Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pawlenty takes oath for second term
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty's second term will be considerably different than his first. Both chambers of the Legislature are now controlled by Democrats.5:19 p.m.
• Role reversal in AG's office; Hatch to work for Swanson
  On the day that Lori Swanson was sworn in as Minnesota's 29th attorney general, her predecessor Mike Hatch announced he's staying on to work for her.5:23 p.m.
• Property tax relief is front and center at Capitol
  Gov. Pawlenty and legislative leaders say a shared priority for the 2007 session is to provide homeowners some relief from rising property taxes.5:50 p.m.
• Traffic deaths drop three years in a row
  2006 was the safest in nearly 60 years on Minnesota's roads and highways. Preliminary figures show 475 people died in traffic accidents last year, a 12 percent decrease from the year before and the lowest number since 1945. State Patrol Chief Mark Dunaski spoke with MPR's Tom Crann about the good year in traffic safety.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• China Set to Institute Tighter Adoption Rules
  Michele Norris talks with Cory Barron of Children's Hope International, an adoption agency based in St. Louis, about the new adoption rules that China is expected to implement on May 1, 2007.
• President Ford Eulogized in National Cathedral
  At events in Washington, D.C., and Grand Rapids, Mich., the nation remembers former President Gerald R. Ford, who died last week at the age of 93. Pam Fessler provides an overview of the day's events in Washington, and we hear details of the funeral service at the National Cathedral from Melissa Block.
• Threatened in Iraq, Professors Open School in Syria
  The faculty is Iraqi -- the best and brightest from universities in Baghdad, Mosul and Basra. They led their departments, in medicine, dentistry, computer sciences. But they were targets for assassination, so they packed up and headed for a new life in Syria. Iraq's loss is Syria's gain.
• For Iraqi Expatriate, Divisions Come Hard
  Michele Norris talks with University of Maryland electrical engineering professor Shihab Shamma, an Iraqi expatriate whom we first spoke with at a Maryland polling station during Iraq's 2005 elections. Shamma grew up in Baghdad, and has relatives in Iraq. He says most people he talks to back home are sad but hopeful.
• Under New Peace, Somalis Flood Gun Market
  Many Somalis are getting rid of their weapons, as requested by the recently re-empowered transitional leadership. But they appear not to be dropping their AK-47s and assault rifles off at government-designated collection points. Instead, they're trying to cash in on their guns in the open market, where weapons are going at bargain-basement prices. Much of the nation's warfare has been fought along clan lines, with clan warlords leading separate militias. Even if much of Somalia's weaponry is taken off the streets, the new leadership still will have to negotiate a tricky maze of clan loyalties in order to pacify the nation.
• Mass. Votes to Allow Gay-Marriage Ban Proposal
  It could be up to voters in Massachusetts to define marriage. Lawmakers there have voted to allow a proposed amendment banning gay marriage to proceed. Massachusetts is the only state where gay marriage is currently legal. Michele Norris talks with Martha Bebinger.
• Boise's Broncos Buck 'Minor Conference' Moniker
  The Fiesta Bowl of New Year's Day had a little of everything: Upstart Boise State beat powerful Oklahoma; the game went to overtime after a flurry of late scoring; and after the game, a Boise State player proposed marriage to the captain of the team's cheerleaders on national television.
• Finding a Diamond in a Crater Named for Them
  Melissa Block talks with Gary Dunlap, 55, water operator at the Pine Bluff Arsenal in Arkansas, about finding a 2.37 carat white diamond at the Crater of Diamonds State Park. He named it "The Star of Thelma" after his wife of 10 years.
• No Americans Need Apply? Work Ethic Questioned
  Many businesses say they need immigrant workers because they can't persuade Americans to take the jobs they offer. One such business in Galena, Ill., hires Mexican workers.
• Ford's Foreign Policy on Assassinations
  Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr talks about former president Gerald Ford and the U.S. policy on assassinations.
• Single Mother Looks Past China to Adopt Child
  Michele Norris talks with Heather Wareing about Wareing's adoption plans. Wareing adopted a daughter from China more than two years ago; she is now looking to adopt another, but as a single mom, she will look to a different country.
• The Future of 'No Child Left Behind'
  President Bush's signature piece of domestic legislation, the No Child Left Behind Act, is up for renewal in 2007. There are many calls for changing the law, with some bipartisan support for preserving its key emphasis on testing and accountability for schools. But there's some uncertainty as to whether the reauthorization will actually happen this year, or next.
• Thunderbirds Are Now
  Robert Christgau reviews a somewhat obscure rock band, Thunderbirds Are Now. Well, he thought they were obscure. As it turns out, his online music critic friends have already brushed them off: It's already their third record, so they must be washed up. Christgau tells us why it might be worth listening to this band.
• Bush May Have Lost Chance to Tailor Bugging Law
  The Bush administration's decision to eavesdrop on some domestic phone conversations without a court order spurred complaints, but it also led to proposals to adjust federal law to allow precisely such surveillance. Changes in the law, known as FISA, did not pass the Republican-led Congress; they now face a new landscape under Democratic control.
• Rice Will Likely Head to Mideast in Early 2007
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has promised to get more deeply involved in promoting Arab-Israeli peace, is expected to go to the region in January. Part of the administration's goals seems to be to boost Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

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