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The Monologue
Toni Halleen serenades us about life in Minnesota in July.

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The Governor LIVE
Governor Tim Pawlenty joins us live at the table for an update on gridlock at the Capitol.

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Legislative Leaders LIVE
All four leaders join us on the couch to talk about yesterday's meltdown and prospects for ending the partial state shutdown. Will Eric finally broker a deal live on the show? Tune in and see if we can get them to shake hands!

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Renegade Lawmakers
Republican House member Dan Dorman and DFL Sen. Ann Rest were part of group of lawmakers that proposed a compromise earlier this week to break the logjam. We'll talk with them about life at the legislature this year.

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Da Panel
This week's version analyzes the mammoth meltdown at the Capitol this week.

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The Monolog
Dr. Mark DePaolis touts the health benefits of walking.

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Is Today the Day?
Friday was another deadlock day at the capitol. As we went on the air Friday night there was no deal. We talked with House Minority Whip Rep. Tony Sertich and House Majority Leader Erik Paulsen.

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Check Your Sources
Out East there's a big legal fight over reporters and confidential sources. It's landed a prominent journalist in jail. We debate the issues from both sides. Attorney Paul Hannah will square off with Doug Kelley.

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A TV Dinner Conversation
J.G. Preston's TV tray dinner party guest this week is Star Tribune sportswriter John Millea.

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Weather with Paul
Minnesota is heating up... and the Gulf Coast is getting ready for menacing Dennis. Paul Douglas makes his monthly Almanac visit to chat up weather.

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Base Ball in Stillwater
Yes, spell that word baseball the 19th century way. We check in on the St. Croix Base Ball Club, a group that plays the game according to 1860 rules.

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More TV Dinner Conversation
With our guy J.G. Preston.

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A Political Panel
Why didn't the deal get done Friday afternoon? Democrats Wy Spano and Ember Reichgott Junge mix it up with Republicans Fritz Knaak and Brian Sullivan.

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The Wrapup
Two fine Minnesota history questions... your thoughts about the state shutdown... and a tune from the mass choir that sang at the State Capitol Centennial celebration on Monday.

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Governor Tim Pawlenty Live
It was a long, ugly special session but the governor says it was worth it. Hear him out.

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Mayor Rybak Hiring Police
That's what the Minneapolis Mayor announced Friday. The reason? Extra money from the state. We'll talk about it with him.

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A TV Dinner Guest
Former St. Paul Police Chief Bill Finney is J.G.'s dinner companion this week.

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Live Music
Courtesy of bluesman Charlie Parr of Duluth. He's appearing at the Marshall Field's Day of Music from noon Friday to noon Saturday. For more info go to: minnesotaorchestra.org/dayofmusic

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The Sheikh of Baghdad
Hear the remarkable rags to riches to rags story of an Iraqi-born wrestler whom Minnesotans know as Sheik Alkaissy. It's a life that has crossed paths with Andre the Giant and Saddam Hussein.

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More TV Dinner Chat
Bill Finney and and J.G. do round two.

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State Shutdown: A Different View
We examine the state shutdown from the perspective of a group of politicos who operate at arms length from the capitol. Mitch Pearlstein, David Lillehaug and Sean Kershaw are our guests.

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A Summertime Monolog
Jim Ragsdale feels the need for Minnesota to update our parade of summer festivals.

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Wild and Unleashed
NHL Hockey will be back this fall. On Friday the Minnesota Wild unveiled what it plans to do to win back fans. Team official Pam Wheelock joins us.

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Who is John Roberts?
And if confirmed what sort of Supreme Court justice would he be? We hear from two Supreme Court watchers: Guy Charles from the U of M Law School and St. Thomas Law School prof Patrick Schiltz.

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Alice the Great Horned Owl
It's been too long since we've had fur, fin or feathers on our show. We'll introduce you to Alice the Owl and a new state law going into effect August 1.

