April 28, 2008 - One of Minnesota's best-known novelists, Louise Erdrich, discusses her book “A Plague of Doves,” a story that weaves together the murder of a family, a lynching of men innocent of the crime, and the tangled relationships of Ojibwe and whites living around the dying town of Pluto, North Dakota.
March 20, 2008 - MPR’s Kerri Miller interviews multiple education experts on the rise of tuition and how that is also affecting endowments. While college tuition continues to rise, a record 76 colleges and universities have achieved endowments of $1 billion or more. Some members of Congress are putting more scrutiny on those endowments, and asking whether schools should use their endowment money to moderate tuition increases.
January 17, 2008 - Midmorning’s Kerri Miller speaks with Minnesota lawmakers Tim Walz and Michele Bachmann, who both spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq this winter, surveying Minnesota's role in war. Walz and Bachmann share their different experiences and takeaways.
October 19, 2007 - On this Midmorning program, MPR’s Kerri Miller talks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak about the politics of the funding and design of the I-35W bridge replacement. He also talks about the new settlement on reducing airport noise for some homeowners, one that took years to achieve, and answers listener questions.
October 16, 2007 - MPR Midmorning host Kerri Miller sits down with the author Maya Angelou in Bloomington. Angelou says writing to be understood isn't easy.
October 1, 2007 - The state has picked a team to design and build the new Interstate 35W bridge, but the politicians are still wrangling over how it's going to be paid for. Meanwhile, some state legislators are calling for major changes at the state Department of Transportation. Midmorning looks at bridge progress.
August 15, 2007 - The public will have a chance to weigh in on the preliminary bridge design at hearings this week. But some think this is too late to have a real impact on what the bridge will look like, or to make changes such as where the light rail line will be.
August 14, 2007 - As the Minnesota Department of Transportation moves ahead with rebuilding the I-35W bridge, some are asking about making a place for a memorial at the site of the collapse. Midmorning discusses the challenge of creating a public memorial and commemorating victims meaningfully.
August 13, 2007 - It's unlikely the next bridge will resemble the I-35W bridge that failed. Midmorning talks with bridge design experts about what new bridges are made of and how they're constructed.
August 9, 2007 - On this Midmorning program, MPR’s Kerri Miller talks with Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak, who reflects on the response to the I-35W bridge collapse, and the area's struggle to return to normal life. Rybak also answers listener questions.