July 24, 2007 - Author Jonis Agee's new novel "The River Wife" actually tells the story of several wives, five generations of women who live on a piece of land on the Mississippi in southern Missouri. For each of them it's an uncertain life, buffeted by lawlessness on the river, the Civil War and then Prohibition. Agee now lives in Nebraska. But she grew up in Missouri, and later taught in Minnesota for two decades.
August 7, 2007 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with Minneapolis Police Chief Tim Dolan and Hennepin County Sheriff Rich Stanek about the I-35W bridge search and recovery efforts. The police officials also answer listener questions.
August 8, 2007 - A week after the I-35W bridge collapsed, Midday marks the occasion with a special one-hour broadcast featuring the latest on the investigation and the stories of the survivors. MPR’s Lorna Benson provides a remembrance of the 13 victims…Sherry Engebretsen; Artemio Trinidad-Mena; Julia Blackhawk; Patrick Holmes; Peter Hausmann; Paul Eickstadt; Greg Jolstad; Scott Sathers; Christina Sacorafas; Sadiya Sahal and two-year-old daughter Hannah; Vera Peck and her 20-year-old son Richard Chit.
August 8, 2007 - The collapse of the I-35W bridge has sparked widespread concern about how transportation infrastructure is maintained. Midday guests Phil Krinkie and Dee Long discuss how much we should spend on our roads, and where that money should come from. The two also answer listener call-in questions.
August 9, 2007 - On this Midmorning program, MPR’s Kerri Miller talks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who reflects on the response to the I-35W bridge collapse, and the area's struggle to return to normal life. Rybak also answers listener questions.
August 9, 2007 - Midday’s Gary Eichten talks with Dr. John Hick, a physician at the Hennepin County Medical Center Department of Emergency Medicine who was at the scene of the bridge collapse within minutes. He discusses the emergency response on the scene and in nearby hospitals.
August 13, 2007 - As part of the series “Songs from Scratch,” MPR’s Nikki Tundel profiles Stephen Burt, a poet turned lyricist. Burt shares thoughts on writing lyrics and how they interact with the music.
August 13, 2007 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Art Blakey, chief of police at the Minnesota State Fair, about the damage assesment after a storm wreaked havoc on the fairgrounds, knocking down trees, damaging concession booths, and tearing off part of the Grandstand.
August 13, 2007 - Cultural change begins in small ways. Some Hmong women in St. Paul are starting with themselves. MPR's Roseanne Pereira reports on The Hmong Women Leadership Institute, which works to foster leadership skills in young Hmong women. It’s a small, but impactful, change to centuries' old Hmong social order.
August 14, 2007 - As part of the series “Songs from Scratch,” MPR reporters Sanden Totten, Larissa Anderson, and Chris Roberts get first reactions from three bands as they get the lyrics from writer Stephen Burt, and begin shaping his words into songs.