August 5, 2003 - MPR’s Gary Eichten interviews Don Samuels, Minneapolis City Council member, about crime control and “National Night Out.” Samuels has worked to fight crime and violence in the city and says he's pleased Governor Tim Pawlenty will deploy 12 members of the State Patrol's Special Response Team to Minneapolis to help combat a spike in violence. The announcement follows several shootings in the city, including the critical wounding of a 19-month-old girl in North Minneapolis.
August 7, 2003 - Tuesday night marked the first shift for 12 state troopers who've come to Minneapolis to help the city's police force handle a spike in violent crime. Minneapolis Police Chief Robert Olson joins to discuss.
August 13, 2003 - On this Midday, a remembrance of former U.S. Olympic hockey coach Herb Brooks, who died in a rollover accident in Forest Lake. Interviews featured include Lou Nanne, Kathleen Ridder, Glen Sonmor, Wendell Anderson, and John Harrington. Program also includes call-in commentary.
August 21, 2003 - In a live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair, Midday’s Gary Eichten interviews Amy Klobuchar, district attorney for Hennepin County; and Susan Gaertner, district attorney for Ramsey County, about current events and major issues of fighting and preventing crime in the Twin Cities and Minnesota. Klobuchar and Gaertner also answer audience questions.
August 21, 2003 - In a live broadcast from the Minnesota State Fair, Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with meteorologist and climatologist Mark Seeley about Minnesota weather phenomena. Seeley also presents the answers to his weather quiz.
September 18, 2003 - On his 80th birthday, former Minnesota Governor Al Quie joins MPR Midday host Gary Eichten to discuss his life and political career. Quie also answers listener questions.
October 1, 2003 - In a live broadcast from Collegeville, Minnesota Public Radio President Bill Kling talks with Gary Eichten about MPR. He also takes listener questions and comments.
October 27, 2003 - President Bush said Monday that U.S. progress in Iraq is making insurgents more "desperate" and spurring attacks such as the bombings at the international Red Cross headquarters and three police stations across Baghdad that killed dozens of people. We discuss the post-war situation in Iraq with J. Brian Atwood, dean of the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. He was head of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) for several years.
November 7, 2003 - On this hour of Midday, host Gary Eichten talks with William McGuire, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group, about healthcare reform and what could happen in Minnesota. McGuire discusses healthcare resources and defining ‘essential’ healthcare.
November 13, 2003 - Former Minnesota Democratic U.S. senator and former Presidential candidate Eugene McCarthy in the MPR studios with Gary Eichten to talk about politics and current events. McCarthy discusses the state of the DFL, polarization of the parties, war, his 1968 campaign, and also answers listener questions.