December 10, 2003 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Tony Bouza, former Minneapolis police chief, on his thoughts about the hiring of a new police chief. According to Mayor Rybak's PR people, the mayor will release names of finalists for the job of police chief in Minneapolis. They anticipate six or seven finalists. Tony Bouza discusses the process, including benefits of hiring outside the department. He also speaks of hiring a black or female police chief.
December 19, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak’s picks for new police chief. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is expected to announce his pick for police chief tomorrow. Rybak is confident in his nomination, even though the final two candidates face considerable opposition by the city council, which ultimately acts on the selection. Report includes comments from mayor and city council members.
December 19, 2003 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Barbara Johnson, Minneapolis city council member about prospective candidates for new Minneapolis police chief. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak has officially narrowed his list of candidates for the next police chief to Charles Moose, the former chief in Maryland's Montgomery County, and William McManus, Dayton, Ohio police chief. The decision cut from consideration two respected deputy chiefs currently in the department, Lucy Gerold and Sharon Lubinski. While the mayor has supporters for the finalists, there are signals that the outsiders will be a tough and divisive sell. Johnson, who represents the city's 4th Ward, says she's disappointed that Gerold and Lubinski did not make the final cut.
December 22, 2003 - Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson bid farewell in a City Hall sendoff today. Olson's term expires just after the new year, but today was the day set aside for looking back on his nine years on the job. Meanwhile, Mayor R.T. Rybak officially moved to replace Olson with Dayton, Ohio Police Chief William McManus. However, the mayor still has to convince a majority of the City Council to confirm McManus' nomination. Minnesota Public Radio's Art Hughes reports.
December 22, 2003 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Eddie Roth, an editorial writer for the Dayton Daily News, about his take on Dayton Police Chief William McManus. At a committee meeting today, Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is expected to officially nominate Dayton, Ohio Police Chief William McManus as his pick to be the city's next police chief. McManus will need to be confirmed by the Minneapolis City Council. Eddie Roth discusses impact of McManus’s two year tenure in Dayton.
January 2, 2004 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson a day before he leaves his position. Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson's contract expires tomorrow, after a nine-year tenure. When he took over the police department, crime was high, and some people started calling the city Murderapolis. But Olson brought a new approach to crime fighting, including an initiative called CODEFOR, which uses computers to track problems around the city in “real time" and crime went down under his watch. More recently, the department finalized a mediation agreement with parts of the community that's expected to address allegations of police misconduct, use of deadly force and other issues. During his time, Olson even survived Mayor R.T. Rybak's attempt to buy out his contract two years early. Rybak has recently named Bill McManus, Police Chief in Dayton, Ohio, to take over for Olson later this month, if McManus gets the necessary votes on the city council. Chief Olson is going to stay on the job for a while to ensure a smooth transition. As his time as Minneapolis Police Chief ends, Olson says it's still a tough job.
January 7, 2004 - Mayor R.T. Rybak's pick for police chief, William McManus, met with residents at a south Minneapolis community center last night. The mayor's office organized the meeting in anticipation of two key council actions today. With the full council vote a week and a half away, Rybak is applying pressure on those council members who are still not supporting McManus.
January 16, 2004 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports on stadium discussions in the Twin Cities. More than two dozen cities, counties, and private citizens have pitched their ballpark solutions to Governor Tim Pawlenty's Stadium Screening Committee. The governor solicited outside input to help him decide what role, if any, the state might play in financing new facilities for the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. The plans cover a range of sites sprinkled across the metropolitan area and offer funding options from local taxes to state dollars to casino revenues.
February 23, 2004 - Midday presents former President Jimmy Carter speaking at the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Carter gives the keynote address and says Americans aren't doing enough to help people in developing countries.
February 24, 2004 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Kevin Odegard, a Minneapolis musician involved in the South Minneapolis re-recording session of Bob Dylan’s “Blood on the Tracks” album. Odegard discusses the experience and book on the subject, titled “A Simple Twist of Fate.” Segment includes music clips.