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.
December 18, 2003 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Mee Moua, a Minnesota state senator, about the potential of new Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities. The U.S. State Department has reached an agreement with the government of Thailand which could bring thousands of new Hmong refugees to the United States. 14,000 Hmong people are living in the last refugee camp of its kind in Thailand.
December 29, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio’s Chris Julin reports from Duluth, about the Woodland Hills treatment program and the efforts of incorporating ballet to help kids untangle themselves from drugs and crime.
February 5, 2004 - Every year the U.S. imports more food, even though the country produces enough to feed itself, even though the country produces enough to feed itself. The tastes of American consumers are changing. Big city or small town, they're looking for food from all over the world. As Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports, many of those consumers are new arrivals to the country.
February 6, 2004 - MPR Classical Music host Tom Crann talks with Dale Warland about the song "Walden Revisited" from the CD "Walden Pond" by the Dale Warland Singers being nominated for a Grammy in the Best Choral Performance category.
February 26, 2004 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles Liz Mc Elhinney and Siddiqi Ray, a lesbian couple in Minnesota who recently married in San Francisco, which began to grant marriage licenses to gay couples.
March 2, 2004 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Fred de Sam Lazaro, of Twin Cities Public Television, about his experience with a Minnesota delegation in Thailand. The group is visiting a resettlement camp where 15,000 Hmong refugees are currently living. Because of the large Hmong population here, the Twin Ciites is expected to attract many of the refugees.
March 22, 2004 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on Victory Sports One, the Twins' new network. Nearly two-thirds of the Twins' games will be televised on the new network that is currently unavailable to most Minnesotans. Wilcoxen looks at the standoff between the Twins' new network and the region's leading cable and satellite providers.
March 26, 2004 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on the debate over same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue. The civil rights argument has caused concern among some African American religious leaders in Minnesota, especially when they've heard it compared to the fight for racial equality. While they argue that the civil rights struggle is completely different than the gay marriage issue, others counter that one should look to history in considering discrimination.
March 31, 2004 - MPR’s Perry Finelli talks with St. Paul Mayor Randy Kelly, who says the city of St. Paul is safe, affordable, and livable. Topics includes city budget, city council, a potential Twins ballpark, and housing.
April 1, 2004 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that members of minority bar associations, area law schools, and law firms will launch a website to dispel some of the myths about Minnesota that they say discourage people of color from moving here. The site will feature profiles of noted legal professionals of color and offer information about such things as where to live and shop.