As a decades long staple to the listening audience, Morning Edition combines a host program in St. Paul and NPR hosts in Washington and Los Angeles, bringing news from overnight and information throughout the state and world. Programming includes reports and interviews.
November 2, 2004 - On the eve of election, MPR’s Dan Olson reports on how challenges to voters will work in the state. While most Minnesotan's will vote without a hitch, it's almost certain that hundreds will be challenged on their right to cast a ballot.
November 2, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports that a Minnesota poll shows most Minnesotans favor a gaming proposal from Governor Tim Pawlenty. The governor wants Indian tribes to share some of their gambling revenue with the state. The poll conducted last week also shows a majority of Minnesotans are opposed to an expansion of gambling in the state.
November 15, 2004 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports that St. Paul School District officials say 600 Hmong refugee students have enrolled since the beginning of the school year, and hundreds more could still arrive in the coming weeks.
November 18, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports that Governor Pawlenty's livestock task force may recommend a new state panel to handle disputes over livestock farms. The task force is looking for ways to streamline the regulatory process and build Minnesota's livestock industry. The proposed state commission would hear appeals of county and township decisions on siting livestock farms.
November 23, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Bob Kelleher about hunter shootings in Wisconsin. A probable cause hearing is expected in Hayward Wisconsin for 36-year-old Chai Vang, the St. Paul resident accused of opening fire on a party of hunters from Rice Lake, Wisconsin on November 21st, 2004. Six people are now dead and two are recovering from their wounds.
November 25, 2004 - The shooting deaths of six hunters in northwestern Wisconsin has prompted a complex set of reactions - perhaps nowhere more than in the Twin Cities Hmong community. The alleged shooter, Chai Vang, is a Hmong immigrant who lives in St. Paul. When the first reports of the incident came out, local Hmong leaders cautioned against making Vang's ethnicity an issue.
November 29, 2004 - Chuck Quirmbach of Wisconsin Public Radio reports that formal charges may come for the St. Paul man accused of killing six hunters and wounding two others in Wisconsin. In Milwaukee, Chai Vang's defense lawyers talked about their hope for a fair trial in Wisconsin's Northwoods. They also brought forward Vang's eldest daughter to talk about her father.
December 8, 2004 - LaVelle Neal, who follows the Twins year-round for the Star Tribune, discusses the Minnesota Twins signing of ace pitcher Brad Radke to a two-year $18 million contract. The 32-year-old right hander has been a fixture in the Twins rotation since 1995. He recorded the best earned run average of his career last season.
December 10, 2004 - In this State of the Arts segment, MPR’s Marianne Comb profiles Outward Spiral Theatre Company, the only Twin Cities theater dedicated to producing shows by and about Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered people. After a couple of poorly attended seasons, the theater is wondering whether the GLBT community needs it anymore.
December 13, 2004 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on a Minnesota Community Project study regarding Minnesotan’s attitudes on immigrants. The majority of the people involved in the study expressed favorable attitudes toward immigration. However, the authors say they're particularly dismayed over data showing a streak of hostility toward immigrants - especially by people living in the outer ring suburbs. The study's authors say those attitudes go against Minnesota's tradition of tolerance and acceptance of newcomers.