August 29, 2006 - Minneapolis Leslie Bell visits the Miracle of Birth Center where you can see all sorts of farm animals giving birth…including sheep.
August 28, 2006 - It was a bit rainy this morning at the Minnesota State Fair, so Minneapolis poet Leslie Ball headed inside, where she got a demonstration of a trade from the past; that of woodworking.
July 21, 2006 - Tensions are growing in the Horn of Africa, today, as Ethiopian troops entered Somalia and started moving towards the country's capital. Somalia's top Islamic leader called for a holy war against Ethiopia to drive the troops out. The "Coalition of Islamic Courts" is Somalia's most powerful military group and it is credited for bringing stability to parts of the country formerly dominated by warlords. But the Islamic courts are at odds with Somalia's internationally-recognized transitional government, which has less military power but a close relationship with Ethiopia. Minnesota has the largest population of Somalis in the United States, so the effects are felt here.
June 21, 2006 -
May 30, 2006 - Pelican Rapids is still basically a farming community. But a decade-and-a-half of immigration has changed the town a lot. That's not just clear on Main Street - drive a few miles out of town, and life is even different on the farm. Producer Jeff Jones gives us one example.
April 24, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Crann talks with Duluth’s Poet Laurete Bart Sutter, who talks about his role. Sutter also shares a poem on his city.
March 29, 2006 - And now the views of one of Minnesota's U.S. Senators who will vote on immigration reform legislation in coming days. Democrat Mark Dayton says he's in favor of the bill approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee on Monday. It would provide a way for undocumented immigrants to eventually become U.S. citizens. They'd first have to undergo a background check, learn english and pay a $2,000 fine. It also creates a type of guest worker program favored by President Bush, but the plan faces opposition from many of Bush's fellow Republicans, including leaders of both the House and Senate. That opposition makes the bill's future uncertain and is sure to make for heated debate on the Senate floor. Dayton says he thinks the committee's proposal is the most practical solution.
January 3, 2006 - Local police and sheriff's offices would get some extra responsibilities under the governor's proposal. Brian Schlueter is the Sheriff of Otter Tail County, where a recent murder case underscored his frustration with undocumented, or "improperly documented" immigrants.
December 13, 2005 - As congress moves into its last week in session, representatives in the senate and house have two things on their minds: taxes and immigration. MPR's Tom Crann examines the different sides of the debate.
December 12, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Emerson College literature professor Daniel Tobin about Eugene McCarthy’s poetry.