February 4, 2002 - Mee Moua, a Hmong woman in St. Paul, makes history when she's sworn in as the nation's first Hmong legislator. The Southeast Asian hill tribe people started arriving in the U.S. more than 20 years ago. Yet, for many Hmong, their true date of arrival in this country starts with this political moment.
January 23, 2002 - Word of Mouth host Chris Roberts talks with members of the local band Kangaroo. The group boasts three teachers and one playwright in its ranks. They discuss the desire to create happiness in their music. Segment includes music clips.
January 16, 2002 - Mee Moua comments on her who hope to become the first Hmong person ever elected to a Minnesota state legislature.
January 1, 2002 - An American RadioWorks/Minnesota Public Radio/NPR News documentary project titled “Massacre at Cuska,” which looks into a mass killing during Kosovo War and it’s aftermath. In 1999, Serb death squads attacked the Albanian village of Cuska, and within hours, left 41 unarmed civilians dead.
December 28, 2001 - It's time for potica! Up on the Iron Range, the pastry called potica is a holiday treat. Eastern European grandmothers have made it for generations. But it's hard work, and not many people make it at home anymore. A few bakeries still make potica by hand, the way the grandmothers used to. Mainstreet Radio’ Chris Julin visited Andrej's European Pastry, one of those bakeries, in the town of Chisholm.
December 27, 2001 - MPR's Tom Scheck reports on possible impact of Minnesota Twins leaving the state. Most experts say only a new stadium will prevent the loss of the team. Observers say if Major League Baseball moves ahead with its contraction plans and cuts the Twins before next season, the Twin Cities reputation as a major league city sports location would be in jeopardy. However, economists say the fallout from the loss of the team would be more psychological than economic.
December 24, 2001 - MPR’s Mark Steil reports that wind turbines are becoming a more popular scene in the country because farmers are harvesting the wind for electricity. Steil interviews numerous individuals about this creative use of farmland.
December 20, 2001 - Mainstreet Radios Bob Reha reports on 40 of Sudan's “Lost Boys” that now call Fargo home. They are refugees from years of civil war plaguing their North African country. An estimated two million people have died in the conflict. The Fargo Lost Boys trekked from Sudan through Ethiopia to Kenya. They now are facing the challenges of adapting to a new culture, all while dreaming of returning home.
December 13, 2001 - As part of Mainstreet Radio’s “Our Town” project, Chris Julin profiles the Olsons, a family who have found “home” in the small town of Moose Lake.
November 29, 2001 - Major League Baseball owners say they plan to move ahead with contraction and the fate of the Minnesota Twins is still unclear. The Twins are a big story in the Twin Cities, but we wondered how the baseball saga is playing in Fargo. Mainstreet Radio's Dan Gunderson hit the streets to find out.