May 29, 1997 - Mainstreet Radio’s Rachel Reabe visits a correctional facility in Faribault. Secure behind high chain link fences topped with coiled razor wire, the oldest prisoners in the system live out their remaining years.
June 9, 1997 - Governor Carlson plans to call a special legislative session in to deal with the Minnesota Twins request for a publicly-funded ballpark. Carlson says he believes the Twins will leave if lawmakers don't approve funding before October, when the team can opt out of its Metrodome lease.
June 10, 1997 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with Suzanna Sherry, a professor at the University of Minnesota Law School, about some current and past cases facing the U.S. Supreme Court. Topics include doctor-assisted suicide, line-item veto, and religious freedom. Sherry also answers listeners call-in questions.
June 17, 1997 - High school students from throughout the nation are in Minnesota this week arguing the merits of abortion, gay marriages and other controversial issues. The National High School Speech and Debate Tournament runs through Friday at sites in Bloomington and Minneapolis. There are 14 events in the tournament including Lincoln-Douglas Debates, Original Oratory and Dramatic Interpretation. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire observed the Student Congress event and filed this report.
June 19, 1997 - ** TOP WITH LATEST ON TOBACCO SETTLEMENT ** The chief negotiator for states in talks with cigarette companies on a settlement of lawsuits said tremendous progress had been made today... but there's still no announcement of an agreement....although some anti-tobacco attorneys says a deal is imminent. Minnesota Attorney General Hubert Humphrey the Third says negotiators should slow down the rapid pace of the talks. Humphrey says tobacco companies are hoping for a speedy agreement, so they won't have to release incriminating documents that could work against them in the courts. Some of his colleagues have criticized Humphrey for his hard-line position on talks....but Humphrey says he's just trying to make sure that some 33-million documents Minnesota has collected for its case....see the light of day: | WATCH LEVELS...A BIT HOT IN SPOTS ****
June 20, 1997 - Midday discussion with the heads of Minnesota's two main political parties. Guests are Bill Cooper, newly elected chair of the state's Republican Party, and Dick Senese, chair of the state DFL Party.
June 25, 1997 - MPR’s Bill Wareham reports that Mayor Sharon Sayles-Belton says Minneapolis will put its money where its mouth is when it comes to keeping the Twins. Throughout the Twins quest for a new ballpark, Sayles-Belton has often said she wants the baseball team to remain in the city…bur much to the consternation of stadium supporters. Sayles-Belton has never committed city resources to the project. That changed when she announced a plan for acquiring and preparing a riverfront site for a stadium.
June 25, 1997 - Midday previews the special session of the Minnesota Legislature with guests Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe and House Minority Leader Steve Sviggum. Education funding is the main topic. Listeners also call in with questions.
June 27, 1997 - The Minneapolis city council has voted 7-to-6 to eliminate the position of head of the Civilian Review Authority and fold the police oversight panel into the City Coordinator's department. The move comes over the strong objections of civilian review supporters who say it amounts to the first step in dismantling the agency. Minnesota Public Radio's Bill Wareham reports: It's undisputed among councilmembers that the 6-year-old Civilian Review Authority has some problems and is in need of its own review and possible changes. But they are sharply divided over how much overhaul the agency needs, or even what constitutes change.
June 30, 1997 - Midday discusses welfare reform and jobs with guests Bill Brumfield, director of training and employment assistance for Hennepin County; Ann Sessions, director of assistance payments for the State Department of Human Services; and Mimi Molina of the Minnesota Welfare Rights Coalition. The guest also answer listener call-in questions.