Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• DFL releases major legislative initiatives
  DFL leaders introduced their first bills of the 2007 session on Monday with health care coverage for kids and all-day kindergarten at the top of the list.5:19 p.m.
• Mark Ritchie moves into Secretary of State's office
  Minnesota's new Secretary of State, Mark Ritchie, is one of many officeholders settling into new offices at the Capitol. Ritchie, a Democrat, defeated incumbent Mary Kiffmeyer in the November 2006 election. He talked with MPR's Tom Crann about his new duties.5:23 p.m.
• Boston Scientific cutting up to 600
  Boston Scientific Corporation has announced it will cut 500 to 600 jobs, the majority of them at the company's facility in Arden Hills. MPR's Tom Crann spoke with medical device analyst Thomas Gunderson to assess the current strength of the cardiac rhythm management business.5:49 p.m.
• Building a house from close to home
  A lot of people are trying to buy locally-produced food. Some look for locally-made clothing. But how about buying a house made of locally-produced timber? That's what's happening in Aitkin. It's affordable, very energy-efficient, and it's going up in an area facing a housing crunch.5:53 p.m.
• Taxpayers won't have to pay the tab for GOP convention
  St. Paul City officials say taxpayers won't have to pay a dime in extra costs when the Republican National Convention comes to town in 2008.6:26 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Death, Saddam Fascinates Iraqi Supporters
  Those who supported Saddam Hussein in Iraq describe him as a martyr and one of the most famous symbols of Arab opposition to the West. His hanging has inspired copycat suicides, plans for a statue and protests throughout the Muslim world.
• Democrats May Tighten Pursestrings on Iraq
  President Bush will speak to the nation Wednesday night about his plans for how to proceed in the Iraq war. Central to his strategy is an expected increase in t— overall level of U.S. —rces in Iraq. On Capitol Hill, the ruling Democrats and some Republicans oppose such an escalation.
• For Buckeye Nation, National Title Would Mean Plenty
  Journalist and commentator Bob Greene discusses what a win for the Ohio State football team would mean for folks who have ties to the Buckeye state.
• Checking on the Federal Temporary Aid System
  The federal money that goes into the California Work Opportunity and Responsibility to Kids program — also known as CalWORKS — comes through a federal program called Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, or TANF. TANF was the product of changes to the welfare law made in the 1990s.
• Reuse, Recycle, and Make a Racket
  In today's SoundClip, listener Keihly Moore of Iowa State University in Ames describes the sound of hundreds of cans plunging down a five-story recycling chute at the school's College of Design.
• Schwarzenegger Urges Cuts in State Welfare
  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes big rollbacks in California's welfare system. It would affect thousands of children whose parents are undocumented or don't work enough. The announcement comes as the governor is also calling for health-insurance coverage for California children, even those who are in the country illegally.
• Dallas Pizza Chain to Accept Pesos on Trial Basis
  As of today, a Dallas-based chain of pizza restaurants will accept both U.S. dollars and Mexican pesos as payment. The trial program will last through February at Pizza Patron locations in five states. The company has 59 restaurants in the United States.
• Adoption Agency Offers Up Embryos to Couples
  A company in San Antonio is creating what it says is the world's first embryo bank. The embryos in the bank will not be used for research. Instead, they'll be available to infertile couples who wish to have a child.
• Embryo Technology Puts Focus on Ethics
  Michele Norris talks with Robin Alta Charo about the ethics of embryo banks. Charo is a professor of law and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
• Rice Announces Expected Shifts in Iraq Team
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice makes official key personnel changes that were first reported last week. Zalmay Khalilzad, who has served as U.S. ambassador to Iraq, has been nominated to be U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Ryan Crocker, the U.S. ambassador in Pakistan, has been nominated to replace Khalilzad in Iraq.
• Schwarzenegger Floats Plan for Universal Care
  Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposes sweeping changes that will extend health coverage to nearly all of California's 6.5 million uninsured. The governor's health plan is one of the most extensive overhauls since the failed effort by President Clinton more than a decade ago.
• In Praise of Ramen, and Its Inventor
  College students, raise your wallets to Momofuku Ando, the inventor of a staple food for students and other folks eating on the cheap. Ando is credited with inventing ramen noodles.
• Flash, Furious Five Among New Rock Hall Inductees
  There are several new inductees into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Van Halen, REM, the Ronettes, Patti Smith and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. That's right — Kid Creole, Cowboy, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, Raheim — are the first rap group ever inducted into the Hall of Fame. Michele Norris explains the significance of their place in the Hall.
• Why the Surge in Using 'Surge' for Troop Levels?
  Robert Siegel explores the meaning of the word "surge" as applied to increased U.S. troop strength in Iraq. Guy Raz says that Pentagon officials don't use the term and consider it a media creation. Linguist Deborah Tannen says "surge" might be in use because it has positive connotations, and sounds a little like the word "insurgent."
• Archbishop's Fall Reawakens a Debate in Poland
  The resignation of the new archbishop of Warsaw because of his links to the secret service of Poland's previous communist government has highlighted the controversy over the country's attempt to come to terms with its communist past. Analysts say Poland has yet to undergo a true self-examination of its history under communism, or to examine fully the backgrounds of many highly placed officials, politicians and churchmen. Many Poles support such a process. But critics call it an excuse for a witch-hunt.

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