January 11, 2007 - A day after Senate Democrats touted their plan to cover to more uninsured Minnesotans, Governor Pawlenty unveiled his health care agenda for the session. Like the Democrats, the Governor proposes covering more uninsured people. But Pawlenty's approach to the problem is quite different. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson reports.
January 11, 2007 - A capacity crowd is expected for a special reading at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis tonight. Writer Neil Gaiman and artist Dave McKean are one of the hottest teams in the comic book world. McKean combines painting, drawing, photography, and collage to create disturbing off-kilter images that complement Gaiman's brand of fantasy fiction. In a collaboration that's lasted 20 years so far, they have worked on the award-winning Sandman comic book series, several graphic novels, and four children's books. They have also made a film, "Mirrormask," which Gaiman wrote and McKean designed and directed. Both men are English, but Gaiman lives in the US and McKean in Britain.
January 12, 2007 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Steven Schier, professor of political science at Carleton College and director of Carleton in Washington program about Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz to give weekly Democrat radio address. He is to comment on President Bush’s call to increase troops in Iraq.
January 15, 2007 - In this installment of MPR series The Bookshelf, Lou Bellamy, founder and artistic director of St. Paul's Penumbra Theatre, talks about Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man, a novel featuring an unnamed black narrator whose race makes him "invisible" to others.
January 16, 2007 - The Minnesota Legislature will be back at work today after the long holiday weekend. Tomorrow at noon, Governor Pawlenty will deliver his 2007 State of the State address in the House Chamber. Joining us now with more on the week ahead is MPR Capitol reporter Tom Scheck.
January 17, 2007 - MN Governor Tim Pawlenty delivers State of the State address. Background commentary and description by Mike Mulcahy.
January 17, 2007 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Dr. Jon Hallberg, a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota, about health issues found in orchestral musicians. Hallberg travels with The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as the tour physician on their European tour.
January 19, 2007 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson profiles Patty Kakac and Jodi Ritter, two musicians who make up Granary Girls. The songs written by Kakac and Ritter reflect folk traditions of activism and connections to the land.
January 22, 2007 - Hour 1 of Midday: Voices of Minnesota with Aviva Breen and Robert Treuer. Aviva Breen chairs the board of Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights. Robert Treuer grew up in a Jewish family in Austria and survived the human rights abuses of World War II. He is now a tree farmer near Bemidji. They both spoke to MPR's Dan Olson as part of his Voices of Minnesota interview series.
January 23, 2007 - Governor Pawlenty says tax relief, especially property tax relief, is one of the main priorities in his two-year budget proposal. Pawlenty released his 34.4 billion dollar budget blueprint yesterday . He wants to devote $281 million dollars to tax relief over two years. More than half of that money would be used to put the brakes on rising property tax rates. Both Democrats and Republicans say the governor's plan falls short. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.