August 27, 2003 - Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says he wants a police chief who keeps city streets safe, but also holds officers accountable and can be creative with the department's complex budget. Rybak makes his comments as the search for a replacement for Police Chief Robert Olson gets started in earnest.
September 9, 2003 - A day-long session in Duluth kicks off five regional public programs scheduled around the state this month to discuss identity theft. Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar is the president of the Minnesota County Attorneys Association, who along with AARP is sponsoring the forums. Klobuchar says identity theft in on the rise both across the country and in Minnesota.
September 18, 2003 - On his 80th birthday, former Minnesota Governor Al Quie joins MPR Midday host Gary Eichten to discuss his life and political career. Quie also answers listener questions.
September 25, 2003 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Susan Crumb, a community prosecutor in Brooklyn Park. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office hosting a two-day national meeting on Thursday-Friday, September 25-26, with focus on "community prosecution." In 1999, Hennepin County Attorney Amy Klobuchar initiated this new approach to crime-fighting. This approach is based on a closer working relationship between prosecutors and the local neighborhoods and communities where crime is occurring. Prosecutors are assigned to work with police, local residents, businesses and others in a specific geographic area to develop strategies for preventing and prosecuting crime, as well as to identify appropriate consequences for those who break the law.
October 1, 2003 - In a live broadcast from Collegeville, Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Kling talks with Gary Eichten about MPR. He also takes listener questions and comments.
October 16, 2003 - On this Midday, author and former columnist Jim Klobuchar talks with MPR’s Gary Eichten about his adventures, life in Minnesota, and his recent books.
October 16, 2003 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on an alleged sexual assault by Minneapolis police officers. Report includes commentary from R.T. Rybak, Minneapolis Mayor; Keith Ellison, accuser’s attorney; John DelmoMPR’s Art Hughes reports on an alleged sexual assault by Minneapolis police officers. Report includes commentary from R.T. Rybak, Mayor of Minneapolis; Keith Ellison, accuser’s attorney; John Delmonico, President of Minneapolis Police Federation; and individuals in the community.nico, President of Minneapolis Police Federation; and individuals in the community.
October 21, 2003 - MPR Classical host, Mindy Ratner talks with Israeli-American violinist Itzhak Perlman while he is in St. Paul to play at the Shubert Club, his first Minnesota concert in over a decade. Perlman discusses how even after four decades as a top international performer, the music still moves him.
November 13, 2003 - Former Minnesota Democratic U.S. senator and former Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy in the MPR studios with Gary Eichten to talk about politics and current events. McCarthy discusses the state of the DFL, polarization of the parties, war, his 1968 campaign, and also answers listener questions.
November 20, 2003 - Oleg Timofeyev plays and discusses a Russian seven-string guitar with MPR’s Mindy Ratner. Timofeyev learned the instrument so he could play medieval music, never dreaming the he would ever perform 20th century Russian music. Later he discovered the work of Georgian-born composer Matvei Pavlov-Azancheev, who created a body of work for the Russian seven-string guitar while imprisoned in a Soviet labor camp during Stalin’s regime.