July 31, 2009 - Teddy Roosevelt: A "Wilderness Warrior".Douglas Brinkley, author of "The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America" joins Midday to discuss the first naturalist president, and what impact his appreciation for nature still has today.
August 3, 2009 - A leader in both football and teaching, former Vikings offensive guard Randall McDaniel joins Midday to talk about his upcoming induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and about being an educator in Minnesota. McDaniel also answers listener questions.
August 3, 2009 - MPR’s Euan Kerr speaks with Penumbra Artistic Director Lou Bellamy about Claude Purdy, a founding member of the Penumbra Theater in St. Paul. Bellamy says Purdy offered many strengths to the stage.
August 5, 2009 - MPR’s Lorna Benson profiles a special little black dog named Batman. 2009 marks the one year anniversary of cancer treatment, a major milestone for the dog and University of Minnesota's College of Veterinary Medicine. In 2008, University researchers began an experimental procedure to save Batman from an aggressive brain tumor that threatened to kill him within a month.
August 6, 2009 - Nicole Johns doesn't look like she has an eating disorder, and for a long time that was a problem.
August 11, 2009 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles the Minneapolis band The Pines. Roberts interviews co-founders Benson Ramsey and David Huckfelt about Midwestern music sensibilities and their album "Tremolo."
August 19, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on a tornado that touched down in Minneapolis, causing damage to a church and briefly closing Interstate 35W due to flooding.
August 19, 2009 - On this Midday program, MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with U.S. Representative Tim Walz, who represents Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Walz is holding a town meeting on health care reform in Mankato. In advance of that meeting, he joins Midday to talk about healthcare reform and other issues facing Congress.
August 19, 2009 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports that Minnesota, and other states, are mobilizing to clean up the air in supposedly pristine areas like the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park.
August 20, 2009 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on a plan developed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency which aims to reduce haze in the Boundary Waters Wilderness and Voyageurs National Park.