January 31, 2008 - MPR’s Marianne Combs looks at the growing representation of transgender storytelling in local theater community. Combs highlights the play “Looking for Normal.” It's just one of several stories reaching Twin Cities stages about being transgender.
February 8, 2008 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Ann DeGroot, outgoing executive director & co-founder of OutFront Minnesota. DeGroot shares her thoughts on the most impactful things to have happened in the gay and lesbian movement over the previous two decades.
March 4, 2008 - Members of the Minnesota 8, anti-war activists who were sentenced to prison for destroying draft files during the Vietnam War, join Midday to discuss their story, which is the subject of a play at the History Theater, titled Peace Crimes: The Minnesota 8. The two guests, Bill Tilton and Frank Kroncke, also answer listener questions.
May 5, 2008 - MPR’s Dan Olson presents the documentary “From 35th Street to Wall Street: Anatomy of a foreclosure,” which looks at subprime mortgage loans and the impact on individuals finding themselves a part of a foreclosure crisis.
May 28, 2008 - University Avenue, the proposed route of the Central Corridor light rail line, has a colorful past that is still evolving. Four MPR reporters look at the past and the future of Minneapolis-St. Paul’s University Avenue. Story titles include “The view from Prospect Park,” “The Car Culture,” “An Entertainment Destination,” and “Immigrants Always Welcome.”
September 3, 2008 - MPR’s Elizabeth Baier talks with to two gay veterans in St. Paul to see how the so-called "don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military has affected their lives, both during -- and after -- their years in the military.
October 7, 2008 - Midday presents an American RadioWorks documentary titled "What Killed Sergeant Gray?" Sergeant Adam Gray made it home from Iraq only to die in his barracks. Investigating his death, American RadioWorks pieces together a story of soldiers suffering psychological scars – because they abused Iraqi prisoners.
January 19, 2009 - Former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell gives the keynote address at Martin Luther King Day breakfast in Minneapolis. He reflects on how the struggle for civil rights changed his own life, and is still transforming the country.
January 19, 2009 - MPR listeners and special guests discuss what it means on this MLK Day as Barack Obama, the the nation's first Black U.S. president, is to be inaugurated in the coming day.
March 26, 2009 - As Minnesota lawmakers spar over the state's education budget, Midday broadcasts education experts Kati Haycock and Rudy Crew discussing what Minnesota can do to close the achievement gap between white students and students of color. At Minnesota Meeting, a project of The Minneapolis Foundation, the two nationally recognized experts discuss this issue.