July 15, 2005 - Supporters gathered at the capitol in St. Paul today to urge the U. S. government to help thousands of Hmong refugees trapped between Laos and Thailand in southeast Asia. Nancy Meyer, an english teacher at the Hmong American Partnership, a St. Paul advocacy group, told hundreds of supporters on the capitol steps the 6000 Hmong refugees have been turned out of a Thai refugee camp but are not being allowed back into home areas in Laos.
July 19, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on brewing battle in Minneapolis mayoral race. The Minneapolis mayor's race has sparked what has already become an intense intra-party feud. R.T. Rybak, current Mayor of Minneapolis; and Peter McLaughlin, Hennepin County Commissioner, have both filed the official paperwork for mayor. The two democrats say public safety and city finances are the top issues in the race for mayor of the state's largest city. The potential influence of unions is highlighted in report.
July 20, 2005 - MPR’s Stephanie Hemphill reports on a recent discovery 400ft below the surface of Lake Superior…the Benjamin Noble, a ship lost with all 20 crewmen, back in 1914. It disappeared into the depths of the lake during an April storm, and it's been the target of numerous unsuccessful searches over the years.
July 20, 2005 - There is nothing quite like the excitement of a great rock show. Even the best recording can't truly recapture the experience. But a new exhibit at the Minnesota Center for Photography in Minneapolis attempts to do just that. It's called "Musicapolis" and it presents 40 years of Twin Cities music history.
July 29, 2005 - Minnesota Orchestra Music Director Osmo Vanska played the clarinet for many years until a busy life as a conductor made it difficult for him to continue. Now after after several years away from the instrument, Vanska makes his Orchestra Hall debut as a clarinetist.
July 29, 2005 - Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak's 2006 budget proposal is 1.3 billion dollars - a nearly three percent increase over 2005. Most of that increase will go to adding police officers and funding public safety programs. Public safety is a key issue because this is an election year and violent crime has gone up in the state's largest city. Several city council members say Rybak's budget will reduce crime while others say he should have addressed the city's public safety concerns earlier.
August 2, 2005 - MPR’s Marianne Combs profiles painter, and now composer, Matthew Smith. Combs talks with Smith about the physical and mental transition from painting to composing. Combs also interviews other artists about Smith’s work.
August 4, 2005 - Dr. Andrew Portis, a Twin Cities physician, is trying to figure out why the Hmong patients he sees appear to be more prone to kidney stones than his patients who are not Hmong. Portis also is hoping his research will shed light on why many Hmong patients refuse treatment until they have reached a crisis.
August 4, 2005 - It appears that a disproportionate number of Hmong patients suffer from kidney stones. A St. Paul urologist has found that more than half of his Hmong patients have stones while only 11-percent of his patients who are not Hmong have them. Dr. Andrew Portis says the Hmong also frequently have more severe kidney damage. Portis found that up to 8-percent have had to have a kidney removed. He says that's because many Hmong are refusing conventional medical treatment until they have reached a crisis.
August 4, 2005 - A St. Paul doctor is researching why his Hmong patients are more prone to kidney stones. Urologist Andrew Portis says more than half of his Hmong patients have been diagnosed with stones compared to about 11-percent of his non-Hmong patients. And he says Hmong patients often have more severe kidney damage.