May 21, 1980 - MPR’s Dan Olson reports on opening of first American Indian Opportunities Industrialization Center scheduled to open in Minneapolis. Olson interviews Clyde Bellecourt, former American Indian movement activist and one of the founders of the Indian-controlled survival schools in the Twin Cities.
June 4, 1980 - A Minnesota health department official comments on Swedish potato sausage that was mistakenly prepared with extreme amounts of sodium nitrate and that ingestion may create health risks.
July 15, 1980 - MPR’s Tom Meersman reports on English as a Second Language (ESL) school programs in the Twin Cities. Teachers work with refugee students from varied background languages, including Hmong, Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, and Vietnamese.
July 16, 1980 - June Zeitlin, director of the Department of Health and Human Services' office on domestic violence, discusses partner and family abuse.
July 19, 1980 - MPR’s Rich Dietman interviews Fred Steiner, MPR’s music host/announcer, who just returned from a trip to the People's Republic of China with the University of Minnesota marching band. Steiner reflects on the experience, and answers listener questions.
July 29, 1980 - On this special edition of Communique, Vice President Walter Mondale discusses his recent trip to Africa, including his meetings with African leaders and discussions of such issues as South Africa.
July 30, 1980 - MPR’s Nancy Fushan talks with Thomas Sanchez, a California writer. Sanchez discusses language, writing and visual arts. Sanchez’s works include "Rabbit Boss", tracing the development of an Indian family from the 1850s to the Eisenhower Era; "The Zoot Suit Murders", a story of love and suspense amid the racial strife of Los Angeles in the 1940s; and a fictionalized account of the 1970s Wounded Knee conflict based on his real-life experiences as a supply-runner at Pine Ridge. Sanchez has been turning back to works of another era - the 50s Beat Generation. He’s traveled around the country reading to blues music poetry by Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Neal Cassady. Program opens with Sanchez performing a reading at the Walker Art Center. Also, on hand was pianist Butch Thompson.
August 1, 1980 - MPR’s Tom Meersman interviews Minnesota delegates to the 1980 National Democratic Convention and finds the decision of nominee is not the battleground…the platform is.
August 14, 1980 - University of Minnesota professor Arthur Harkins discusses his recent trip to the Global Conference on the Future.
August 20, 1980 - MPR’s Tom Meersman profiles some of the operations that take place at the Minnesota State Fair, including safety and commerce.