October 31, 2006 - Midday presents a broadcast of KSMQ 1st District debate between incumbent Republican candidate Gil Gutknecht and DFL candidate Tim Walz. Gutknecht and Walz sparred over issues ranging from the Iraq war to the controversial DM&E railroad extension that would run through Rochester.
October 25, 2006 - MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports on a tighter than expected race in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. Incumbent Republican candidate Gil Gutknecht is finding a strong opponent in DFL candidate Tim Walz.
October 4, 2006 - MPR’s Sea Stachura reports on the race in Minnesota's 1st Congressional District. The contest features two very different candidates…incumbent Republican Gil Gutknecht faces DFL challenger Tim Walz. Renewable energy, Iraq war, taxes, budget spending, and healthcare are topics of debate between the two candidates.
August 23, 2006 - American RadioWorks and Marketplace present the documentary “Rebuilding Biloxi: One Year after Katrina.” Hurricane Katrina devastated the lives of thousands of Mississippi Gulf Coast residents. Rebuilding Biloxi tells the stories of several families in the coastal community of Biloxi, MS, and their struggle to survive and then recover from the storm.
June 7, 2006 - MPR’s Perry Finelli interviews local poet who is a part of this year’s Poets on the Buses metro event. Poet reads a poem she will be performing.
June 6, 2006 - There's a piece of paradise in northeastern Minnesota. It's called the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCA). Admirers credit the book "The Singing Wilderness," published in 1956, as part of the inspiration for creating the wilderness area; and they credit author Sigurd Olson for putting into words the reasons humans need wilderness. However, his views inflamed critics who feared Olson and other wilderness advocates worried more about habitat than humans.
May 22, 2006 - MPR's Tom Scheck examines why the Minnesota Twins were finally successful in getting a new ballpark, after being told no so many times. The legislation authorizes public financing for most of the half-billion dollar cost of the stadium in downtown Minneapolis. The House and Senate passed the bill and Pawlenty says he intends to sign it.
May 19, 2006 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on the opening of new Minneapolis Central Library. Visitors to the five story, 365,000 square foot building will likely first notice its eye-grabbing architecture - complete with a 90-ton structure that looks like an airplane wing resting on top. Inside patrons will have access to more than three million books and other reference materials as well as an art gallery, nearly 300 public computers and special sections for young library people and immigrants.
April 28, 2006 - MPR's Marisa Helms reports on Neighborhood House, a St. Paul community center providing services for the growing numbers of immigrants and refugees in the metro area. Neighborhood House is celebrating the grand opening of its new building in St. Paul, which is named after Paul and Sheila Wellstone.
March 6, 2006 - Former Minnesota Twin Kirby Puckett is listed in critical condition in an Arizona hospital after suffering a stroke. For fans and former teammates of the Hall of Fame outfielder, the news was received with shock and sadness.