December 31, 1984 - Nancy Amidei, director of the Food Resources Action Coalition, speaking to a Twin Cities forum sponsored by the Mayor's Task Force on Food Policy in Saint Paul. Amidei’s address was titled "The Politics of Food." Focus of speech was on the poor and hunger. Afterwards, there were follow-up responses by Cy Carpenter and Ruth Ann Wefald.
January 15, 1985 - MPR’s Fred de Sam Lazaro reports on efforts by banker Carl Pohlad, the new Minnesota Twins owner, to promote the baseball team across the state. The winter tour push is to get excitement for club and fans into the ballpark for the 1985 season.
January 16, 1985 - MPR Special coverage of Don Fraser giving the State of the City address at the Lutheran Brotherhood Auditorium in downtown Minneapolis.
February 11, 1985 - Dave Durenberger, Minnesota U.S. senator (I-R), speaking at Minnesota Press Club. Durenberger shared his views on the deficit. Following speech, Durenberger answered audience questions.
February 18, 1985 - MPR’s Mark Heistad presents an MPR documentary, titled "When Farmers Took a Holiday." Little more than a half century ago Midwestern farmers staged a revolt against the Depression era farm crisis. This documentary reexamines the Farmer's Holiday Association movement through stories of farmers, political figures, bankers, and others.
March 1, 1985 - Ron Dellums, chair of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Military Installations and Facilities, speaking at Minnesota Meeting. Dellums address was titled "1985: The Struggle for Peace and Justice Continues." Dellums speaks on immense expense of national defense budget while minority and the poor struggle in country. Minnesota Meeting is a non-profit corporation which hosts a wide range of public speakers. It is managed by the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota.
March 14, 1985 - Geraldine Ferraro speaking at the Carlson Lecture series at the University of Minnesota. Ferraro’s address was titled, "Reflections on the Past and Prospects for the Future." Ferraro spoke of the state of women's changing rights and roles in society. Program begins with brief report from MPR’s Dan Olson.
April 2, 1985 - G. Gordon Liddy, former Watergate conspirator, speaking to students at St. Olaf College. In address, Liddy discusses his career in espionage, his involvement in Watergate and his opinion of prisons in this country. Watergate continues to fascinate many of us and one of the most intriguing figures in that drama was G. Gordon Liddy. Liddy refused to discuss the Watergate conspiracy with prosecutors or congressional investigators and was sent to prison for his refusal to cooperate. Liddy spent five years in nine different prisons for his role in Watergate until his sentence was commuted by former president Jimmy Carter.
April 11, 1985 - In a lecture at the University of Minnesota on April 3, 1985, linguistics pioneer Noam Chomsky looks at critics of American policies in an historical perspective and determines that even the harshest of critics operate within narrow constraints set by the government. Dr. Chomsky’s lecture is entitled "The Manufacture of Consent."
April 15, 1985 - The Rev. Jesse Jackson speaking to nearly 4,000 spectators April 1, 1985 at Halenbeck Hall. Jackson was touring the state to rally Minnesota farmers. He spoke about the farming crisis, the federal deficit, defense spending and education. Jackson said urban dwellers and rural farmers must unite for economic justice. Jackson came to Central Minnesota to appear at a rally in support of Starbuck farmer Jim Langman. A foreclosure sale on Langman's farm was set to be held in Glenwood that day, but when the mortgage carrier, Travelers Insurance Company, heard of the impending rally, it called the sale off.