All Things Considered for April 1, 2010 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Art Hounds
Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:44 p.m.
The challenge: Ride your bike every day in April
Zacharias Schaap and Patrick Stephenson launched 30daysofbiking.com as a challenge to two-wheelers everywhere to ride their bicycles at least once a day, every day for the month of April.4:53 p.m.
St. Paul preps 'Blueprint' for better domestic violence response
St. Paul's new Blueprint for Safety program requires the various agencies in the criminal justice system to share information that will help keep victims safe -- and their abusers accountable.5:20 p.m.
Census forms not showing up in some places in Minnesota
Minnesotans are ahead of the rest of the nation in returning census forms, but in some places in the state residents never receive the forms at all.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Prime Minister: Haiti Committed To Transparency
Countries around the world are pledging aid to Haiti, but some are concerned that the post-earthquake chaos and longstanding problems with corruption will make it hard for the government to be effective. Prime Minister Jean-Max Bellerive says Haiti will have to prove it is making progress.
Post Quake, People Returning To Haiti's Capital
After the January earthquake, more than half a million people fled Port-au-Prince for other parts of the country. The government vowed to take the opportunity to shrink the city to a more manageable size. But there are indications the city is growing again.
Specter Faces Tough Re-Election Fight
A year after quitting the GOP and becoming a Democrat, Sen. Arlen Specter is up against fierce competition from both parties for the seat he has held since 1981. If he can survive a challenge in the Democratic primary next month, he'll face a formidable Republican opponent in November.
Islanders Aim For Normalcy In North Korea's Shadow
An island in the Yellow Sea is the base of operations to find 46 missing South Korean sailors from a navy ship that went down March 26 after a mysterious explosion. Baengnyeong Island is about 10 miles from North Korea's west coast. Its residents try to live ordinary lives — but are among the first to suffer when tensions rise.
Bailout Bottom Line For Taxpayers: Mixed Returns
The government may rake in multibillion-dollar profits when it sells shares in Citigroup. But like any investment, the $700 billion financial bailout was a wager, with losing bets as well as winners.
CD Collection Of NPR Funding Credits Is A 'True Gem'
In celebration of NPR's upcoming 40th anniversary, the network released a CD boxed set of the network's entire history of funding credits. The staff of All Things Considered pities the fool who doesn't pick up this set on April 1.
Olympic Snowboard Pants Inspired By Jeans
The snowboard pants worn by the U.S. team at the Vancouver Olympics were based on one of designer Greg Dacyshyn's favorite jeans. The creative director of Burton Snowboards says the jeans were printed onto high-tech Gore-Tex fabric using a process called photo-sublimation.
U.S. Navy Captures Pirates
The latest U.S. Navy capture of suspected pirates in the Indian Ocean has all the elements of a high-seas adventure story. But the five alleged pirates now in U.S. custody pose a problem. An expert on maritime law says the U.S. and other countries aren't doing enough to prosecute marauders on the seas.
Calif. Candidates Chant Fiscal Restraint Mantra
Former eBay CEO Meg Whitman takes on Steve Poizner in the June 8 Republican primary. Both candidates are promising fiscal restraint, but that's a far cry from the way the campaign is being run.
Study: Calif. Natives Outnumber Others In State
A new study finds that for the first time since the mid-19th century, people born in California outnumber those born elsewhere. Dowell Myers, a professor of urban planning at the USC School of Policy Planning and Development, says much of the decline in numbers of those born outside the state can be attributed to the end of the Cold War.