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.
October 14, 2010 - American RadioWorks' Stephen Smith and Kate Ellis join Midday’s Gary Eichten to talk about their new book, Say it Loud!: Great Speeches on Civil Rights and African American Identity.
November 30, 2010 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports that 30 years after their initial arrival, poverty for Hmong is still an issue, but rates are down sharply, and life for many is improving. Olson talks with members of Hmong community about reasons behind the change.
December 7, 2010 - As part of MPR's Youth Radio Series, Youth Radio reporter Brenda tells what it's like to live in the United States illegally.