October 17, 1988 - Midday presents a special Mainstreet Radio documentary, entitled “Migrant Farm Workers.” The documentary profiles migrant farm workers in St. James who came to Minnesota, and wound up staying here. Following the documentary, Jose Trejo, executive director of the Spanish Speaking Affairs Council, answers listener questions about issues facing Hispanics in Minnesota.
November 19, 1988 - On this Midday program, a special documentary about teenage pregnancy produced by Carol Gunderson from member station KLSE in Rochester. Following dcocumentary, Dr. Betty Jerome, director of the Teenage Medical Center at Minneapolis Children's Hospital, answers listener questions on the subject.
January 12, 1989 - Midday presents a special Mainstreet Radio documentary on religion in Minnesota, entitled “Articles of Faith.” Highlighted are a Central Minnesota German Catholic community in Pierz-Lastrup, Mennonites in Mountain Lake, a Jewish family in Fergus Falls, and a non-believer who nevertheless attends a small town church.
January 31, 1989 - Fifteen years ago the federal government passed laws aimed at getting more handicapped children out of special, segregated schools and into their local public schools. Children with all kinds of disabilities began appearing more frequently in public school classrooms. Deaf children were among them. Government officials and public education officials firmly believed that the best way to educate deaf children for a life in the hearing world was to start them off in regular public schools. the term for this is mainstreaming. Many assert this has been handled poorly. Following is an opportunity for listeners to question Joe Nathan, an educator, and Paula Goldberg, a disabilities expert about the mainstreaming of children with disabilities.
February 10, 1989 - On this Midday program, a presentation of a Mainstreet Radio documentary on rural homelessness. There are people in rural Minnesota who can't afford to put a roof over their heads and advocates for the poor say rural homelessness is a growing problem.
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.