March 18, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio’s Annie Baxter reports on a Long Prairie radio program that is reaching out to the town's burgeoning Hispanic population.
March 25, 2004 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that the Minnesota State House passed a measure by 88-44 that would put a constitutional amendment question on the ballot in November 2004. It goes next to a Senate committee for vote, where it may be defeated.
March 26, 2004 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on a committee vote in the DFL Senate defeating proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage. That measure would allow the voters to decide if the Minnesota Constitution should ban same sex marriage and any legal equivalent. The committee did approve a proposed constitutional amendment that would prevent the courts from forcing the Legislature to define gay marriage, as the Massachusetts Supreme Court has done.
March 26, 2004 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on the debate over same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue. The civil rights argument has caused concern among some African American religious leaders in Minnesota, especially when they've heard it compared to the fight for racial equality. While they argue that the civil rights struggle is completely different than the gay marriage issue, others counter that one should look to history in considering discrimination.
March 31, 2004 - MPR’s Perry Finelli talks with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, who says the city of St. Paul is safe, affordable, and livable. Topics includes city budget, city council, a potential Twins ballpark, and housing.
April 1, 2004 - “The Few Who Stayed: Defying Genocide in Rwanda,” an American RadioWorks documentary produced in cooperation with the PBS program FRONTLINE, profiles individuals that resisted the forces of genocide by presents their haunting stories.
April 1, 2004 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that members of minority bar associations, area law schools, and law firms will launch a website to dispel some of the myths about Minnesota that they say discourage people of color from moving here. The site will feature profiles of noted legal professionals of color and offer information about such things as where to live and shop.
April 7, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Republican Representative Marty Siefert about legislation that would require drivers license tests be given only in English. The change was proposed as an amendment to a larger transportation bill. Currently, the written portion of the Minnesota drivers license exam is given in several languages, including Hmong, Somali, and Spanish.
April 15, 2004 - Immigrants to the U.S. often arrive with a tremendous hope for a new life as well as a deep sense of loss for the one left behind. Those themes, plus culture clash and the resilience of youth, are at the center of the play "Snapshot Silhouette." A product of the Children's Theatre Company of Minneapolis, the play has for the past month been providing Twin Cities students a glimpse of what life is like for some of the region's newest immigrants. It is built around two twelve year old girls, one Somali and one African-American who, as circumstances have it, find themselves living together in the same Minnesota home.
April 28, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with MayKao Hung about her recent visit to a Hmong refugee camp in Thailand. Hung oversees adult services for Ramsey County and led the assessment team in Thailand.