Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• PoliGraph: Franken's oil tax claims in the ballpark
  Sen. Al Franken says the federal government would save $64 billion if it cut tax breaks for oil and gas companies. An MPR News analysis finds that Franken's savings estimate is off by billions, but his underlying point is on target.4:49 p.m.
• PoliGraph: Rybak gets tax numbers right
  Republican legislators are targeting local government aid as they attempt to erase the state's $5 billion deficit. Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak defended the program on his blog, arguing against the contention that state aid is a handout.4:51 p.m.
• Seniors contribute to large population boom in northern Minnesota
  In the latest U.S. Census, the corridor stretching from the Brainerd Lakes area into the north woods showed big gains, and state demographers say seniors are contributing to the region's significant population growth.4:54 p.m.
• Weather service bumps up Red River flood forecast
  The latest projections released today show that the Red River has a 50 percent chance of reaching 40.5 feet in Fargo, close to the record crest of 2009.5:15 p.m.
• Two crests likely for southern Minnesota, meteorologist warns
  The National Weather Service's flood outlooks released Friday had little good news for Minnesotans preparing for spring flooding.5:18 p.m.
• GOP rejects fiscal analysis of its budget plans
  Republicans in the Legislature are ignoring or foregoing fiscal analysis as they put together their plan to erase the state's $5 billion budget deficit.5:49 p.m.
• Few complaints from Minn. health plans over Dayton order
  Earlier this week, the governor changed state policy to order more transparency from health plans that receive more than $3 billion a year to manage state-subsidized programs for poor Minnesotans. But the health plans have had remarkably few complaints.5:53 p.m.
• The Dinner Party Download featuring Neil Strauss
  This week on the Dinner Party Download: A NYC tailor tells a joke, we hear about a time when giant rabbits roamed the earth, and get a visit from bestselling author Neil Strauss.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Life's Milestones Bittersweet For Japan's Survivors
  One community mourns its losses, treasures what it still has — and affirms its determination to get where it's going — at a junior high school graduation ceremony in a gym turned shelter.
• Smithsonian Unveils Painting Of Pitching Great Pedro Martinez
  In an interview with NPR's Robert Siegel, the greatest right-handed pitcher of his generation talked about the new portrait, as well as the childhood experience that still drive his charity work.
• Town Relies On Troubled Youth Prison For Profits
  The Walnut Grove Youth Correctional Facility in Mississippi, a private prison operated by GEO Group, is the nation's largest juvenile prison. But have profits distorted its mission of rehabilitating young inmates?
• Kevin Kline Has A 'Queen To Play' ... En Francais
  In his first French-speaking role, Kline plays a reclusive American doctor living on the island of Corsica. "It was a great experience," he says. "I love that word because in French it means 'experiment' as well as 'experience,' and that's what it was for me."
• In Yemen, Pressure From Protesters Builds
  Yemen's president tells a large crowd of supporters that he will step down — provided that the successor is someone he trusts. Melissa Block talks with the Washington Post's Sudarsan Raghavan about the latest developments in the Yemeni capital of Sanaa.
• For Arab Youth, Dreams May Be Deferred
  Protests planned in Saudi Arabia failed to take off earlier this month, yet Saudi youth see themselves as part of a movement that has swept the Arab world. Expectation for change is extremely high — and that worries experts who say there is some danger of dashed hopes.
• Amid Budget Standoff, GOP Freshman Faces Home District
  Last year, New Hampshire Republican Rep. Frank Guinta defeated a MoveOn liberal to ride a Tea Party wave into Congress. Guinta, a former mayor of Manchester, said he was focused on the deficit and limited government. True to form, he voted to cut even more discretionary money from the GOP's pared-down budget — a plan even 92 Republicans rejected. How's that working out for him in New Hampshire? What does it say about the upcoming budget showdown?
• Week In Politics: Libya, Census
  Melissa Block speaks with our regular political commentator, EJ Dionne of the Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and Linda Chavez, chairman of the Center for Equal Opportunity and syndicated columnist.
• Remembering The Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
  New York City Friday marked the 100th anniversary of one of its worst disasters: A fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory that killed 146 people, mostly young women. The city's unions used the day as a chance to voice their anger over recent union setbacks.
• For Lanford Wilson, The Plays Were Always Personal
  The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, whose career-long collaboration with director Marshall Mason gave us plays including Fifth of July and Talley's Folly, died March 24 at the age of 73.

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