July 9, 2010 - MPR’s Laura Yuen reports that Hmong American farmers are searching for undeveloped farmland in the Twin Cities, fueled by the growing demand for locally grown produce. But Asian growers sometimes encounter hostilities.
July 23, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian takes a look at Americans with Disabilities Act, twenty years after it’s enactment in 1990. ADA's aim was to give disabled people the freedom to participate in all realms of life: housing, education, employment and public venues. While there have been many accomplishments in those twenty years, many consider the ADA part of an ambitious social revolution that remains unfinished.
August 9, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the changes that took place in the aftermath of 1985 strike, including the reliance on immigrant workers, which some long-time Austin residents struggle with.
August 10, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier reports on the experience of Latino immigrants in Austin.
August 11, 2010 - As part of MPR News series “Austin at a Crossroads: 25 years after the Hormel strike,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Austin, 25 years after the Hormel labor strike that tore apart the town. Baier examines how small-town nostalgia plays out when big, global issues and human drama come to town.
September 16, 2010 - MPR’s Sasha Aslanian profiles Ruth Frost and Phyllis Zillhart, the first lesbian couple ordained without the blessing of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. On Saturday, for only the second time in the country, the Lutheran Church will officially welcome them to its roster of clergy.
September 20, 2010 - As part of MPR's Youth Radio Series, Youth Radio reporter Mara Kumagai Fink explores her family’s memories of internment camps for Japanese Americans during WWII. Mara spent the summer visiting these camps and uncovering what happened to her family during the war.
September 23, 2010 - MPR’s Tom Weber reports that after recent student suicides, there are efforts to change Anoka-Hennepin School District's sexual orientation curriculum policy. The policy states that sexual orientation topics aren't part of the curriculum, and it instructs teachers to remain neutral if the subject comes up in class.
October 6, 2010 - Midday presents an American RadioWorks documentary titled Testing Teachers. Studies show that students with the best teachers learn three times as much as students with the worst teachers. Politicians and education reformers are calling for big changes in how teachers are trained and evaluated…and in the way teachers are hired and fired too.
October 7, 2010 - MPR’s Jess Mador reports on former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to East St. Paul, where he emphasized the need for the government to assist communities devastated by foreclosure. The 86-year-old former president spent a day building homes in north Minneapolis with Habitat for Humanity, followed by next day where he helped repair homes in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of East St. Paul.