January 17, 2005 - MPR’s Dan Olson interviews Minneapolis gospel singers Tonia and Cameron Hughes. After the death of husband/father David Hughes, Tonia and Cameron use singing together as a way to rebuild and provide renewed hope in life.
January 21, 2005 - Bill Catlin reports on Minnesota Public Radio’s announcement of its third service in the Twin Cities, with launch of 89.3 The Current on Monday, January 24th, 2005.
January 24, 2005 - Minnesota Public Radio's new radio service KCMP launched this morning January 24, 2005. Nicknamed "The Current," the station's format features an eclectic array of music, including local bands that may have received limited airplay on commercial and other Twin Cities public radio stations.
January 26, 2005 - Mainstreet Radio's Tom Robertson reports that Governor Tim Pawlenty is banking on casino money as a way to balance the state's finances. His plan includes a proposed Twin Cities casino that would be run jointly by the state and interested northern Indian tribes.
January 28, 2005 - MPR’s Jeff Horwich interviews Dr. Harry Hull, a state epidemiologist, about the State Department temporarily Hmong resettlement after a case of Tuberculosis was identified in one refugee already in Minnesota. Four more refugees are suspected of having TB and are undergoing more testing.
January 28, 2005 - The US State Department has temporarily halted the resettlement of Hmong refugees from Thailand. The delay was implemented last week after the Centers for Disease Control found a cluster of reports of Hmong refugees who'd resettled in the United States with active cases of tuberculosis -- two cases were multiple-drug resistant TB. In Minnesota, there's one confirmed case of tuberculosis among the newly-resettled Hmong refugees and four suspected cases. State epidemiologist Dr. Harry Hull says it's not surprising that the Hmong from the refugee camp in Thailand could have been exposed to tuberculosis.
January 28, 2005 - The resettlement of Hmong refugees to the United States has been temporarily put on hold. US State Department officials have halted the program because they've found a handful of active cases of tuberculosis among newly-resettled Hmong refugees, including one in Minnesota. State health officials are also investigating four other suspected cases of TB. Although tuberculosis is an infectious disease, state epidemiologist Dr. Harry Hull says there's no reason to fear an outbreak.
January 31, 2005 - MPR’s Art Hughes reports on Mayor Rybak’s desire to run again. R.T. Rybak, mayor of Minneapolis, formally announced his re-election bid Sunday near the place he started his first campaign for elected office four years ago, almost to the day. At that time, he waged a grassroots battle against an established incumbent he felt was out of touch residents. Now, Rybak has a political track record that makes him the target for challengers. Report includes comments from Linda Longino, mother of slain child Tyesha Edwards; Don Samuels, City Council member; among others.
February 2, 2005 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles the Art Shanty Project, a collection of ice houses with an artistic flair. Visitors to Minnesota often stop and wonder at the strange collection of ice fishing shacks that appear on the lakes each winter. On this year, even the locals are stopping to stare at a group of shacks on Medicine Lake in Plymouth.
February 3, 2005 - MPR's Marianne Combs reports on "Mozart in Manhattan," a new opera premiering in St. Paul. So what if Mozart had travelled to America? Combs interviews performers and composer on their thoughts.