May 9, 2001 - Live coverage of His Holiness the Dalai Lama's address as part of the Distinguished Carlson Lecture Series at Northrop Auditorium. Following the speech and audience questions, MPR host Dan Olson speaks with three guests: Hamline University Religion Professor Mark Berkson, St. John's University Asian History Professor Richard Bohr, and local Tibetan leader Wangyal Ritzekura.
May 10, 2001 - Second Hour: A speech by author Ernest Gaines. He wrote A Lesson Before Dying. He spoke at the Hennepin County. Tapes are available through the Hennepin County Library Foundation.
May 17, 2001 - MPR’s Michael Khoo reports that it's unrealistic to expect the House and Senate to be settled on big bill items by June 30th. Governor Ventura said that he is not going to bail them out by allowing for a special session.
May 29, 2001 - The final Pen Pals lecture series featuring Wisconsin author Jane Hamilton. Two of her books The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World were Oprah books.
June 5, 2001 - MPR's William Wilcoxen reports on The Minnesota Twins making St. Paul's Joe Mauer the first pick in Major League Baseball's 2001 draft of amateur players. Mauer is a three-sport star at Cretin-Derham Hall High School, who is ranked among the best athletes the Twin Cities have ever produced.
June 8, 2001 - Walter Mondale's tribute to his mentor Hubert Humphrey from the ongoing 50 Years: Mondale Lectures on Public Service, held at the University of Minnesota. Program also includes speeches from Harry Davis, civil rights leader and former Minneapolis School Board member; and Norman Sherman, Hubert Humphrey’s former press secretary.
July 6, 2001 - Garrison Keillor delivered a eulogy for guitar player Chet Atkins, who died earlier this week.
July 10, 2001 - The national convention of the Communications Workers of America wrapped up today in Minneapolis. The union's 2,300 delegates heard AFL-CIO president John Sweeney and others talk about the importance of expanding union membership in Minnesota and nationwide.
July 20, 2001 - A favorite speech for the summer by author Rebecca Wells. Wells is the author of Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood and Little Altars Everywhere. She visited the Twin Series during the 2000-2001 season of the Hennepin County Library Foundation's Pen Pals Lecture Series.
August 16, 2001 - MPR’s Brandt Williams reports on Minneapolis mayoral debate hosted by TPT. Report includes audio clips from the debate. Candidates were incumbent Minneapolis Mayor Sharon Sayles Belton and challengers R.T. Rybak, Lisa McDonald, and Mark Stenglein.