August 21, 2009 - MPR’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Mark Seeley, meteorologist at the University of Minnesota, about sudden changes in the summer weather. Areas of the state went form drought conditions to record breaking rainfall in a span of a week. Unexpected tornadoes in the Twin Cities are also discussed.
August 21, 2009 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Rev. Anita Hill, co-pastor of St. Paul-Reformation Lutheran Church, about the news that leaders of the nation's largest Lutheran church voted to allow sexually active gays and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
August 21, 2009 - MPR’s Jess Mador reports on how the health care debate continues to be contentious, with town hall meetings across the country devolving into shouting matches. Things were just as noisy but slightly more polite in Mankato, where hundreds of people packed a high school auditorium to participate in a town hall forum on health care sponsored by Congressman Tim Walz.
August 25, 2009 - MPR’s Brandt Williams is on hand at Target Field for the arrival of bluegrass grown at Graff's Turf Farm near Fort Morgan Colorado. The field will become one of the most tended grass in the state.
August 26, 2009 - Midday presents the documentary “Divorced Kid: Stories from the 1970's divorce revolution.” MPR’s Sasha Aslanian reports on the long-term impact of the divorce explosion in U.S. during the 1970’s.
August 27, 2009 - The Minnesota State Fair's many buildings are pretty familiar ground to long-time fairgoers, but there are nooks and crannies in some of them that many folks never get to see. Fair official Briana Schuette takes Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer on a tour of some secret places on the fairgrounds.
August 27, 2009 - On the first day of the 2009 Minnesota State Fair, U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-MN., joins Midday at to discuss current events and answer questions from the audience.
August 31, 2009 - The co-author of a report on the Metro Gang Strike Force is expected to meet with law enforcement agencies this week to identify the officers accused of misconduct. That report alleges some strike force members confiscated things like big-screen tvs, computers and money from people who weren't charged with crimes. One scholar who studies police accountability says the force's major failure was that no one was in charge. Samuel Walker of the University of Nebraska says going forward such specialized units need layers of control.
September 1, 2009 - Protesters and other individuals who were arrested on the first day of the Republican National Convention filed the city of St. Paul today. Twenty-seven named plaintiffs allege police officers violated their constitutional rights when they rounded up about 200 people and placed them under arrest. Kevin Hundt of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, says he thinks the mass arrests were aimed at squelching free speech. While some officers used tear gas and flash bangs to control the crowd, the 23-year-old protester says other officers were just mean.
September 2, 2009 - Former Republican Governor Arne Carlson and Former DFL House Speaker Dee Long preview the "Leadership Summit" on Minnesota state finances.