September 16, 2011 - On this Midday, two guests talk about 50 years of the Minnesota Vikings. Writer Jim Klobuchar, who covered the Vikings from day one, September 17, 1961, joins Midday to talk about the history of the team and the game of football? Following that, a conversation with Tommy Mason, Minnesota Viking’s first player.
September 20, 2011 - Gays and lesbians can now serve openly in the military. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a policy that's been on the books since 1993 and nullified by Congress in December 2010, has officially ended. MPR’s Sasha Aslanian talks with a few service members about their experiences with the policy.
September 22, 2011 - MPR’s Martin Moylan reports that General Mills is creating a stir with its hiring of two unrepentant potheads to promote its box of Fiber One high-fiber brownies.
September 23, 2011 - MPR’s Euan Kerr profiles Korean poet Ed Bok Lee and Vietnamese American spoken word artist Bao Phi. The poets respective works explore the Asian American experience - with a very Minnesota perspective.
September 30, 2011 - MPR’s Chris Roberts talks with Minnesota native Haley Bonar about the songs “Sad Baby” and “Leo” from her album ‘Golder.’
October 4, 2011 - MPR’s Julie Siple reports on the fight against hunger on the White Earth Reservation. Tribal officials estimate up to 50 percent of American Indians on the reservation live below the poverty line. For some, ensuring there is enough healthy food to feed themselves and their families is a problem. There is a growing effort to return to traditional foods to help alleviate hunger and improve the health of people on the reservation while reconnecting them with a diet that served their ancestors.
October 4, 2011 - Midday presents an American RadioWorks documentary titled Don't Lecture Me, which looks at how some are rethinking the way college students learn.
October 7, 2011 - The "alt country" music scene isn't as big as it used to be, but there's still a lot of vintage twang in the Twin Cities, courtesy of the Cactus Blossoms. The Minneapolis group, fronted by a pair of brothers, harkens back to the roots of country with their earnest songs and pristine harmonizing. MPR’s Chris Roberts presents a profile of the group.
October 11, 2011 - Former GOP presidential candidate and former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty sits down with MPR's Gary Eichten to reflect on his failed presidential bid, his two terms as governor, and his future career in or out of politics. This is the first public interview since he dropped out of the race for president.
October 12, 2011 - On this Midmorning creature feature, hear excerpts of Kerri Miller interviewing authors Justin Cronin, Daniel Wilson and Glen Duncan