June 11, 2009 - The Orange Mighty Trio plays their own special brand of “hybrid” chamber music. MPR’s Dale Connelly interviews members of the group about their music style and writing process.
June 11, 2009 - Twin Cities police have shut down two high-end prostitution rings in the past month. The first was a club of businessmen and professionals that called itself the Nice Guys, allegedly operated by a former assistant Hennepin County Attorney. That bust led to Web-based escort service called "My-Fast-Pass-dot-com." Both services used the internet to arrange encounters. To find out how the Web is changing prostitution and changing the ways police deal with it we called up Ron Weitzer. He's a sociologist at George Washington University, who has written extensively on the criminology of prostitution.
June 18, 2009 - Hard economic times put pressure on many parents hoping to save money to help their kids pay for college. The trends of parents saving or not for their children’s are mixed in Minnesota.
June 18, 2009 - MPR medical commentator Dr. Jon Hallberg stops by Midday to discuss medical and health issues currently in the news. Hallberg is a family practice physician at Mill City Clinic, and assistant professor of family medicine at University of Minnesota. Topics include health care law and quality care.
June 19, 2009 - As friends and colleagues mark the 25th anniversary of Joan Growe's 19-ballot DFL endorsement for the U.S. Senate in 1984, Growe joins Midday to talk about her career in politics. Growe also answers listener questions.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Bob Kelleher reports that unmarried couples can register as domestic partners in the city of Duluth. The city's official acknowledgement could help some couples qualify for benefits like health insurance that employers typically offer married couples. Duluth becomes the second Minnesota city to recognize domestic partnerships.
June 22, 2009 - MPR’s Toni Randolph profiles individuals from the last wave of Hmong refugees to the Twin Cities. Five years after their arrival in 2004, about 5,000 new Hmong residents have made their homes here. Life for them is very different from what it was in the refugee camp in Thailand. For some, the change has been very good, and for others it's been very challenging.
June 26, 2009 - MPR’s Kerri Miller meets with career counselor Lindsey Pollak and CollegeRecruiter.com founder Steven Rothberg to talk about the struggle recent college graduates are facing with entering into the job market.
June 26, 2009 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on ways that recession can be even tougher for low-income families.
July 1, 2009 - MPR’s Euan Kerr talks with Garrison Keillor, who reflects on the early days of A Prairie Home Companion as the show reaches it’s 35-year anniversary.