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Party Chairs
Minnesota two leading political parties voted in new party chairs this summer. You'll have a chance to meet 'em as we pair Republican Ron Carey with Democrat Brian Melendez.

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Ford Bell
Never heard of him? He announced Friday that he wants to be our state's U.S. Senator and run on next year's DFL ticket. We'll all find out what he has to say.

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Northwest's Bumpy Flight
Will the Twin Cities based airline go on strike next month? A group of folks are prepared to brief us: John Remington from the Carlson School of Management... Macalester College's Peter Rachleff... and Art Rolnick with the Federal Reserve Bank.

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The Wrapup
Yeah. It's been too long since we've had one. We have pent-up demand for our history questions, viewer comments and historic music clips (this week's music is courtesy of Ipso Facto).

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A Summertime Monolog
The new Harry Potter novel is the source of Dominic Papatola's monolog.

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A New State Employee Contract
The two sides reached agreement Friday. We'll hear from the state and from a union leader.

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Chief McManus
Minneapolis' police chief has been on the job a year now. Find out how he's doing.

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Get Out the TV Trays!
JG Preston will introduce you to Fran Corcoran who has spent the last three years walking down every city block in Minneapolis.

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Sports with Larry
Larry Fitzgerald Sr. stops by for his monthly Almanac sports chat. By day, Larry writes for the Minnesota Spokesman newspaper.

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National Night Out
It's next Tuesday and once again Minneapolis will vie for the number one slot in the nation for citizen turnout. What's the Mill City's secret?

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More TV Dinner Conversation
By the way, JG is eating microwaveable hamburgers and our guest is having a salad in a bag.

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Young Photographers
See a group of talented young photographers who spent their summer aiming their cameras on neighborhoods in Saint Paul. It's all part of the Artworks program at Compas. The photos the students took can be seen through August 18th at the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul.

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Smoke 'em if You Got 'em
Smoking bans were all the rage a few months back but now some politicians are changing their minds. We'll bring you a lively debate.

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The Wrapup
It's Eric's turn to stand next to the big TV and deliver this week's Index File Questions and other tomfoolery.

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The Monolog
J.G. has more garage sales than most of us do.

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Minnesota Vets Fund
The ambitious goal is to raise millions of dollars to give to Minnesotans who have served in combat since 9-11. Find out the details from the organizer of the effort... business leader Eugene Sit. Learn more at the project website: www.thankmntroops.org

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Hearing the Call of the Wild
Meet researchers from the International Wolf Research Center who have just returned from the Arctic. David Mech and Walter Medwid show off their digital photos.

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TV Dinner Companion
Noted epidemiologist Mike Osterholm sits down in the comfy chair next to the TV tray.

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Pride of Minnesota: Backstage
Find out what makes the U of M Marching Band sound so fine. We give you a sneak peek of the TPT documentary that will air Thursday August 11 at 7pm on TPT2.

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Your Capitol Photos
We asked you to share your family photos taken in front of the State Capitol. It's an effort led by Almanac editor Jerry Lakso. Take a look at what Jerry put together.

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More TV Dinner Chat
J.G. Preston and Mike Osterholm take up when they left off.

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Judicial Elections
There was a big federal court ruling this week that means judges in our state can campaign for office just like politicians do. We'll bring you a debate. Our guests are Greg Wersal, Karen Cole and David Schultz.

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The Wrapup
Two state history questions (including the unique trait of the 1960 Gopher national champion football team), your thoughts, and then some show-ending music by Irish singer Liam Clancy.

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Lobbyist Coffers Full
Minnesota ranks fourth in terms of lobbying dollars spent at our state legislature. David Schultz from Hamline University checks out the numbers for us. And lobbyist Sarah Janecek joins the discussion for a different perspective.

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Weather Cool Down
Paul Douglas stops by for his monthly Almanac weather chat and gives us the lowdown on this weekend's low temps.

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Gearoid O hAllmhurain
That's the name of a performer at Irish Fair of Minnesota this weekend on Harriet Island in St. Paul. Gearoid is musician and a professor of music. He'll talk with J.G. Preston and then sing for us.

