February 24, 1989 - MPR's Mark Heistad and Tom Meersman present "Poisoned Waters," a documentary about groundwater contamination problems in Minnesota. Documentary contains reports from Lakeland, Northern Township in Beltrami County, New Brighton, and agricultural land in the southeast of state.
April 4, 1989 - Midday highlights the controversy surrounding an increase in the minimum wage. It's being debated in the individual states and in the Congress - the U.S. House recently voted to increase the minimum wage, and the Senate is expected to take up the issue this week. The Bush administration has threatened a veto if the bill is not to its liking. Program begins with an independently produced documentary called "Minimum Wage: Maximum Controversy". Documentary is followed with MPR’s Bob Potter talking with Ken Peterson, Minnesota's Labor and Industry Commissioner; and John Fossum, director of the Industrial Relations Center at the University of Minnesota. "Minimum Wage: Maximum Controversy" was written and produced by Carlos Davidson, an independent producer in California. The narrator was Charles Bloomer. Funding was provided by the Eastman Fund, The Funding Exchange, Nu Lambda Trust, the Skaggs Foundation and the Vanguard Foundation.
April 19, 1989 - MPR’s Stephen Smith and Tom Meersman present “Burning the Needles,” a documentary report on the issues of medical waste and the challenges in how to dispose of it.
April 19, 1989 - An MPR documentary on medical waste followed by an opportunity for listeners to question Dr. Donald Vessley, Director of Environmental Health and Safety at the University of Minnesota, a nationally recognized expert on medical waste disposal and Lisa Thorvig from the air quality division of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
May 9, 1989 - Part One: A documentary about health advisories regarding fish contamination in Minnesota, and David Gray, chief of Health Risk Assessment for the Minnesota Health Department answering listener questions on the topic. Part Two: Pamela Skoog Perry, nongame wildlife specialist from the Department of Natural Resources office in Brainerd answers listener questions about aquatic wildlife and loons.
September 8, 1989 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen presents the documentary “Dancing on Beat: Portrait of a Reservation Family,” which follows the daily life of an Ojibwe family on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.
November 21, 1989 - MPR’s Stephen Smith presents "Armed in America," an examination on gun ownership and gun control in the United States, and more specifically, in Minnesota. Program highlights topics of crime, protection and cultural impact of firearms.
December 27, 1989 - A Mainstreet Radio special from southwestern Minnesota town of Madison. MPR’s John Biewen presents a documentary entitled, "We're Not Dying," which highlights how the town survived the 1980’s farm crisis.
January 29, 1990 - Documentary report on heart transplantation, its rise over the last decade, and the shortage of donor organs.
May 29, 1990 - An MPR special documentary report titled, "Spearing on Lakes of Fire", narrated by Chris Tetlin. The report presents fishing debate over Chippewa Indian/U.S. Government treaty in northern Wisconsin. The controversy centers on walleyes, but there's much more at stake than fish.