August 18, 2005 - Six candidates for Minneapolis mayor attended a forum this morning on the problems facing the city's homeless population.
August 26, 2005 - With the announcement of a terminal disease by playwright August Wilson, an excerpt of Wilson speaking to the University of Minnesota Alumni Association back in 1992 is aired.
September 1, 2005 - Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and one-time St. Paulite August Wilson has revealed that he is dying of liver cancer and may only have months to live. Wilson left Minnesota in 1990 after living here for 12 years, but he made a short homecoming in 1991 to address the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
September 23, 2005 - Garrison Keillor is a busy man these days. On top of his wildly popular public radio show "A Prairie Home Companion," he recently finished filming a movie based on the show, started writing a syndicated newspaper column, and now he's out with a new book. Keillor spoke about the poetry anthology he edited, "Good Poems for Hard Times," in Edina (Barnes & Noble - Galleria).
October 6, 2005 - Playwright Edward Albee, best known for writing "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf," says art should be dangerous. Albee speaks live from the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis.
November 10, 2005 - Salman Rushdie, the Indian-born British novelist who was forced into hiding after the Iranian government put out a death warrant on him in 1989, speaks Thursday at the Westminster Town Hall Forum in downtown Minneapolis.
December 27, 2005 - The theater world lost one of its great voices this year, and Minnesotans remembered the twelve years he made St. Paul his home. Two-time Pulitzer Prize-winner August Wilson died in October of liver cancer at the age of 60. Wilson left the state in 1990, but he made a short homecoming in 1991 to address the University of Minnesota Alumni Association.
January 3, 2006 - MPR’s Marisa Helms reports on Chris Coleman being sworn in as the 45th mayor of St. Paul. In his first speech as mayor, Coleman emphasized the city's growing diversity and the need for citizen involvement and cooperation.
March 7, 2006 - MPR’s William Wilcoxen presents a remembrance of former Minnesota Twins star Kirby Puckett, who died at 45, after suffering a stroke at his home in Scottsdale, Arizona. As one of the most popular athletes in Minnesota history, Baseball Hall of Famer Puckett played a dozen years for the Minnesota Twins, leading the team to two World Series championships and winning over fans and teammates with his enthusiastic, fun-loving style of play.
March 13, 2006 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on pubic memorial for former Minnesota Twin and Baseball Hall of Famer Kirby Puckett. An estimated 15,000 people gathered inside the Metrodome for a tribute of the star baseball player, who was remembered both for his play on the field and love of life.