April 22, 2004 - A committee charged with improving relations between the Minneapolis police department and communities of color last night discussed the return of Rich Stanek to the police force. Stanek resigned his post as the state's Public Safety Commissioner last Friday after a 1992 deposition resurfaced in which Stanek admitted that he used racial slurs to describe people of color. The committee didn't take a formal position, but some members say Stanek should be forgiven for his remarks but should first make amends to the communities he offended.
April 23, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports on JOBZ (Job Opportunity Building Zones), a Minnesota jobs program. What Governor Tim Pawlenty calls the "mother of all economic incentives" has landed its first big out-of-state prize for rural Minnesota. A South Dakota company says Minnesota's JOBZ program played an important role in its decision to expand to Luverne…but despite Pawlenty's enthusiasm, officials with Total Card, Inc. say JOBZ was not the most important factor.
April 23, 2004 - Minneapolis black leaders met with Police Chief William McManus today in anticipation of former Public Safety Commissioner Rich Stanek's return to the Police Department. Stanek resigned a week ago over his admission in a deposition 12 years ago that he used a racial epithet. He calls opposition to his confirmation to the public safety post 'meanspirited' and says he could've convinced Senators to confirm him if given the chance.
April 23, 2004 - Host Gary Eichten talks with Rich Stanek, former public safety commissioner. Stanek resigned last week under pressure from Governor Pawlenty after a 12-year-old deposition surfaced in which Stanek acknowledged using racial slurs.
April 25, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports that about 1500 people gathered at a resort near Nisswa Saturday for the funeral of Dru Sjodin. The 22-year-old University of North Dakota college student was found dead near Crookston last weekend, five months after she was abducted from a Grand Forks, North Dakota parking lot.
April 29, 2004 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on Ramsey County and St. Paul city officials beginning an education campaign they hope will prepare residents to welcome the newest Minnesotans…1000 to 5000 Hmong refugees that will resettle in the county in the next few months.
April 30, 2004 - In recent years, Minnesotans have placed increased emphasis on multiculturalism. Still, there's one group that often feels lost in the deluge of diversity. Deaf advocates say Minnesota's non-hearing community is three times as large as some other communities, but they say few people recognize its significant contributions to the culture. As Minnesota's Public Radio's Nikki Tundel found out, an exhibit at St. Paul's aND gallery is hoping to change that.
April 30, 2004 - Federal law enforcement officials are investigating several recent violent incidents involving members of the Twin Cities Hmong community. The most recent event was a suspicious fire that burned down the home of the son of a prominent Hmong leader. While the authorities search for suspects, some in the Hmong community say the recent violence highlights old divisions and wounds that have yet to heal.
May 6, 2004 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles Coach Said Not To, a Minneapolis rock foursome that deliberately tries to defy categorization. Roberts interviews members Lee Violet and Eva Mohn about the thinking person's rock band.
May 11, 2004 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports that the arrest of a Hmong St. Paul police officer is the latest development in an investigation into several incidents of violence involving Hmong and Lao residents. Federal law enforcement officials are trying to determine how several recent shootings and arson fires are linked.