June 30, 2004 - A new Minnesota program that starts tomorrow is designed to help people find work before going on traditional welfare. The diversionary work program will require welfare applicants to look for work for four months. They won't get a welfare check, but they will get help with rent, food and utility bills. The Pawlenty administration calls the program the next phase in welfare reform, but some advocates for welfare recipients say it will hurt low-income Minnesotans.
July 2, 2004 - Minnesota's most revered nightclub, First Avenue in Minneapolis , is at a crossroads. Last week, owner Allan Fingerhut fired General Manager Steve McClellan. McClellan guided the club for more than 30-years. Many say his adventurous tastes and fiercely independent streak are what made First Avenue into a launchpad for regional artists and a nationally known music venue. McClellan's dismissal left many wondering whether the struggling club would close or be sold. Fingerhut is vowing to take aggressive steps to keep First Avenue open and independent.
July 5, 2004 - On this Fourth of July weekend, MPR listeners are asked to call in with their stories about coming to America. Caller comments are interspersed between an interview with guest Senator Mee Moua, the first Hmong American elected to State Legislator. She speaks of living in refugee camps in Laos and resettling in the U.S.
July 6, 2004 - MPR's Jeff Horwich looks at the employment scene awaiting the state's new job seekers. After the struggles in a refugee camp and a 8,000-mile trip from Thailand, this wave of Hmong refugees will find a tight job market and a challenging U.S. economy.
July 8, 2004 - Classical musicians from across the Twin Cities have come together to perform the premiere of a new orchestral work called “Mosaic: Cedar and Lake.” The piece attempts to capture the cultural diversity of Minneapolis.
July 9, 2004 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles St. Paul musician Greg Paulus. In interview, Paulus discusses his music influences, his current jazz work, and goal of playing with the best musicians.
July 13, 2004 - Expectations have always been high for Joe Mauer. Long before the Twins chose the St. Paul native as their top draft pick in 2001, Mauer was considered a sports phenom. If his rookie season is any indication, the Minnesota Twins catcher will be rubbing elbows with the league's other top talents in a not-too-distant All-Star game.
July 15, 2004 - MPR’s Toni Randolph reports on shortage of Hmong funeral homes in the Twin Cities. A traditional Hmong funeral is a ceremony full of rituals, scheduled on weekends and lasting for days. Families now often have to wait weeks before burying their loved ones. A couple of new Hmong funeral homes will be opening, though they won't open for more than a year.
July 15, 2004 - Hmong families continue to arrive in Minnesota from a camp in Thailand. An estimated 5000 refugees are expected to resettle in the state by the end of the year. A fact-finding team traveled to Thailand and assessed the needs of the refugees earlier this year, and found a high degree of mental health issues among adults. Xong Mouacheupao is a mental health counselor for the Minnesota-based Amherst H. Wilder Foundation. She's at the refugee camp in Thailand providing individual and family therapy... and she says families are facing many different issues.
July 22, 2004 - Many teenagers can tell horror stories of what goes on in on-line chat rooms. In recent years there have been a number of cases of older adults seeking out children for not just conversation, but for sex. In response the FBI has mounted sting operations to capture likely offenders before they have a chance to strike. A new play examines the ethics of such methods. "Sexsting" gets its first reading at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis tomorrow.