April 23, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports on JOBZ (Job Opportunity Building Zones), a Minnesota jobs program. What Governor Tim Pawlenty calls the "mother of all economic incentives" has landed its first big out-of-state prize for rural Minnesota. A South Dakota company says Minnesota's JOBZ program played an important role in its decision to expand to Luverne…but despite Pawlenty's enthusiasm, officials with Total Card, Inc. say JOBZ was not the most important factor.
May 14, 2004 - Midday continues to broadcast live from the State Capitol. Host Gary Eichten and MPR's political editor Mike Mulcahy talk with key lawmakers at the MPR broadcast table. Guests include Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar; Governor Pawlenty's chief of staff, Dan McElroy; Senator Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul; Representative Jim Knoblach, R-St. Cloud; Representative Doug Stang, R-Cold Spring; and Senator Stevey Kelley, DFL-Hopkins.
May 14, 2004 - Midday broadcasts live from the Capitol rotunda on one of the last regular days of business for the state legislators. By law, the state legislature must adjourn in three days. Key legislators stop by the MPR broadcast table, including House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon; Senator Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis; Representative Phil Krinkie, R-St. Paul; Senator Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon; House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul; and Representative Alice Seagren, R-Bloomington. Wayne Simoneau, former longtime DFL legislator and former state commissioner in both the Carlson and Ventura administrations, offers analysis.
May 26, 2004 - On this Midday program, Minnesota Public Radio president Bill Kling is in the MPR studios to talk with host Gary Eichten about the station, the new MPR building, and topics on the minds of MPR listeners.
June 4, 2004 - Governor Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders say they've taken an important step forward toward calling a possible special session later this month. Lawmakers were unable to reach compromise earlier this year on a host of issues ranging from deficit-reduction to tougher public safety laws. Talk of a special session to resume their work, however, had been stalled as lawmakers disagreed over what items should be on making that an issue in a special session
June 7, 2004 - U.S. President Ronald Reagan has passed away, at the age of 93. He spent the end of his life in seclusion battling Alzheimer’s, but his legacy lives on. Midday takes a look at the lasting effects Reagan has had on America's economy, foreign policy, and domestic political landscape.
August 19, 2004 - Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Kling joins Gary Eichten to answer questions from MPR listeners about buying WCAL and a range of other topics.
August 26, 2004 - In a live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair, district attorneys of Ramsey County, Susan Gaertner; and Hennepin County, Amy Klobuchar; join Gary Eichten to discuss trends and issues in Minnesota law enforcement.
September 3, 2004 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher traces the individuals and movement that led to the U.S. 1964 Wilderness Act, creating the nation's system of federally protected wilderness. Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area was one of the first. Several Minnesotans played prominent roles, including then U.S. Senator Hubert Humphrey and a junior college administrator from Ely, named Sigurd Olson.
September 15, 2004 - MPR’s Erin Galbally reports on flooding in Austin, Minnesota after a massive rainstorm in area.