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Pledge!
Yes, it's that time of again. Support Almanac by becoming a member.

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Barn Bluff
Learn all about this classic Red Wing landmark in a clip from our upcoming Almanac Hands-on History special: Exploring Red Wing. Our Mary Lahammer learns the ropes from Red Wing historian Fred Johnson.

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Point Oh Eight
We have a new DWI law in our state and some aren't happy with how it might be enforced. We have a lively debate for you.

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The Wrapup
Minnesota history... your thoughts... and another show-ending tune by Gearoid O hAllmhurain.

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The Monolog
It's Jim Ragsdale's turn to stand next to the big monitor. Traffic is on his mind.

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Latest on Northwest Airlines
Will there be a strike late Friday night? We'll bring you the latest. U of M Carlson School professor Rajesh Aggarwal is our guest.

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Senator Coleman
We like to check in from time to time with our U.S. Senators and it's Norm Coleman's turn to sit down at the Almanac table. We'll talk NWA... Iraq... Stem Cells... and John Roberts.

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A First Lady TV Dinner Chat
Yes First Lady Mary Pawlenty has agreed to sit down with our J.G. Preston and eat a TV Dinner.

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New Habitat Head
The new president of Habitat for Humanity International is a Minnesota pastor. Meet Jonathan Reckford.

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Gedney Pickles Turn 125!
Yes, it's the Minnesota pickle. And the company has 125 pickle recipes it wants to share. Check out the pickle recipes online: http://www.gedneypickle.com/picklicious.cfm

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Red Wing Hands-on History
We'll show you a clip from a TPT history special that will this October. In it our Mary Lahammer meets up with Goodhue County historian Char Henn. The topic of their conversation? Red Wing pottery

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More TV Dinner Chat
Visit number two with First Lady Mary Pawlenty.

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Big Education Doings
Students are ready to head back to the classroom... a perfect time to assemble a group of educators and find out what issues await teachers and parents. Especially the state's new QComp program. Among our guests is Education Commissioner Alice Seagren.

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The Wrapup
History questions... your entertaining viewer comments... and show-ending music by the Underbeats

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A Medical Monologue
Dr. Mark DePaolis makes his annual TV trek to the Minnesota State Fair.

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Northwest Check-in
What kind of week did the airline really have? Which side in the strike gained leverage? We hear from John Budd from the Carlson School of Management.

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See Ya At the Fair!
Minnesotans have been giving politicians an earful this week at the Great Minnesota Get Together. Our Mary Lahammer was there and listened in.

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A TV Dinner Conversation
JG Preston continues his summertime series of informal chats by the TV trays. This week his guest is Minnesota Twins President Dave St. Peter (who will be eating a fine boneless grilled chicken entree).

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Twin Cities Album: A Visual History
It's a new book from the Minnesota Historical Society Press. Author Dave Kenney is our guest and we've asked him to pick his 10 favorite images from the book... and to be ready to talk about them.

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Stillwater Caves
Watch an excerpt from our new TV series "Almanac Hands-on History" as we explore Stillwater. This special will air the evening of October 19 here on tpt2.

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More TV Dinner Chat
With Dave St. Peter of the Minnesota Twins.

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Obesity
America is large and getting larger. Americans snack more and exercise less and it's costing all Americans more health care dollars. Dr. Donald Hensrud from the Mayo Clinic studies nutrition and obesity. He's the editor of the new book "Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight for EveryBody".

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A Different Political Panel
Two well-known bloggers join the political panel this week. John Hinderaker (powerlineblog.com) and Chris Dykstra (newpatriot.org) join Sarah Janecek and Ember Reichgott Junge on the couch.

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The Wrapup
Think you know the answer to the Index File question? Call us at 651-229-1430. And then listen to our show-ending music by Ann Reed.

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A Message From J.G. Preston
And this time he's not pulling our leg.

