Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Poligraph: Pawlenty tells part of the story on teacher pay
  On the campaign trail, former Gov. Tim Pawlenty likes to tout Q Comp, a program that pays teachers more when their students perform well, but his claim needs a lot of context.4:50 p.m.
• State taking steps to shut down underperforming charter school
  The Education Department says BlueSky Online's curriculum doesn't meet state standards. It's the first time the state has made such a move.4:54 p.m.
• TCF experiments with new overdraft fee policy
  The bank is testing out the new fee policy in Michigan. It charges customers one overdraft fee per day, rather than a fee for each overdrawn transaction.5:20 p.m.
• Expect little help to pay for cars damaged by potholes
  While drivers can file claims for car damage caused by running over potholes, Minnesota's cities and MnDOT rarely honor them.5:24 p.m.
• Dinner Party Download Easter menu
  Hosts Rico Gagliano and Brendan Francis Newnam usually equip you with jokes, unusual news items and cocktail recipes. But in honor of the feasts of Passover and Easter, this week they bring you stories about unconventional food - including World War II-era cuisine from London, and California's sushi burrito. It's everything you need to "win" this weekend's dinner party.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Hot Pot, Delivered: In China, A New Dining Experience
  The restaurant chain Haidilao has come up with the ultimate Chinese takeout: hot pot in your own home. The delivery man brings not only vacuum-sealed soup and slices of raw meat — but a portable electric hot pot plate and even a trash can. And he comes back for the trash later.
• McCain On Libyan Rebels: 'They Are My Heroes'
  Republican Sen. John McCain visits Benghazi and calls the Libyan rebels "heroes." He urges the Obama administration to recognize the rebels' transitional government.
• Week In Politics: Libya, Syria, Economy
  Robert Siegel speaks with Cynthia Tucker, columnist and blogger for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and David Brooks of The New York Times.
• Washington Appeals Court Revives Blackwater Case
  A federal appeals court in Washington has revived the prosecution of four Blackwater guards for a deadly shooting in Iraq back in 2007. The decision to throw out the case almost two years ago infuriated Iraqis.
• How Britons View The Upcoming Royal Wedding
  Prince William and Kate Middleton are players in a drama that's being watched across the world. Their image is plastered everywhere, accompanied with stories about his stag party, her dress and other assorted scraps of wedding trivia. But who are these two young people really? The British are strangely addicted to quizzes. In pubs across the land, groups of Britons gather every week to test each other's general knowledge. In the weekly quiz at a Sheffield pub, the contestants talk about the royal couple. And across town at another tavern, a group called Skeptics in the Pub discusses the royal couple and what awaits them.
• Infighting Threatens Ivory Coast's Path To Peace
  Ivory Coast is struggling to get back on its feet after a five-month presidential tug-of-war that claimed hundreds of lives and displaced more than a million people. But more trouble may be brewing for the incoming president, with infighting among former rebels who propelled him to power.
• A Nobel Winner Writes Of Peace In 'The Golden Cage'
  Shirin Ebadi is the Iranian human-rights lawyer who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003. In her new book, The Golden Cage, she tells the story of the Iranian Revolution through three brothers: a monarchist, an anarchist and a revolutionary Islamist. All three met tragic ends.
• Recap: NHL's Eventful First Round Of Playoffs
  It's been an exciting, suspension-filled round of NHL playoffs. Robert Siegel talks to sportswriter Stefan Fatsis about that — and octopi gunk.
• Japanese Auto Executives Try To Put On Happy Face
  There was a note of somberness and gratitude from Japanese auto executives at the New York International Auto Show on Friday. But that's about as far as they would go. When pressed about the situation in Japan, they deflected the question.
• Syrian Forces Clash With Protesters
  In Syria, it was the bloodiest day yet in five weeks of anti-government protests, with many dead after security forces opened fire. Anti-government groups called this day "great Friday" — an escalation of the challenge to the rule of Syrian President Bashar Assad.

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