March 20, 2008 - Famed Minnesota novelist Jon Hassler died early this morning. Hassler was 74 and had suffered from Parkinson disease. He had a string of novels to his name, many of them examining the intricacies of life in small Minnesota towns.
March 25, 2008 - Midday remembers Jon Hassler in his own words, rebroadcasting an interview he did with MPR in 1999. Midday host Mike Edgerly then talks with two of Hassler's longtime friends - Bill Holm, a fellow Minnesota literary figure and author of Windows of Brimnes: An American In Iceland;” and Nick Hayes, friend and colleague of Hassler, and a professor at St. John's University. The two remark on the impact of his work, both as a writer and a teacher.
March 27, 2008 - If you're one of many Minnesotans who would like the wintery weather to stop and spring to truly arrive you are not alone. Commentator Peter Smith has a fierce case of cabin fever.
March 27, 2008 - During the Depression, the Civilian Conservation Corps helped propel the conservation of Minnesota's natural resources, and it gave jobs to more than 77,000 Minnesotans. Author Barbara Sommer captures the stories of these workers in her new book, "Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota." She joins Midday to discuss her book as part of our coverage of Minnesota's sesquicentennial. Guest: Barbara Sommer: Author of "Hard Work and a Good Deal: The Civilian Conservation Corps in Minnesota.Part of MPR's original series "Minnesota Arrival", stories relating to Minnesota's 150th anniversary of statehood.
April 1, 2008 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that there are urgent new efforts to keep a virus that's deadly to many kinds of fish out of Lake Superior. The disease, known as VHS, has quickly spread through the other Great Lakes. Minnesota officials say if it reaches Lake Superior, VHS could jump to inland waters and devastate the state's fishing industry.
April 1, 2008 - The Minnesota Twins won their home opener at the Metrodome, beating the Los Angeles Angels 3-2. A couple of the team's newest players came up with some of biggest plays of the game, but in the end it took a very familiar name to preserve the lead in the ninth inning.
April 3, 2008 - MPR’s Karl Gehrke profiles classical clarinetist Bruce Cho, who plays the Mozart Clarinet Concerto with the Minnesota Orchestra as part of the Young People's Concerts. Gehrke interviews Cho, his music teacher, and a music colleague.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Art Hughes meets with Spencer Anderson and discusses his business endeavor and how he and his family are paying for his current education at University of Minnesota. Hughes also interviews financial officers for their take on student loans and the economy.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Perri Finelli talks with U.S. Congressman Tim Walz about a process underway in Washington that'll determine where billions of your tax dollars will be spent…called earmarking. That's where local projects get funding from the federal government. The number of earmarks has grown over the years.... and the projects have been criticized as pork.
April 9, 2008 - MPR’s Sea Stachura profiles 1st District Congressman Tim Walz as he prepares to run for re-election. The Republican Party thinks 1st District Congressman Tim Walz is one of the country's vulnerable freshman Democrats. One analyst says Walz has inoculated himself against a Republican challenger. But will it be enough this November?