Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Fear and uncertainty in Worthington follow immigration raid
  Residents of Worthington spent the day reacting to Tuesday's immigration raid at the Swift meat-packing plant in the community. Many Swift workers scared and confused about their future, and that of their friends and relatives.5:19 p.m.
• Young leaders create organizations for the future
  Young adults are founding non-profits across the nation. Their goal: To change the world, one good deed at a time.5:23 p.m.
• St. Paul Budget puts more cops on the street
  The St. Paul City Council unanimously approved Mayor Chris Coleman's 2007 budget this afternoon. The package totals nearly $514 million and calls for an increase in the police force. To cover that and other programs an 8.5 percent increase in the property tax levy.5:49 p.m.
• Lettuce suspected as source of E. coli in Minnesota and Iowa
  Taco John has dropped St. Paul-based Bix Produce as an "urgent and precautionary measure." The company provided produce for restaurants in Iowa and Minnesota.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Saudis Deny Reported Offer of Aid to Iraqi Sunnis
  Saudi Arabia has told the White House that if U.S. troops withdraw from Iraq, the Saudis may provide financial aid to Iraq's Sunni Muslim minority, according to a New York Times report. The White House and the Saudis deny the story -- but it raises questions about Saudi Arabia's relationship with Iraq, a country with which it shares a large border.
• Series of Immigration Raids Hits Identity-Theft Ring
  Federal authorities say they plan to crack down on identify theft rings that they believe are helping illegal immigrants obtain work. Nearly 1,300 people were arrested in raids on meat-packing plants in six states Tuesday, in the largest-ever workplace crackdown on illegal immigration.
• Antidepressants May Get Suicide Warning Labels
  Health officials propose changing the labels of antidepressants to note that the drugs increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in patients up to age 24. The Food and Drug Administration change would expand the current warning, which applies only to children and adolescents.
• Options on Iraq: Bad, Worse and Worst
  President Bush postponed his speech on Iraq policy because of internal disagreements about how to proceed, says NPR's Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr.
• Florida Finds Little Trauma, Drama from Wage Hike
  Democrats say that raising the federal minimum wage will be a priority when they take control of Congress. Would such a measure help low-wage workers or lead to layoffs? Florida, which raised its minimum wage two years ago, provides some clues.
• Sen. Johnson Remains in Hospital; Stroke Ruled Out
  Sen. Tim Johnson remains in the hospital, but early suspicions of a stroke have been ruled out. A spokeswoman for the senator says doctors have ruled out either a heart attack or a stroke as the reason why the senator became ill. If Johnson is unable to serve, control of the Senate could potentially stay with the Republicans.
• Newly Found Gene Mutation Banishes Pain
  A Pakistani teenager who entertained street crowds by walking on hot coals and sticking knives through his arms has led scientists to find a gene defect that renders its carriers unable to feel pain. A report in the journal Nature details six individuals with the mutation in three related families. Better drugs may result.
• Illinois Immigration Task Force Releases Report
  Immigration advocates say that an Illinois taskforce has developed one of the first comprehensive statewide plans for integrating refugees into mainstream America. Gov. Rod Blagojevich appointed the taskforce to study ways the state could better integrate immigrants into communities.
• School to Tap Trash Dump's Methane for Energy
  The University of New Hampshire will soon be relying on a local dump to meet most of its energy needs. The school will pipe methane from the regional dump to light and heat most of the campus.
• Indonesian Activist's Death Remains Unsolved
  The story of a murdered human-rights activist reveals the distance Indonesia still has to go before government critics can speak freely. Munir Talib Sahir was poisoned on an international flight to Amsterdam. His widow, Suciwati, has been tireless in her efforts to bring the killers to justice, even traveling to Washington, D.C., for help.
• The Long Players Build a Legend on Classic Albums
  One of the most consistently popular bands in Nashville does not play country music, has no lead singer and doesn't plan to release an album. Instead, the Long Players perform classic albums, from beginning to end, before a live audience with all-star guest vocalists.
• Harpist Joanna Newsom's Enchanting Tales
  Joanna Newsom plays the concert harp, an unusual instrument for a singer-songwriter. Her debut album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, was widely praised in 2004. Newsom has a long-awaited new record, Ys.
• Sales of Gift Cards Grow, and Transpire Earlier
  Once a last-minute fallback, gift cards have become hot sellers even on the day after Thanksgiving. The National Retail Federation estimates that holiday gift-card sales this year will grow 32 percent, to nearly $25 billion. Scott Horsley reports on how this is skewing sales results, and why Starbucks' card is so successful.
• Minimum Wage: An Employer's View
  Michele Norris talks with Robert Mayfield, who owns four Dairy Queens and a Wally's Burger Express in the Austin, Texas, area. Mayfield says a raise in the federal minimum wage would force him to cut back on the hours of many of his workers, and may lead to cutbacks in staff.
• Minimum Wage: A Worker's View
  Gina Walter, who makes $6.25 an hour, says the proposed minimum-wage boost in January 2007 would make a difference in her daily life as a minimum-wage worker.

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