January 27, 2011 - The leaders of seven large Minnesota health plans and hospital groups are floating a plan that would cut hundreds of millions of dollars from the state's Medicaid benefits, while boosting health care revenues from additional taxes on alcohol, tobacco and providers. The organizations say their idea could eliminate nearly a third of the state's $6.2 billion dollar budget shortfall. The proposal, called Minnesota's Healthcare Imperative, is already drawing fire from groups who would be affected by the suggested cuts and increased taxes. Lorna Benson reports.
February 2, 2011 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports on the 23rd annual National Conference on LGBT Equality being held in downtown Minneapolis. As part of report, Yuen talks with longtime local gay residents Tom Trisko and John Rittman, who see acceptance toward gay and lesbian couples having broadened beyond their imagination in the past three decades.
February 8, 2011 - Tim Pawlenty has been touting the success of Minnesota's home-grown health reforms during his national book tour as he prepares for possible run for the presidency. The former Republican governor says the state has designed a good blueprint for reining-in costs, that the rest of the nation should follow. While it's true that Minnesota has been experimenting with new ways of paying for care, some health care observers believe it's a stretch to say that Minnesota's experiments have had much of an effect on costs at this point. We picked out two of Pawlenty's Minnesota reform claims and examined them.
February 25, 2011 - It's no secret the Republicans think President Obama is vulnerable in next year's election. They think he overreached on the healthcare overhaul, the economy is still sluggish and they're confident voters agree with them that the federal government spends too much. A lot of possible contenders are acting like candidates, including former Governor Tim Pawlenty and Congresswoman Michele Bachmann. But so far, no high profile Republicans have announced they're running, and some analysts say the party is having an unusually difficult time getting behind a candidate. Mark Zdechlik reports.
March 22, 2011 - Former Governor Tim Pawlenty has taken a step forward in a quest for the White House. Although not officially in the presidental race, he has formed an exploratory committee to run for president. Jennifer Duffy, senior editor at the Cook Political Report, explains what this actually means.
March 25, 2011 - MPR News presents the series "Following the Firearms: Gun Violence in Minneapolis," which looks at where guns are coming from, and the impact of gun violence in Minnesota's largest city. In this report, MPR’s Brandt Williams travels to the Washington DC-area and examine how gun trace data have become the center of a national political fight over guns.
April 21, 2011 - St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman joins Midday to answer questions about city schools, jobs, parks, transportation, the Central Corridor LRT, development, and taxes. Coleman also answers listener questions.
May 11, 2011 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in Minnesota is one step closer to being on the ballot next year, after the Minnesota Senate voted in favor of the measure, which would ask voters to define marriage in the state Constitution as between one man and one woman.
May 22, 2011 - MPR’s Tim Nelson reports that after nearly six hours of emotional debate, a proposed constitutional amendment that would define marriage as between a man and a woman was approved in the Minnesota House. It was the last legislative step needed to put the question on the statewide ballot in November 2012.
May 23, 2011 - Brief audio clip of Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak on tornado help for North Minneapolis.