May 15, 2007 - That is photographer Doug Ohman who took the pictures in a new book from the Minnesota Historical Society Press called "Cabins of Minnesota." Bill Holm wrote the accompanying text.
May 18, 2007 - Former governors offer advice on ending a session . Broadcast: Midday, 05/18/2007, 11:00 a.m. Legislators and the governor have three days to wrap things up -- and there is much wrapping left to do. Two of Minnesota's former governors have some advice for today's lawmakers on bringing the session to a successful conclusion. Guests: Wendell Anderson: Minnesota governor: 1971 - 1977. Arne Carlson: Minnesota governor: 1990 - 1998.
May 22, 2007 - The Minnesota History Center in St. Paul holds a reception tonight to celebrate a new exhibit and book featuring photographs of Ojibwe people in Minnesota. The author of "We Are at Home: Pictures of Ojibwe People" is historian Bruce White. His book explains that to truly understand a photo you need to know who took it and why. I asked White to select some of his favorite pictures from the book for us to talk about. The first one he chose was taken around 1900 in Grand Portage. It shows a woman in front of a tipi with a baby on her back.
May 29, 2007 - Novelist Anoshi Irani says he still pines for India and in particular Bombay, where he grew up. But he also says he knows he can't write about his homeland while he's there, because it's just too close. He now spends most of his time in Vancouver. The Minneapolis-based press Milkweed Editions has just published his new novel, "The Song of Kahunsha." The book follows two little boys living on the streets of Bombay when the huge Indian city is torn apart by religious violence.
May 30, 2007 - Nick Mancini, founder of St. Paul institution Mancini's Char House and Vegas Lounge, passed away at the age of 80. Over the years, his steaks and hospitality would make the restaurant a popular destination for politicians, athletes, and many loyal customers…one of whom is MPR's own Gary Eichten, who remembers how Mancini had a knack for keeping his customers happy.
June 1, 2007 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on "The Mad Ripple Friday Night Hootenanny" at Java Jack's. The event is thrown together by writer and singer/songwriter Jim Walsh, who's stage name is the Mad Ripple. Each week Walsh presents a handful of musicians, usually local, some of them rookies and some established. The artists take turns trading stories and songs, mostly originals.
June 4, 2007 - Governor Tim Pawlenty analyzes the 2007 Minnesota legislative session with Midday’s Gary Eichten. Pawlenty faced large DFL majorities in both houses of the Legislature this session, but with the help of his veto pen and a united Republican caucus, he held his ground on a number of fronts, including blocking several tax increases.
June 4, 2007 - MPR's Laura McCallum profiles Bill Chorske, a retired Medtronic executive who has awarded scholarships to low-income students from Edison High School in northeast Minneapolis. Chorske graduated from Edison in 1954.
June 5, 2007 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on viewpoints in Hmong community about General Vang Pao and the support for him after his U.S. arrest. While he has been in the United States for about 30 years, and no longer a military leader, he's still an important figure in Hmong history in America.
June 6, 2007 - This morning we have another installment in our series, "The Bookshelf," in which we ask notable Minnesotans to tell us about a book that's been meaningful in their lives. St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman came in to our studio to tell us about books important to him.