February 18, 2004 - A speech by William Ouchi, education researcher, professor of management at UCLA, and author of "Making Schools Work: A Revolutionary Plan to Get Your Children the Education They Need." He spoke recently at a Minnesota Meeting event in Minneapolis.
February 23, 2004 - Midday presents former President Jimmy Carter speaking at the annual Nobel Peace Prize Forum at St. Olaf College in Northfield. Carter gives the keynote address and says Americans aren't doing enough to help people in developing countries.
February 27, 2004 - A Great Conversations event focusing on the loss of life, loss of innocence, and the jarring blow to Americans' sense of security following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Pauline Boss, University of Minnesota Family Social Science professor and author of "Ambiguous Loss: Learning to Live with Unresolved Grief," talks with Gail Sheehy, a cultural observer and best-selling journalist, and author of "Middletown, America: One Town's Passage from Trauma To Hope." The event was sponsored by the University of Minnesota's College of Continuing Education.
March 11, 2004 - Music is the subject when Minnesota author Bill Holm takes the stage at the College of St. Benedict. In books and essays like "Box Elder Bug Variations" and "Playing the Black Piano", Holm has often explored the places where language and music intersect. The Wednesday evening event is at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.
March 11, 2004 - A literary view with Bill Holm. Music is the subject when Minnesota author Bill Holm takes the stage at the College of St. Benedict. In books and essays like "Box Elder Bug Variations" and "Playing the Black Piano", Holm has often explored the places where language and music intersect. The Wednesday evening event is at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph.
March 16, 2004 - Governor Tim Pawlenty announced his stadium plans, with the governor's stadium advisory commission recommending the state build new ballparks for both the Minnesota Twins and the Vikings. Midday presents report and holds a discussion on plan and takes listener calls.
March 25, 2004 - Midday presents excerpts from debate on bill to amend the constitution to define marriage. On March 24th, the Minnesota State House voted on a proposal that would let voters decide if the Minnesota constitution should ban same-sex marriage. The vote was 88-44 in favor of proposal.
March 25, 2004 - MPR’s Laura McCallum reports that the Minnesota State House passed a measure by 88-44 that would put a constitutional amendment question on the ballot in November 2004. It goes next to a Senate committee for vote, where it may be defeated.
March 26, 2004 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on the debate over same-sex marriage as a civil rights issue. The civil rights argument has caused concern among some African American religious leaders in Minnesota, especially when they've heard it compared to the fight for racial equality. While they argue that the civil rights struggle is completely different than the gay marriage issue, others counter that one should look to history in considering discrimination.
April 18, 2004 - Mainstreet Radio’s Dan Gunderson reports that searchers found the body of Dru Sjodin in a ditch northwest of Crookston on Saturday, April 17th 2004. The 22-year-old University of North Dakota Student had been missing since November 2003. Police believe she was taken from a Grand Forks mall parking lot by a convicted sex offender.