December 20, 2006 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen profiles Minnesota Twins star pitcher Brad Radke upon his announcement of retirement from Major League Baseball. For the first time in more than a decade, the Minnesota Twins are planning for a baseball season without Radke, after 12 years as a fixture in the Twins' pitching rotation.
December 20, 2006 - Senator-elect Amy Klobuchar joins a narrow Democratic majority in the U.S. Senate in January. What does she hope to accomplish over the next six years? Klobuchar talks about what she wants to do in Washington D.C.
December 20, 2006 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on a new attraction on the Duluth waterfront…a huge wooden “crib.” It washed ashore after northeaster windstorms. City officials are trying to figure out what to do with it. The giant structure is an impressive reminder of Duluth's industrial past, but it could also present a liability problem.
December 21, 2006 - On the winter solstice, MPR’s Ambar Espinoza went searching for light outside of the obvious Christmas and Chanukah traditions. Paying homage to light this time of year crosses many religions and cultures.
December 22, 2006 - With Christmas lights adorning many Minnesota neighborhoods in some fashion, large or small, In the Loop’s Jeff Horwich reports on the varied costs of our holiday lighting obsession.
December 22, 2006 - On this special In the Loop event at the USB Forum, MPR’s Jeff Horwich presents the show "Lighting Up The Holidays: Feeding and fighting our light obsession." Program includes music, interviews, stories, and lots of voices -- including many guests and audience members in the UBS Forum.
December 25, 2006 - Stage Sessions, with Minnesota poet and author Bill Holm and host Heather, bring together an eclectic Christmas show featuring an unexpected mix of literature, music and more.
December 25, 2006 - "A Christmas Memory" and other stories. To keep you company this Christmas, Midday presents stories of the season from a host of top-flight story tellers, including Truman Capote, Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris.Hour 2: "Six to Eight Black Men," by David Sedaris. Read by the author in 2002 at Carnegie Hall in New York City. This story is included in Sedaris' latest book "Dress your Family in Corduroy and Denim." "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," by Dr. Seuss. Read by former Minnesota Public Radio host Bob Potter. "A View From the Card Table," by Kevin Kling. Read by the author on his CD, "Stories off the Shallow End." "The Polar Express," by Chris Van Allsburg. Read by Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson at the Fitzgerald Theater in 2004. Sound effects provided by Tom Keith.
December 25, 2006 - "A Christmas Memory" and other stories. To keep you company this Christmas, Midday presents stories of the season from a host of top-flight story tellers, including Truman Capote, Garrison Keillor and David Sedaris. Hour 1: "A Christmas Memory," by Truman Capote. Read by the author at the University of North Dakota's 1976 Writer's Conference. "Mr. Bergy's Christmas," by Garrison Keillor. Performed in 1991 on Keillor's radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." "Is There a Santa Claus?" This letter first appeared on the editorial page of the New York Sun newspaper in 1897. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reads the letter in only slightly altered form.
December 26, 2006 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that the level of Lake Superior recently hit an all time low - at least in recorded history. That's making trouble for boaters, and especially for the big ore freighters. An extended drought and a warming lake are reasons behind the drop in water level.