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Katrina's Wrath
We learn about an interesting effort here in Minnesota to aid in the Katrina cleanup. Rev. Richard Coleman is working with his group "Kingdom Oil" to link African-American churches from our region with Black churches in the areas hit by Katrina.

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Senate Candidates Get Together at the Great Minnesota Get Together
Mary Lahammer made it her mission this week to catch up with as many Senate wannabes as she could get her hands on at the State Fair.

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TV Dinner Conversation
It's the last one of the summer. J.G. Preston sits down with singer/performer Jearlyn Steele. She's going to eat chicken. J.G. has a fine enchilada TV dinner.

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Labor Check-in
This Labor Day weekend we examine the great split in the American labor movement. The head of the Minnesota AFL-CIO sits down with a local president from one of the breakaway unions... Shane Allers from Local 284 of the Service Employees International Union.

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Raise that Baton!
The Minnesota Orchestra has its first concert of the season later this month. We check in with the Orchestra's President and then we are treated by music from a quartet of orchestra musicians.

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Archiving Memory
It's an intriguing exhibit at the U of M's Elmer L. Andersen Library. Almanac videographer Butch Bowring gives us a guided tour of the exhibit that is up through September.

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More TV Dinner Chatting
With J.G. and Jearlyn.

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Potlatch's Big Forest Certification
What does it mean to be a "certified" forest? We'll hear from the first major American forestry company to have all its forest lands certified... and we'll hear from environmentalists happy about it.

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A Monolog
Katrina is on the minds of most Americans... including Jim Ragsdale.

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Northwest Talks
The mechanics union and the airline sat down at the table Friday. But with or without a deal is Northwest Airlines headed towards bankruptcy? And what would that mean? We hear again from U of M Carlson School bankruptcy expert Rajesh Aggarwal.

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JG and Mary
After 20 years, this is J.G. Preston's final Almanac. Mary Lahammer takes her turn chatting with him and shows some of his highlights over the years.

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Surviving New Orleans
Mary Lahammer introduces you to two families who have made it up to Minnesota from New Orleans.

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Emergency Response Time
Hugh Parmer of the Minneapolis-based American Refugee Committee was called to Washington this week to be a consultant to FEMA. He talks about the organizational challenges of housing refugees.

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JG and Eric
Did you know that J.G. was responsible for Eric's "big break" on Almanac? Listen to the two talk Almanac history and then watch some clips of J.G.'s most memorable stunts on the air over the years.

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Big Germs in the Big Easy
Bacteria from the flooding killed Katrina survivors this week. What other health dangers lurk in the murky waters of New Orleans? State Epidemiologist Harry Hull lends his expertise.

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JG and Cathy
It's now Cathy's turn to chat with J.G. They talk about working together in radio... and then unveil clips from the four times that J.G. has sung on Almanac. Don't say we didn't warn you.

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A Week's Political Panel
The panelists chat up local, national, and state politics. Republicans David Strom and Fritz Knaak sit opposite Democrats Dee Long and Ted Mondale.

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The Wrapup
For the first time in Almanac history a non-host delivers the Index File questions. That's all I'm going to say.

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A Monolog of the Week
Dominic Pappatola is the author and presenter.

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Northwest's Bankruptcy Blues
Rajesh Aggarwal knows bankruptcy. That's his specialty at the U of M's Carlson School. Professor Aggarwal pays a return visit to talk about this week's startling news from Northwest.

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Greens Grow
Green candidates for Mayor came in strong thirds in both Minneapolis and St. Paul elections this week. We ask Elizabeth Dickinson and Farheen Hakeem what their political futures are.

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Kate DiCamillo
The Newbery Award winning author has written a new book... and it's a departure from her previous kiddie lit efforts. Kate sits down with Cathy and Eric to chat about "Mercy Watson to the Rescue."

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The Pattersons of Red Wing
Mary Lahammer brings us the story of a historical family reunion this weekend in Red Wing... a story that sheds light on our region's early African-American history.

