week it's Dean Johnson's turn. We talk, among other things, about casino gambling.	View the clip
Sports with Fitzy Larry Fitzgerald assesses the Vikings' Randy Moss trade, the Reggie Fowler buying bid, and he takes the time to bury the Timberwolves.	View the clip
Tsunami Relief from Minnesota Shivanthi Sathanandan is a Minnesotan who wanted to make a difference in the land of her ancestry (Sri Lanka) which was devastated by the Christmas week tsunami. So she formed an aid organization called Kids Aid USA aimed at helping the children of Sri Lanka. She joins us to tell her story.	View the clip
A Political Panel Why not? Republicans Linda Runbeck and Dave Bishop square off against Democrats Blois Olson and Rebecca Otto.	View the clip
The Wrapup Two mighty fine Minnesota history questions, the results of our totally unscientific Almanac Poll on Reggie Fowler and then show-ending music courtesy of Irish harpist Katie McMahon.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for March 11, 2005	Watch the show
A Monolog J.G. Preston asks Kenneth about the frequency.	View the clip
The Session Visited Our Mary Lahammer tells you all about the big capitol happenings you might have missed this week.	View the clip
Governor Tim Pawlenty Live! The governor sits down at the Almanac table Friday night after a long legislative week.	View the clip
Pledge Time Want to hear a fine pledge pitch? We have one for you.	View the clip
Changing Channels Quite a busy week in the Minnesota media world... February ratings... a Duluth TV newsroom merger... rumors of layoffs at KSTP-TV... Dan Rather hanging it up. We'll talk about all this with media watcher John Rash of Campbell Mithune.	View the clip
A Panel of Politix We trot out this week's edition of our political panel. Don't forget to click the button on the left to find out bio and client info for this week's group of Republicans Sarah Janecek and David Strom and DFLers Ember Reichgott Junge and Rep. Mindy Greiling.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for March 18, 2005	Watch the show
Live from the Capitol! Reporter Mary Lahammer says a lot happened Friday at the Capitol. She joins Cathy and Eric live with a report from the day.	View the clip
Transit Travails Twin Cities Metro Transit officials proposed a fare hike and route cuts. Met Council Chair Peter Bell defends the plan and squares off with Rep. Dan Larson.	View the clip
Let It Snow! Did it snow where you were? Meteorologist Frank Watson stops by as we eulogize a winter that hardly ever was.	View the clip
Check out the Rest of the Website Our J.G. Preston shows you how. He also gives a bit of a preview for the Almanac 20th Anniversary show four weeks from this weekend.	View the clip
Ilean Her Ilean is the head of the Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans. She joins us to give us her take on the Influence Peddling investigation at St. Paul City Hall... and the new Hmong Community hotline.	View the clip
More From Mary at the Capitol Our Mary Lahammer joins us again live from the House Chambers. The topic on her mind? Gambling.	View the clip
Former Lawmakers Panel Democrats Roger Moe and Dee Long bump their former lawmaker heads against those belonging to Republicans Fritz Knaak and Linda Runbeck.	View the clip
The Wrapup We ran long last week so had to skip. But we're back with two history questions... and a very special announcement.	View the clip

Entire Almanac for March 25, 2005	Watch the show
The Monolog J. G. Preston	View the clip
A Visit to Red Lake TPT's Fred de Sam Lazaro went to Red Lake this week to learn more about the struggles of Jeff Weise. What he learned from Weise's relatives may surprise you. We proudly bring you Fred's report.	View the clip
How Teenage Brains Work Dr. David Walsh has written a book on the subject. He is one of our nation's leading authorities on violence in children. Walsh is the head of the National Institute on Media and the Family.	View the clip
Weather With Paul Paul Douglas is back and he's teasing us with possibilities of 60 degree weather next week in the Twin Cities. Paul's the top weather guy over at WCCO-TV.	View the clip
Haley Bonar Live!! Did you see the big article about her in Friday's Star Tribune? Indie-folk singer/songwriter Haley Bonar is making a much-publicized visit this Saturday night to the 400 Club. But first she stops by Studio B to play live for us.	View the clip
Hy Berman's History Lesson #1 We've asked historian Hy Berman to come up with the five biggest things that have changed in Minnesota during the past 20 years. This week he brings us lesson number 1: our state's growing racial diversity.	View the clip
Half-Way Report The legislative session is now at the midpoint. Our Mary Lahammer tells us what's done... and what's undone. It's an interesting report.	View the clip
Bonding Battle Lawmakers can't agree on what big building projects should be funded. Find out why with guests Senator Sandy Pappas and Rep. Denny McNamara.	View the clip
The Wrap-Up	View the clip
Another Tune by Haley Bonar Why not? Find out more about Haley at her website: www.haleybonar.com	View the clip