December 22, 2009 - Singer-songwriter and steel guitarist Cam Waters died in Minneapolis, at the age of 51. MPR’s Tom Crann interviews one of Water’s musical friends, guitarist Dave "Dakota" Hull, who shares his reflections on the late musician.
December 22, 2009 - Say what you will about the frivolity of the holiday buying season, Minneapolis poet Todd Boss has discovered a new reason to indulge in mechanical marble-tumble toys.
December 22, 2009 - Essayist Peter Smith shares a story about one of his favorite Christmas memories… about a man named Mr. Dinklenberg.
December 24, 2009 - MPR’s Annie Baxter profiles the Peterson family as they prepare for a holiday season after a job loss.
December 28, 2009 - State senator Mee Moua says the government of Thailand violated international law today when it began to move Hmong refugees back to Laos. The Thai military used trucks and soldiers to move nearly 4,400 Hmong refugees back to the country from which they're seeking asylum. Moua says international law forbids forcing people to return to a country where they face persecution and death. Laotian government officials have said the refugees will be unharmed. Moua says the U.S. needs to hold them to that promise.
December 29, 2009 - MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports on how a Minnesota high school coach is challenging gender stereotypes. Women lead only 2% of Minnesota boys’ teams, so heads are turning when the Ulen-Hitterdal Spartan Boys’ Basketball team takes to the court this year.
December 29, 2009 - State senator Mee Moua says the government of Thailand violated international law today when it began to move Hmong refugees back to Laos. The Thai military used trucks and soldiers to move nearly 4,400 Hmong refugees back to the country from which they're seeking asylum. Moua says international law forbids forcing people to return to a country where they face persecution and death. Laotian government officials have said the refugees will be unharmed. Moua says the U.S. needs to hold them to that promise.
January 1, 2010 - Playwright and humorist Kevin Kling talks about his new book, "Holiday Inn," which he calls "a romp through a year of holidays." Kling spoke at the Minneapolis Central Library as part of the library's Talk of the Stacks program.
January 5, 2010 - January's arrival has some of us thinking about New Year's resolutions.... or cursing the cold. But it has essayist Peter Smith contemplating his own mortality. Mortality, and an old sofa.
January 7, 2010 - MPR’s Rupa Shenoy reports on advocates push for more end-of-life rights for domestic partners. A 2009 bill that would have protected the rights of surviving members of domestic partnerships to make end-of-life decisions did not pass before the legislative session ended, but advocates hope state lawmakers will support it when they return to the capitol.