April 27, 2007 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher looks at one of the impacts of extreme low water levels of Lake Superior. The lake is about 18 inches below normal, creating a problem for shippers who now must load lighter to avoid hitting bottom. It has also renewed frustration over the Federal Government's harbor dredging program.
May 1, 2007 - MPR’s Euan Kerr interviews author and teacher Wang Ping, who says her Chinese history is the result of some curious twists of fate.
May 1, 2007 - Wang Ping has an intimidating resume. She teaches creative writing at Macalester College in St Paul. She's published fiction, poetry, and an acclaimed book on the Chinese tradition of footbinding. She's just come out with a new collection of short stories. She's an accomplished photographer too.
May 2, 2007 - Will the session's home stretch be a grueling one? Broadcast: Midday, 05/02/2007, 11:00 a.m. With less than three weeks left in the session, the Legislature and the governor don't appear to be moving toward compromise. Which side will win the tug of war over taxes? Guests: Phil Krinkie: Former Republican legislator. Krinkie, who used to chair the House Taxes Committee, is now President of the conservative Taxpayer's League of Minnesota. Dee Long: Former DFL legislator. Long was House Speaker from 1991-1992.
May 3, 2007 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer gets an introduction to the music of local rapper Brother Ali from The Current’s Bill DeVille, Deville comments on the Brother Ali’s second album, The Undisputed Truth.
May 3, 2007 - MPR’s Chris Roberts interviews members of the Minnesota indie music group Best Friends Forever. Songwriters Jessica Seamans and Briana Smith, who go by "Jes" and "Bri," often sing about a love with some staying power…their friendship.
May 3, 2007 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on Graves Desecration Reconciliation Working Group, a St. Paul group that is working with U.S. diplomatic officials in Thailand to resolve an issue that has angered members of Minnesota's Hmong community. They're trying to figure out what to do with the disinterred remains of some of their relatives once buried near a Buddhist temple in Thailand.
May 7, 2007 - MPR’s Laura McCallum profiles the work coming out of the Black Box Theatre at St. Paul’s Central High School. Members of the Central Touring Theatre (CTT) are performing a play written earlier in the year, titled "I'll Take You There." The play addresses a number of controversial topics.
May 8, 2007 - Jim Koppel, executive director of the Children's Defense Fund Minnesota, discusses 2007 Kids Count Data Book, an annual report that measures the health and well-being of children and their families. Minnesota saw the steepest increase in child poverty rates in the nation this year, up 63% from the year past. What is behind that troubling statistic?
May 8, 2007 - Author Sherman Alexie isn't shy about sharing. He's a prolific writer whose novels and short stories often describe the paradoxes of life as a Native American in the 21st century. Alexie told Minnesota Public Radio's Euan Kerr that he's been thinking lately about violence. What resulted is a book of gritty fantasy called "Flight" which is about a young man named "Zits.'