November 4, 2009 - As part of MPR News series “Stress-Testing the Recovery,” MPR’s Elizabeth Baier profiles Albert Lea, where the pain of the manufacturing slump is acute. The state's important manufacturing sector has lost nearly 43,000 jobs since the start of the recession -- more than any other major industry.
November 5, 2009 - As part of MPR News series “Stress-Testing the Recovery,” MPR’s Annie Baxter profiles Brainerd, where the unemployment rate catapulted to 21 percent earlier in 2009 -- the highest spike among Minnesota's large cities.
December 24, 2009 - MPR’s Annie Baxter profiles the Peterson family as they prepare for a holiday season after a job loss.
May 24, 2010 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on the lingering issues of high unemployment rate in Minnesota as the U.S. economy comes out of recession.
May 25, 2010 - MPR’s Annie Baxter reports on the negative impact that the economic downturn has had on various industries…and the hard choices it has left for those workers.
October 7, 2010 - MPR’s Jess Mador reports on former President Jimmy Carter’s visit to East St. Paul, where he emphasized the need for the government to assist communities devastated by foreclosure. The 86-year-old former president spent a day building homes in north Minneapolis with Habitat for Humanity, followed by next day where he helped repair homes in the Payne-Phalen neighborhood of East St. Paul.
November 18, 2011 - On this Midday program, MPR’s Gary Eichten talks with DFL Congressman Tim Walz. The two discuss the The congressional “supercommittee” efforts to cut the federal budget deficit by $1.2. Walz joined a bipartisan group urging the panel to "go big" and exceed the minimum target. During conversation, the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are addressed. Walz also answers listener questions.
February 27, 2012 - If the Asian business owners on University Avenue in St. Paul have their way, the future Western Avenue light-rail stop will be renamed "Little Mekong," after the river in Southeast Asia that runs through China, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. They launch their branding campaign this weekend. This is one of many requests that the Asian entrepreneurs say will help ensure their survival after the Central Corridor project is built. Past efforts to brand the area as "Asiatown," however, have been controversial, especially with the neighborhood's African-American community.
July 24, 2012 - A handful of small businesses along the path of a future light-rail line in St. Paul says construction on the project has led to damages on their property. A mosque reports that digging outside the building caused a foundation leak and flooded the basement, which still reeks of mold two months later. Outside a Hmong clothing chop, a heavy metal awning looks like it's about to fall off the wall. But Chicago-based general contractor Walsh Construction is denying responsibility for the damages, saying the problems predate construction. The Metropolitan Council, which is managing the project, says these disputes are between the property owners and the contractor, and that there's little the council can do.
September 27, 2012 - MPR’s Elizabeth Baier gives a summary report on first debate between DFL Congressman Tim Walz and his Republican challenger former State Representative Allan Quist as they battle for 1st Congressional District seat. The debate included some feisty exchanges between the candidates, who met in the town of Byron, just west of Rochester.