November 26, 2007 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Minnesota writer Jim Klobuchar about his book "Pieces of My Heart: Everyone has an Everest." Klobuchar, an award-winning former columnist for the Star Tribune, discusses collection of essays about the people on his travels who have inspired him.
November 27, 2007 - Governor Pawlenty has appointed an appeals court judge, who earlier served as his personal attorney, to the Minnesota Supreme Court. Pawlenty named Chris Dietzen to replace Justice Sam Hanson, who is leaving his post at the end of the year to go back into private practice. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
November 28, 2007 - Misfits. Rebels. Anti-rock stars. Those are just some of the descriptions of one of Minnesota's most notorious and influential rock bands, The Replacements. The group became synonymous with the Twin Cities' music heyday of the 1980s. Now, more than 15-years after its break-up, the band has achieved near myth status among many fans and critics. Writer Jim Walsh has assembled an oral history entitled "The Replacements: All Over but the Shouting."
November 28, 2007 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews author Carrol Henderson about his book “"Oology and Ralph's Talking Eggs” and bird history/conservation in North America. The book details new discoveries that have come from researching a collection of about 4,000 bird eggs gathered by an Iowa farmer named Ralph Handsaker.
November 30, 2007 - State Finance officials say a struggling economy is forcing Minnesota's budget into a deficit again. Forecasters say the state will see a $373 million deficit by mid-2009. Governor Pawlenty and state lawmakers are now faced with raising taxes, cutting spending or spending a part of the budget reserve to balance the state's budget. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
December 3, 2007 - Arvonne Fraser recounts her life in politics.Arvonne Fraser has been a force in Minnesota's DFL Party for more than half a century. Fraser, who is married to former U.S. Rep. Don Fraser, disussed her new memoir "She's No Lady" recently with public radio icon Garrison Keillor.
December 4, 2007 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann talks with MPR reporter William Wilcoxen about Minnesota Twins star pitcher, Johan Santana. The Twins are widely expected to trade Santana, but to what team and for which players, no one really knows yet.
December 5, 2007 - Polls show a majority of Americans are concerned about global warming. But it's not clear what we're willing to do about it. A task force is due to vote today (WED) on some measures we could take here in Minnesota, to reduce our carbon footprint. The group has been studying fifty possible approaches to the problem. It's planning to report to Governor Tim Pawlenty after the first of the year. Some of the ideas are the energy equivalent of castor oil. They may be good for us, but they're a little hard to swallow. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports.
December 6, 2007 - Dominic Papatola, Morning Edition arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic, talks about the state of midsize theaters in the Twin Cities and the differing outlooks.
December 7, 2007 - Pakou Hang was just days old when her family immigrated to the United States in 1976. They were part of the first wave of Hmong refugees to come to the United States. Now, the family has lived here far longer than they lived in Laos, and Pakou Hang fits in quite well in her community. She recently ran for a seat on the St. Paul City Council, but challenges still remain as an immigrant living in America, as demonstrated through this interview with her mother, Phoua Hang.