January 2, 2020 - Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan have been friends for nearly 15 years after meeting at a training session. Back then, Flanagan was an elected officeholder and Walz wasn't. Here's the story of how their unique partnership developed, in their own words.
February 19, 2020 - MPR’s Melissa Townsend reports on City of Minneapolis plans for Upper Harbor Terminal and it’s potential impact to community in North Minneapolis. Segment includes interviews with city officials, developers, and city residents.
March 9, 2020 - MPR’s John Enger interviews Native American author Dennis Staples about his first novel, "This Town Sleeps." The story depicts the struggle of a gay Ojibwe man to accept a Native tradition where he rarely felt at home, while escaping a reservation he could never quite leave. It is told through the eyes of a twenty-something narrator, who bears a striking resemblance to Staples himself.
April 14, 2020 - MPR News Presents airs “Under a Watchful Eye,” an APM Reports & The Hechinger Report documentary that looks at colleges using big data to track students in an effort to boost graduation rates, but it comes at a cost.
April 15, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Dan Cylkowski. After a draft notice from the Army arrived, Cylkowski took his notice to Fort Snelling, and was bound for Europe.
May 8, 2020 - As part of MPR’s Portraits of Valor series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Robert Eugene Holmstrom, who in WWII, flew top secret missions over Europe and never dropped a bomb.
May 22, 2020 - As part of MPR’s “Portraits of Valor” series, MPR’s Evan Frost profiles Minnesota native Dick Kern, who in WWII, was a tail gunner on bomber missons from India into China and Burma.
June 8, 2020 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Dai Thao, who remembers Marny Xiong, St. Paul school board chair, who died of COVID-19 at the age of 31. She was a champion for racial justice and equity.
July 14, 2020 - MPR’s Dan Kraker interviews John Staine, a real estate appraiser at St. Louis County courthouse, who in an effort to address racial bias in the workplace, started a direct dialog about race with his fellow 2,000 St. Louis County employees.
July 29, 2020 - On this MPR News Presents program, an APM Reports documentary titled "Covid on Campus." The coronavirus pandemic represents the greatest challenge to American higher education in decades. Some small regional colleges that were already struggling won’t survive. Other schools, large and small, are rethinking how to offer an education while keeping people safe.