January 21, 2002 - On Martin Luther King Day, former Vice President Walter Mondale joins MPR’s Gary Eichten to talk about the civil rights movement, yesterday and today. Mondale also discusses a wide range of current events.
February 1, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s effort to organize his office staff, and the opposition move is encountering on the City Council. The council votes on the plan that would see a sixty-thousand-dollar reduction in salaries in the mayor's office. But some council members complain the cuts are at the expense of those who are paid the least.
February 6, 2002 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on potential downtown ballpark site discussions. Alabama businessman Donald Watkins was in Minneapolis to assess potential ballpark sites. Watkins is exploring a possible purchase of the Minnesota Twins and has pledged to build a new stadium entirely with private dollars if he's able to acquire the team. Meanwhile, Governor Jesse Ventura says he hasn't changed his stance on a ballpark, despite a willingness to call a special session if lawmakers can't address the issue in the regular course of business.
February 12, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on proposed budget cuts by Minneapolis Mayor and City Council. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak and City Council leaders delivered a list of proposed cuts to reach the five-million-dollar budget reduction imposed by the council two months ago. The police and fire departments will see reductions, but their functions are protected. Many smaller operations in city hall aren't as lucky, including Office of Cultural Affairs, Civilian Review Authority (CRA), and Truth and Sale of Housing program, amongst others.
March 12, 2002 - Ahmed Samatar, director of the International Studies Program at Macalester College and native of Somalia; and Omar Jamal, spokesman for the Somali Justice Advocate Center, discuss some of the challenges and problems facing Somalis in the Twin Cities.
March 14, 2002 - MPR’s Tom Scheck report that a Senate committee chairman looking into the cost of Governor Ventura's executive protection has postponed hearings originally scheduled. Senator Dean Johnson says he still expects the Transportation and Public Safety Budget Committee to take up the issue, but he hasn't decided on a date.
March 15, 2002 - Governor Jesse Ventura enters the Twins ballpark debate with a plan of his own. Ventura's proposal avoids any new taxes, user fees, or surcharges, and relies strictly on a multi-part financing plan to shift the costs entirely onto the team. Lawmakers say the plan shows promise, but the package requires a substantial upfront investment by the Twins. The team has recently balked at paying cash upfront.
March 25, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on push for bill focused on addressing mental health crisis incidents. The mayor of Minneapolis joined state lawmakers and mental health advocates at the Capitol to support a bill to make it easier for police officers to commit someone having a mental health crisis. They say the bill will help prevent tragedies. Two weeks ago, an apparently delusional Minneapolis man was shot and killed after confronting police with a machete. Some in the mental health field say with funds dwindling, there's no place to bring people in crisis. Report includes comments from Mindy Greiling, state representative and author of bill; R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis; Greg Hestness, Minneapolis deputy police chief; John Trepp, member of Friends of Barbara Schneider; and Sue Aberholden, executive director of National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).
March 25, 2002 - The mayor of Minneapolis joined state lawmakers and mental health advocates at the Capitol today to support a bill to make it easier for police officers to commit someone having a mental health crisis. They say the bill will help prevent tragedies. Two weeks ago, an apparently delusional Minneapolis man was shot and killed after confronting police with a machete. But some in the mental health field say with funds dwindling, there's no place to bring people in crisis. MPR’s Art Hughes presents this report on gathering.
March 29, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews students on who will be meeting with R.T. Rybak about community issues. A group of students from South High School in Minneapolis want to solve the social problems they see around them, and they'll get a chance to share their ideas with mayor R.T. Rybak. The students were asked what they'd like to change about their community. Ryan Peterson and Nora Williams are two students who will meet with the mayor. Peterson says the students first identified the issues that affected their community the most. One planned topic of discussion is police profiling.