April 4, 2019 - MPR’s Brian Bakst breaks down Governor Tim Walz’s first State of the State address. Walz aimed to connect everyday Minnesotans with the policies he’s pursuing in his initial year in office. Faced with the nation's only divided party Legislature, Walz implored lawmakers to put common purpose ahead of partisan ideology.
April 5, 2019 - On this episode of MPR News with Angela Davis, MPR’s Mike Mulcahy talks with DFL Governor Tim Walz about his term so far and how he'll seek agreement with lawmakers on the state's next two-year budget. Walz also answers listener questions.
May 8, 2019 - MPR’s Tiffany Hanssen interviews Minnesota Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan about missing Native American women and girls. Flanagan states it reflects one of the many ways devaluation of native people takes place.
May 29, 2019 - MPR’s Brian Bierschbach interviews Governor Tim Walz as he prepares to sign an education bill that tops 20 billion dollars, with more budget bill signatures coming. Walz says he believes the state budget moves Minnesota forward even though he had to leave some priorities behind.
June 24, 2019 - On the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Inn raid in New York, which ignited multiple days of protests and garnered the attention of the media across the country, Michael McConnell reflects on the fight for gay rights that was happening in Minnesota at that time. F.R.E.E. — "Fight Repression of Erotic Expression" — was formed in Minneapolis weeks before the now-famous riots.
July 11, 2019 - MPR’s Brian Bakst reports on how taxpayers helped fund 'Tonight Show' Super Bowl broadcast from Minnesota via Snowbate program, which aims at luring productions and fostering local industry talent. Segment includes various interviews.
July 25, 2019 - The Subversive Sirens, a gold-medal winning Minnesota-based synchronized swimming team is working to promote LGBTQ-inclusiveness and equity in swimming, body positivity and queer visibility. Team member Jae Hyun Shim, who identifies as queer and nonbinary, discusses group’s efforts.
July 31, 2019 - MPR’s Elizabeth Shockman reports on racist incidents at Metcalf Middle School in Burnsville. Students and staff recount multiple experiences of racial slurs at school, including offensive words spoken by principal Shannon McParland.
August 16, 2019 - MPR’s Tarkor Zehn reports on Because Black Life Conference, which entails about a dozen workshops that explore an array of issues impacting black life. Examples of topics include being black and Muslim in the current political climate and reparations. The underlying common thread in most of the workshops is healing.
August 16, 2019 - In the early 2000s, Hmong Americans from Minneapolis and St. Paul flocked to Walnut Grove in southwestern Minnesota. The city is best known for its hero, Laura Ingalls Wilder, who wrote about life in the town. The Hmong immigrants were drawn to farmland, jobs at local factories, and the slower pace of life. That influx of newcomers helped keep Walnut Grove’s main drag alive. But a generation in, the Hmong Americans who came to the region are facing a challenge familiar to other rural Americans…How do you give young people a reason to stay?