Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• How the MIA traces the ownership of old art
  Italian authorities say the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is one of eight American museums that possess illegally exported Italian artifacts. Tracing the ownership of art and artifacts is a tricky job for museums.4:50 p.m.
• St. Paul school board chooses Washington, D.C. administrator as superintendent
  The St. Paul school district has a new superintendent. In a unanimous vote, the Board of Education chose Meria Carstarphen, the chief accountability officer for the Washington, D.C., public schools.5:19 p.m.
• Stearns County commissioner: "I screwed up"
  The use of the term "tar baby" by a Stearns County commissioner about the St. Cloud Human Rights commission leads to an apology and questions about whether an apology is enough.5:48 p.m.
• New European chemical rules spur change in the US
  The European Union is expected to start requiring that businesses prove their products are safe -- or they'll be taken off the shelves. American companies are gearing up for the new rules, even as they say the U.S. system works fine.5:52 p.m.
• Mark Dayton supports Senate immigration bill
  A heated debate is assured on the floor of the U.S. Senate over an immigration reform proposal approved by the Judiciary Committee March 27. Democrat Mark Dayton supports the bill as it is currently written.6:14 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Students Face Long Sentences in Church Arson Case
  Three Alabama college students face dozens of years in prison if convicted on charges of burning five churches in the state. Their friends say they've thrown their lives away and don't understand why. The young men who face trial say it was a prank.
• Think Partnered Parenting Is Hard? Try Going Solo
  Commentator Lori Gottlieb is a single mother. Most of her friends who are moms are married. And that's where the trouble begins. Gottlieb is tired of hearing them whine about how awful their husbands are.
• U.S. Envoy Won't Pay London's Daily Car Toll
  Robert Tuttle, the U.S. ambassador to Britain, refuses to pay London's $14 daily toll on cars in the city center. The embassy stopped paying the fee in July, arguing that it's a tax, and diplomats do not pay local tax. Mayor Ken Livingstone says Tuttle is behaving "like some chiseling little crook."
• Perspective From the Other Side of the Border
  Former Mexican foreign minister Jorge Castaneda talks with Melissa Block about the Mexican view on the U.S. immigration debate. President Bush meets with Mexican President Vicente Fox on Thursday in Cancun. Castaneda says Fox will be pushing for a guest-worker program for Mexicans.
• Governors Weigh In on Immigration Debate
  New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty talks with Michele Norris about their stance on the illegal immigration debate in Congress. New Mexico is a border state, so border security is paramount for Gov. Richardson. Minnesota has a unique status as a state with a large number of legal immigrants, many of them from Africa and Asia.
• Georgia Bill Puts Fried-Pie Lady Back in Business
  Willie Watts has been making fried pie in her Powder Springs, Ga., kitchen and selling it for about 20 years. State regulators forced Watts to move to a commercial kitchen last week. But the Georgia House of Representatives passed a bill that will allow Watts to return to her home kitchen.
• Court Considers Burden of Telling Foreigners Their Rights
  The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether police are required to inform foreign nationals of their right to talk to their countries' consulates when arrested. A 1969 treaty provides that right; the court considers whether police bear the burden of informing the suspect of that right.
• Hamas Takes Power of Palestinian Authority
  Hamas formally takes power as Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas swears in the 24-member cabinet. Israel and much of the international community say Hamas is a terrorist organization and they will cut aid to the Palestinian Authority. Members of the new government say their goal is to serve their people.
• Liberian Warlord Charles Taylor Back in Custody
  Former Liberian President Charles Taylor is arrested trying to cross the Nigerian border into Cameroon. He vanished after authorities in Nigeria agreed to transfer him to a U.N. war crimes tribunal. He is now in Sierra Leone and will stand trial for war-crimes charges. Los Angeles Times writer, Hans Nichols, talks with Melissa Block.
• Duke Suspends Lacrosse Season After Rape Allegation
  The season for Duke's nationally ranked lacrosse team has been suspended following accusations of a racially motivated rape by some of the players. An exotic dancer who is black says she was raped by three white players. Jessica Jones of member station WUNC reports.
• Iraqis Get a View of First Total Eclipse in Years
  The first total eclipse in several years could be seen from the shore of Brazil, through northern Africa, the Middle East and parts of Central Asia. At an outdoor market in Baghdad, Iraq, observers found religious and political significance in the eclipse.
• Economists Untangle Truth About Jobs, Immigration
  In the immigration debate, the most sweeping claims deal with jobs and pay. Some say that illegal immigrants work in jobs that Americans are unwilling to take. Others claim that illegal immigrants drive down wages for blue-collar workers. Economists say the reality is a lot more complicated.
• Study Makes Case for Late Bloomers
  A big brain won't make you smart. But a flexible one might. A study in this week's issue of Nature shows that the smartest children have brains that develop later and change more dramatically over time.
• Congress Drops the Ball on Meaningful Ethics Reform
  On the day that disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff is sentenced in Florida, Daniel Schorr, a senior news analyst for NPR, says that Congress is dropping the ball on meaningful ethics reform, and he’s not surprised.
• Lobbyist Abramoff Sentenced to Nearly Six Years
  Former lobbyist Jack Abramoff and his former business partner, Adam Kidan, are sentenced to five years and 10 months each after admitting to fraud in a Florida gambling scheme. The sentences could be reduced as both men cooperate with other government investigations.

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