July 30, 2014 - The Daily Circuit’s Tom Weber talks with U.S. Representative Tim Walz, who represents Minnesota's 1st District and sits on the House Veterans Affairs committee, about what the VA needs to change and whether a $17 billion fix from Congress can do the job. The two also discuss the latest rules governing the safety of oil trains. 50 oil trains a week pass through Minnesota.
September 18, 2014 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Peggy Flanagan, executive director of Children's Defense Fund Minnesota, about recent U.S. census numbers that stated 14 percent of the state's children are living in poverty. Flanagan discusses the definition of poverty, the racial disparity in the numbers between groups, and potential solutions to child poverty.
September 30, 2014 - A months-long MPR News and KARE 11 reporting project on football head injuries found hundreds of high school players have been pulled from games and practices, game rules have changed, and parents have been involved more fully in what their teenage players are experiencing.
October 24, 2014 - MPR presents the final debate for Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District between DFL Congressman Tim Walz and his Republican challenger Jim Hagerdorn. The two debated many of the major issues facing Minnesotans...the debt, social security, agriculture, health care and immigration.
December 5, 2014 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews U.S. Representative Tim Walz on the issue of veteran suicide, and the efforts in Washington D.C. to address it. Those efforts include legislation sponsored by Walz, called the Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention Act. It's a bipartisan effort, with companion legislation in the Senate sponsored by John McCain.
January 29, 2015 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles Dr. Keith Henry, who in 1985 opened the state's first HIV/AIDS clinic at a public hospital in St. Paul as AIDS and fear of AIDS patients gripped Minnesota and the world. Henry and others reflect on what has changed in the last 30 years in supporting those fighting the disease.
February 2, 2015 - President Obama has signed the The Clay Hunt Suicide Prevention for American Veterans Act into law. All Things Considered’s Tom Crann speaks with U.S. Representative Tim Walz, who was present at the signing ceremony. Walz sponsored the act in the House.
March 23, 2015 - With the passing of Bruce Kramer, Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer takes a look back at her conversations with Kramer as he battled ALS. Bruce Kramer would always say he was, first and foremost, a teacher. He said that ALS taught him many things, and as difficult as those lessons were, he was grateful for them.
April 24, 2015 - On the segment of MPR News with Tom Weber, a discussion on the book "It's Okay to Ask,” which is for people who aren't disabled, but might not know exactly how to interact when they meet someone who looks different. The book tells the stories of five children who have disabilities or medical conditions and are asked about things like their wheelchair or leg braces by other children. Weber interviews Richard DiPrima, a neuropsychologist at Gillette Children's; and Ellie Goodman, a teenage patient at the hospital.
August 17, 2015 - MPR’s Curtis Gilbert reports on Minneapolis city officials efforts to alleviate safety concerns of tap water for many in the Hmong community. Families will spend up to $50 a month buying water, because they don't trust what comes out of the tap in their kitchens.