March 25, 2005 - An MPR Special Report, titled “What Happened in Red Lake?”, details the chronology of the shooting at Red Lake, what's known about the student who killed nine people and himself, and what makes this sovereign Indian community different from other communities. The special also examines the shooting within the context of other school shootings.
March 28, 2005 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peters about his recollections of Bob Casey, who died at the age of 79. Casey was the only stadium announcer the Minnesota Twins have ever had in their 44 year history. St. Peters says Casey's style as an announcer was unique, exciting and fun.
April 5, 2005 - The Iranian presidential election in June is expected to bring a conservative successor to reformist President Mohammad Khatami, but Iranian-American journalist Azadeh Moaveni says that her generation of young Iranians is hungry for democratic reform. Moaveni is the author of the bestselling "Lipstick Jihad: A Memoir of Growing up Iranian in America and American in Iran."
April 7, 2005 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports that the Minnesota Senate upended an attempt to force a vote on a constitutional ban on same-sex marriages. The legislation would allow voters to decide whether to amend the state constitution to define marriage as between a man and a woman.
April 8, 2005 - The Minnesota Twins first home game of the 2005 season is the Twins' fourth straight opening day sell-out. The Twins are the odds on favorites to repeat as the American League Central Division champs and some sportswriters are predicting the team will make it all the way to the World Series. However, up until now, the Twins on-field success hasn't translated into bigger attendance numbers.
April 8, 2005 - The Pulitzer prize committee announced it's awards this week. The Pulitzers for journalistic and artistic excellence usually draw a healthy dose of public interest. For novelist Marilynne Robinson, it means a spike in sales for her novel "Gilead". For Poet Laureate Ted Kooser it means yet more attention to his poetry. But what about the pulitzer prize for music? Do you know who won this year's award? Do you care? Joining me by phone is Tim Page, classical music critic for the Washington Post.
April 8, 2005 - Nobel and Pulitzer prize wining novelist Saul Bellow died this week. Bellow lived and worked in Minnesota for a few years in the late forties and mid-fifties. He spent a lot of time with the poet John Berryman, who was his colleague at the University of Minnesota. This is Bellow writing about that time.
April 11, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. They discuss Kooser winning the Pulitzer Prize. Segment also includes Kooser reading two poems.
April 11, 2005 - Reacting testily to criticism from former Gov. Jesse Ventura last week, House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, shot back that "the former governor and governors always have more strength, more criticism, more vision and knowledge after they've left office, then when they were in." What do some other former Minnesota governors think of the current legislative session?
April 14, 2005 - MPR’s Karl Gehrke reports on the end of the Minneapolis chamber group Prospect Park Players. Gehrke interviews Prospect Park Artistic Director William Eddins and composer Randall Davidson about the seven year run of of the classical group.