August 12, 1998 - Warren Hanson, president of the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund; and Charlie Warner, chairman of the Right to Housing Campaign, discuss the state of affordable housing in Minnesota. Topics include shortage of subsidized housing and increasing rents. Hanson and Warner also answer listener questions.
August 14, 1998 - Sharon Sayles Belton, mayor of Minneapolis, talks with MPR’s Gary Eichten about her new budget for the city and the wide range of issues facing the city: housing, crime, schools, jobs, transportation and more. Program starts with discussion about Shubert Theatre and Block E development.
August 18, 1998 - Michael Scandrett, executive director of the Minnesota Council of Health Plans and former Director of the MN Health Care Commission, and Lee Greenfield, state representative and Chairman of the House Health and Human Services Finance Division, discuss MinnesotaCare, HMO's, Medicare and Medicaid, prescription costs, and employer health benefits. Scandrett and Greenfield also answer listener question.
August 20, 1998 - MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports on Studio 4, a charter school in St. Paul that offers use of studio time as an incentive for students to continue with school.
August 21, 1998 - An MPR Special presenting interviews with all seven major party gubernatorial candidates on health care, followed by listener reaction to the candidates. Program begins with brief reports on the various candidates.
August 21, 1998 - Retired Admiral Eugene Carroll, Deputy Director of the Center for Defense Information and Ambassador Bruce Laingen, the Minnesota native who was Charge D'Affaires at the US Embassy in Tehran and held captive for 444 days starting in November 1979, discuss strategies for dealing with terrorism. Osama Bin Laden is briefly mentioned. Carroll and Laingen also answer listener questions. Laingen is now President of the American Academy of Diplomacy in Washington. MN Congressman Jim Oberstar also makes appearance on program.
August 25, 1998 - MPR’s John Rabe reports on local African American leaders from the Twin Cities talking with local black leaders in South Africa.
August 31, 1998 - As part of the MPR’s Campaign 98’ series, Laura McCallum talks with Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Ventura about his views on crime. Ventura states that crime is a local issue, not a state one. He also discusses policing, gun control, drugs, prostitution, and the death penalty.
September 3, 1998 - Chris Farrell, MPR senior business and economics editor, presents MPR special report, "Make Change, Not Money: The Power of the Non-Profit Economy."
September 4, 1998 - On this special State Fair edition of Midday, Mike Hatch, Ember Reichgott-Jung and David Lillehaug, the three Democratic-Farmer-Labor candidates for attorney general, visit with MPR’s Gary Eichten at the MPR booth. Hatch, Reichgott-Jung and Lillehaug debate the campaign issues and answer questions from the fair audience.