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Hockey Returns to Minnesota
After a season cancelled because of labor disputes, the National Hockey League is back. Wayne Peterson, head of promotions for The Minnesota Wild, stops by to talk about the upcoming season.

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Zebulon Pike
No he was not a great explorer... not even a great military mind... but two hundred years ago this month Pike came up the Mississippi and selected the site of Fort Snelling. David Wiggins of the National Park Service talks about Pike, warts and all.

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Katrina Lessons
We assemble four folks who think a LOT about Minnesota's preparedness for a catastrophe. What have we learned from the Gulf Hurricane?

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The Wrapup
Our weekly dose of Minnesota history... your thoughts... and a sneak preview of the SPCO concert that tpt will air next Wednesday evening.

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A Monolog
Dr. Mark DePaolis brings water and soap into the studio.

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Viking Stadium Fight
Hear from a leading proponent and a leading critic of this week's announcement of a plan for a new Viking stadium in Anoka County. Stadium backer Steve Novak debates opponent John Marty.

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Expensive New Bridges
How much is it worth to you to have new highway bridges look nice? Our Mary Lahammer uncovers the story about the millions of dollars that Minnesota is spending on upgrading the look of highway overpasses.

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Katrina, Katrina
And now Rita too. What's the economic impact in the Upper Midwest of all the storms in the Gulf? State Economist Tom Stinson is our guest.

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Kelly Doran Round Two
Doran switched races this week setting his eyes on the Governor's office, find out why.

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No Direction Home
We bring you a clip of the new Martin Scorsese documentary about Bob Dylan that airs next Monday night on a PBS station near you.

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Sports with Larry Fitzgerald
Are the Vikes in as much trouble as they appear to be? And will Minnesotans ever jump on the Gopher Football bandwagon? And what exactly is a bandwagon?

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A Political Panel
Stadium talk... special session whispers... and Supreme Court nominee news. A good week for an Almanac political panel. Democrats Ember Reichgott Junge and Mike Erlandson meet their match in Republicans Sarah Janecek and Brian Sullivan.

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The Wrapup
Two great history questions (Who WAS the Gopher running back who led the nation in rushing?), your thoughts about last week's show and some show-ending music from the vaults by Spider John Koerner.

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The Almanac Monologue
The whole Dayton's/Field's/Macy's affair has Toni Halleen mad enough to.... sing.

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Natural Gas Hikes
It's going to be a tough winter for natural gas prices... find out more from Edward Garvey with the State Commerce Department.

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Meet Thom Fladung
The first thing we'll tell you about the new editor of the Pioneer Press is that he pronounces his name "Flatting." Learn more by tuning in our interview.

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Wet and Warm and Stormy
That sums up the September just past. Paul Douglass drops by for his monthly Almanac weather chat. He summarizes September and gives a fall weather forecast.

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Annbjorg Lien Live!
This the most famous traditional fiddle player in Norway. And this weekend she performs at the Cedar Cultural Center's annual Nordic Fest. Annbjorg is performing at the Cedar Center Saturday afternoon October 1. Find out more info at http://www.thecedar.org/sept05/nordic.html

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Property Tax Primer
Why are they going up around the region? Tax Answer man Bob DeBoer from the Citizens League is our guest.

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Gov. Announces New Chief of Staff
Gov. Pawlenty announced that Chief of staff, Dan McElroy, is being transferred to a new cabinet-level position where he will oversee government reform efforts. State Sen. David Gaither will be the new Chief of Staff. Mary Lahammer reports on the change and interviews previous Chief of Staffs to Minnesota Governors.

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Gas Law Revisit
We'll fill you up with knowledge about a little-known Minnesota law that causes higher gas prices here in hopes of saving family-owned gas stations. State Senator Steve Murphy debates fellow Senator Mike McGinn.

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The Wrapup
Who is the only Gopher running back to lead the nation in rushing? And what did you think of Mary Lahammer's report last week about the cost of making highway bridges look nicer? Plus another live tune by Annbjorg Lien.

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