December 12, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio’s “Our Town” project, MPR’s Jeff Horwich profiles the Stearns county town of St. Anthony, in the which mainstreet is a church, a bar, and not much else. Horwich visits both…and finds a community.
December 13, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio’s “Our Town” project, Chris Julin profiles the Olsons, a family who have found “home” in the small town of Moose Lake.
December 13, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio’s “Our Town” project, Laurel Druley looks at what community means to long-time residents and new comers of Plainview, Minnesota.
May 3, 2002 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on local Cinco de Mayo celebrations. What began as a Mexican national holiday to commemorate an important battle is now a way to share ethnic pride with Minnesota's exploding population of Latinos from many different countries.
June 17, 2002 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich reports on soccer culture in St. Cloud, where sport and community are inseparable for ethnic teams. Immigrants who've come to Minnesota have brought their favorite game along with them.
June 17, 2002 - People in Roseau, near the Canadian border, are beginning the process of cleaning up after the worst flood in that town's history. Water from the rain-swollen Roseau River receded over the weekend, after nearly a full week of devastation. City officials place early damage estimates at more than $120 million dollars as residents are discovering just how much they've lost.
August 21, 2002 - MPR’s Marissa Helms reports that Northeast Minneapolis neighborhood is home to a growing international community. Though the area grew by just one percent over the past 10 years, U.S. census figures show a significant quadrupling of immigrant populations.
November 21, 2002 - In the two weeks after Halloween, three college men disappeared - Christopher Jenkins from Minneapolis; Josh Guimond from Collegeville; and Michael Noll of Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Around the same time, Erika Dalquist, a 21-year-old woman in Brainerd, failed to show up for work, and has not been seen since. Despite constant media exposure and massive search efforts, all four are still missing, and authorities are still waiting for the one tip or stroke of luck that might yield some answers. If the cases are linked, a break in one might solve them all. But at this point it seems just as likely all four are only connected by a tragic coincidence.
November 27, 2002 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about Tyesha Edwards shooting. Two men, ages 21 and 23, are in custody in connection with the shooting.
April 25, 2003 - All Things Considered’s Lorna Benson interviews Jim Crotty about The Boys and Girls Clubs of America announcement of deep cuts to its Twin Cities programs. The organization is facing a budget shortfall of nearly $300,000, after a reduction in the amount of individual and corporate contributions. The seven clubs in the Twin Cities will operate four days a week instead of five and every employee will take a 20% pay cut.