April 20, 2016 - As part of MPR News series “Minnesota's Opioid Epidemic,” MPR’s Jon Collins talks with Nick Leclair, a young man from Elk River who discuss the struggle of drug addiction and the loss of his best friend, Dylan Pearson, to a heroin overdose.
April 21, 2016 - As part of MPR News series “Minnesota's Opioid Epidemic,” MPR’s Jon Collins profiles James Cross, a former drug dealer who is now helping addicts in the Native American community he once sold drugs to.
April 21, 2016 - As part of MPR News series “Minnesota's Opioid Epidemic,” MPR’s Jon Collins profiles Liz Casper, a recovering heroin addict, about her struggles and hopes for the future.
April 27, 2016 - MPR’s Marianne Combs visits musician Gaelynn Lea. The Duluth fiddler recently won National Public Radio's Tiny Desk Contest, and as a result is performing in cities across the country. Lea is using the exposure both to build her career and to raise awareness about issues for people with disabilities.
May 19, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s Dan Kraker reports on the history of pollution in the St. Louis river in nortern Minnesota, and efforts now to clean it up.
May 23, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s John Enger reports on the pollution issue of failing septic systems along the rocky shore of Rainy Lake.
May 24, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s Elizabeth Dunbar reports on rising instances of blue-green algae blooms on Minnesota lakes, and the health concerns they present, including multiple dog deaths from suspected blue-green algae poisoning.
May 25, 2016 - As part of MPR's “Trouble in the Water” series, MPR’s Lorna Benson reports on the replacement process of lead pipes in St. Paul’s drinking water system.
November 20, 2016 - MPR’s Lorna Benson reports on a Ramsey County court ruling that Minnesota's refusal to cover transition-related surgeries violates the state constitution. State lawmakers enacted the ban in 2005, selling it as a cost-saving measure, and it only applied to people receiving state Medical Assistance and MinnesotaCare benefits.
January 17, 2017 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews DFL U.S. Representative Tim Walz about President-elect Donald Trump’s choice for Secretary of Veterans Affairs, David Shulkin. Shulkin currently serves in the VA Under Secretary of Veterans Affairs for Health. He was appointed to that position by President Barack Obama in 2015.