November 10, 1989 - As part of the Mainstreet Radio series “Rural Health Care,” John Biewen reports from Mankato’s Immanuel Saint Joseph's Hospital, a regional hospital that is used as a resource to surrounding rural communities without local hospital specialty options. Biewen also looks at Mankato physicians traveling into rural areas.
November 7, 1989 - As part of the Mainstreet Radio series “Rural Health Care,” John Biewen looks at the struggle to get doctors in rural Minnesota. Biewen interviews numerous medical professionals about the issue.
September 8, 1989 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen presents the documentary “Dancing on Beat: Portrait of a Reservation Family,” which follows the daily life of an Ojibwe family on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota. Following documentary, Midday’s Bob Potter interviews Mike Bongo, director of American Indian OIC in Minneapolis, about his thoughts about documentary.
September 8, 1989 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen presents the documentary “Dancing on Beat: Portrait of a Reservation Family,” which follows the daily life of an Ojibwe family on the Leech Lake Indian Reservation in northern Minnesota.
March 1, 1989 - MPR’s John Biewen visits Melvin McCosh’s “House of Books.” The longtime Minnesota bookseller hosts a book sale twice a year at his 42-room home, which is literally rooms full of books for shoppers to peruse.
February 10, 1989 - On this Midday program, a presentation of a Mainstreet Radio documentary on rural homelessness. There are people in rural Minnesota who can't afford to put a roof over their heads and advocates for the poor say rural homelessness is a growing problem.
January 12, 1989 - Midday presents a special Mainstreet Radio documentary on religion in Minnesota, entitled “Articles of Faith.” Highlighted are a Central Minnesota German Catholic community in Pierz-Lastrup, Mennonites in Mountain Lake, a Jewish family in Fergus Falls, and a non-believer who nevertheless attends a small town church.
October 17, 1988 - Midday presents a special Mainstreet Radio documentary, entitled “Migrant Farm Workers.” The documentary profiles migrant farm workers in St. James who came to Minnesota, and wound up staying here. Following the documentary, Jose Trejo, executive director of the Spanish Speaking Affairs Council, answers listener questions about issues facing Hispanics in Minnesota.
April 27, 1988 - As part of a Mainstreet Radio series on rural education, John Biewen reports on Norman County West, a school created out of the combination of Halsted and Hendrum-Perley schools.
February 8, 1988 - Mainstreet Radio’s John Biewen follows along doctor Alan Fleischmann in Caledonia, a town in southeastern Minnesota. Fleischmann practices small town medicine and makes house calls, something many in community feel are all too important.