October 6, 2006 - MPR’s Jon Gordon reports from Oakland, where the A’s swept the Minnesota Twins in the American League Divisional Series, winning 3 games straight.
October 6, 2006 - Health care is emerging as one of the big issues in this year's campaign for U.S. Senate. Democrat Amy Klobuchar, Republican Mark Kennedy and Independence Party candidate Robert Fitzgerald have all proposed ways to provide more health insurance coverage by controlling the cost of health care. As part of our look at the issues in this year's campaign, MPR's Tom Scheck looks at what the candidates are saying about health care and whether their promises add up.
October 9, 2006 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports on the Bruce Vento Nature Sanctuary on the edge of downtown St. Paul. The land occupies an area that used to be the home of Native Americans, and Dakota want to reclaim Wakan Tipi, a cave they consider a sacred site.
October 11, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews poet Tess Gallagher and asks her to read selected poems.
October 12, 2006 - An obscure 1960s rock group, the Monks, is rehearsing in northern Minnesota this week. It's the latest chapter in one of the stranger tales in rock and roll history. MPR’s Tom Robertson profiles the band, and interviews Gary Burger, Monk’s lead singer; Eddie Shaw, Monk’s bassist; David Fricke, Rolling Stone music critic; Dietmar Post, German film documentarian; and musical artist Genesis P-Orridge.
October 12, 2006 - A new book by sportswriter John Egan tells the story of basketball Hall of Famer Vern Mikkelsen. Mikkelsen played alongside George Mikan and Jim Pollard on the Minneapolis Lakers when they won a series of NBA championships in the late '40s and early '50s. He was introduced to the game when his family moved to Askov, Minnesota where his father, a Danish immigrant, was hired as a Lutheran minister. Mikkelsen, who lives today in the Twin Cities, says the man who recruited him to play at Hamline University, ended up in Askov by accident. That is Vern Mikkelsen who sang with the Hamline A Cappella choir for three years before quitting to concentrate on basketball. To read about that and more you'll want to track down a copy of a brand new book, "The Vern Mikkelsen Story" by John Egan.
October 12, 2006 - Minnesota's Republican and Democratic U.S. Senate candidates are sharply divided on issues surrounding taxes and economic growth. DFL-er Amy Klobuchar says rolling back tax cuts for the wealthiest of Americans would generate tens of billions of dollars that could be used to balance the budget and fund new programs. Republican Congressman Mark Kennedy insists those tax cuts are responsible for economic growth and the creation of millions of jobs. As part of our look at the issues in this year's U.S. Senate race, MPR's Mark Zdechlik reports on candidate’s view on taxes.
October 13, 2006 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson about his opposition to the U.S. Coast Guard conducting periodic training exercises on the Great Lakes to prepare for law enforcement and homeland security missions. The exercises have included live machine gun fire.
October 13, 2006 - Neil Simon, who will be honored Sunday with the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, was at the Guthrie Theater on Oct. 8 for a conversation with its artistic director Joe Dowling.
October 16, 2006 - As part of our “Meet the Candidates” series, preseneted is a broadcast of Meet the Press debate between Minnesota U.S. Senate candidates Amy Klobuchar and Mark Kennedy. The two debated on issues such as Iraq and tax policy. Debate was moderated by Tim Russert, Meet the Press host. Program closes with follow-up commentary by political analysts Bob Meek and Tom Horner.