July 27, 2001 - Tom Robertson reports on the people of White Earth in northwestern Minnesota trying to bring back the lake sturgeon. The tribe is working to restore the fish and reclaim its heritage. Officials on the White Earth Indian Reservation say when the sturgeon disappeared, so did an important part of their culture.
August 1, 2001 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports that new numbers from the U.S. Census Bureau show same-sex households account for nearly one percent of all Minnesota couples. The 2000’ Census figures provide the agency's most accurate count yet of same-sex couples. Advocates and officials alike say the numbers still don't accurately track the true number of gays and lesbians, but are an important marker nonetheless.
August 1, 2001 - MPR’s Kaomi Goetz reports that some members of Minneapolis immigrant communities are asking whether they're getting undue scrutiny from city inspectors.
August 1, 2001 - U.S. Census figures released indicate the state's Hmong population grew almost 150% since the 1990 census, growing to nearly 42,000 residents. Some community leaders, though, think many Hmong people in Minnesota remain uncounted by the census. MPR’s Art Hughes interviews numerous individuals to get their reaction to government numbers.
August 2, 2001 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen reports on St. Paul plan to turn a downtown parking lot into a park that will contain statues of the Peanuts cartoon characters made famous by one of the city's native sons, Charles Schulz. One of Schulz's daughters joined city officials in announcing plans for the new park.
August 6, 2001 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer talks with Kow Lee, a 29-year-old Hmong woman, about time limits attached to welfare and struggles for finding employment. Lee came to the U.S. 10 years ago, is divorced, and has 7 children ranging from ages 4 months to 9 years old. Speaking through an interpreter, Kow Lee says raising children in America is very hard.
August 7, 2001 - MPR’s Annie Feidt looks at the sport of disc golf as 350 of the top disc golfer's in the world are gather in the Twin Cities for the world championship tournament. The sport looks a lot like traditional golf, but instead of using a club to hit a ball, players throw frisbees up the fairway and into a catching device.
August 14, 2001 - Mainstreet Radio's Laurel Druley reports on housing struggles some migrant workers find themselves in while working in the southern Minnesota town of Plainview. Four months out of the year, the population of 3,190 grows by more than 200 residents. Migrant workers come to town to can peas and corn at Lakeside Foods. But while the work is there, housing is not, leaving many temporary workers searching for a place to call home.
August 14, 2001 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer interviews Jim Dreyer, a 37-year-old man from Michigan, as he prepares to swim across Lake Superior. The 62-mile swim will start in Grand Portage, on Minnesota's North Shore, and end at the F.J. McLain State Park on Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
August 14, 2001 - Mainstreet Public Radio's Tim Post reports on the “AVM Runestone,” a new stone find in Kensington. Members of the Kensington Runestone Research Team found a stone with what some say are runic carvings on its surface. The stone was found near where the original Kensington Runestone was unearthed over one hundred years ago.