November 21, 2003 - Chris Julin presents a Mainstreet Radio report from Duluth, where he visits the Sacred Heart Music Center. Before becoming a music venue, the building spent more than 100 years as a cathedral. It has different acoustics from most concert halls and recording studios. For this reason, musicians from bluegrass bands and punk rockers love the sound, saying it has a different feel.
November 21, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles The Commissioning Club, a local performing arts organizations that commissions new music. Roberts interviews numerous supporters of club to better understand it’s purpose and process.
November 21, 2003 - An interview Jim Walsh, music critic for City Pages, about Prince’s career and selection as one of the 2004 inductees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
November 24, 2003 - Why can't Minneapolis be more like St. Paul? That's the question some are asking about police community relations. For whatever reason St. Paul appears to avoid the police abuse allegations that dog Minneapolis . Both cities are seeking new chiefs of police because of retirement. But the new Minneapolis police chief inherits strained relations with some of the city's minority residents.
November 25, 2003 - The Minneapolis Police Department will be the subject of an audit under a new project announced today to combat racial profiling. The project was inspired by traffic stop data showing drivers of color in Minneapolis are more likely than white drivers to be pulled over and searched. Members of an audit team will ride along in police vehicles and analyze police procedural manuals to try to determine what's behind the racial disparities in traffic stops. Minneapolis city officials say they hope this model will be adopted by more police departments around the state.
November 27, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Roberts reports on Twin Cities band Halloween, Alaska. The band consists of members of three prominent Twin Cities musical groups - Happy Apple, 12 Rods, and Love Cars. The musicians are taking a break from their noisier roles as rock and jazz musicians to create quiet, mood pop, with a heavy nod to one of its favorite musical eras - the 1980s.
November 27, 2003 - MPR’s Elizabeth Stawicki reports that Gen. Vang Pao, a former Vietnam-era military leader of CIA sponsored forces in Laos and head of the United Lao Liberation Front made a stark change in his position by saying he'd support normalizing trade relations if Laos improves its conduct on human rights.
November 28, 2003 - Midday presents two Voices of Minnesota conversations with Minnesota fishermen. Howard Sivertson and Walter Sve share recollections of growing up in fishing families on the North Shore of Lake Superior. It's a way of life that's practically disappeared.
November 28, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post reports on the new tale "Old Turtle and the Broken Truth" from central Minnesota author Douglas Wood. The turtle reappears 11 years after its first appearance.
November 28, 2003 - Most law firms in the twin cities do pro bono work. But only the six major law firms offer free legal clinics. Leonard, Street and Deinhard was the first to open an office in one of the poorest areas of Minneapolis . The one room office is located in a health clinic that serves clients that are mostly poor people of color. And many of the clients are immigrants who don't speak English. Recently, the firm celebrated the 10th anniversary of it's clinic.