Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Retiring judge sees mixed future for Minnesota children
  A Minneapolis judge who presided over juvenile court during one of the city's most turbulent times retires Monday after 36 years on the bench.4:50 p.m.
• Lawmaker proposes last call at 4 a.m. during the RNC
  A Minnesota House proposal would let bars stay open until 4 a.m. during the Republican National Convention in September. The bill would apply to businesses within 10 miles of the Xcel Energy Center in downtown St. Paul.4:54 p.m.
• Ralph Rapson, architect of the original Guthrie, has died
  Architects Ralph Rapson, who lived in Minneapolis, died of heart failure over the weekend at the age of 93. In Minnesota, Rapson is best remembered for designing the first Guthrie Theater.5:23 p.m.
• Markets react as farmers say they will plant more wheat, soybeans
  If you've noticed the price of food going up, you may be interested in what the U.S. Agriculture Department reported today. The USDA said farmers plan to put more soybeans and wheat in the ground and ease up on corn. That could slow the rise in food prices.5:50 p.m.
• Keep April Fool's Day out of the office, execs say
  Tom Crann talks with MPR's Family Desk reporter Nanci Olesen about the possible origins of April Fool's Day and why a survey of business executives showed there should be no pranks in the office.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• China Alters Its Role in World Economy, Diplomacy
  After years of attracting foreign investment, China is now investing overseas itself, and the country is increasingly using its diplomatic muscle. Those changes have brought new risk and responsibility for a country with a long-stated policy of not interfering.
• Penguins Helped and Hurt by Changing Climate
  Exactly 100 years ago, scientists started studying a penguin colony at Cape Royds, Antarctica. What they've learned since then suggests that climate change will reshuffle life on the planet in complicated ways.
• League Catches Fans Using Quirky Names, Mascots
  Minor League Baseball draws fans to the game with unconventional team names and funny mascots. Fun figures such as Conrad the Crawdad (of the Hickory (N.C.) Crawdads) helped bring in close to $175 million in ticket sales last year.
• As Fighting Eases, Sadr City Returns to Routine
  With a truce in place, Sadr City, the vast Shiite slum on Baghdad's eastern edge, is springing back to life. Despite continued tension in the "no-man's land" just outside the neighborhood, at the headquarters of cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, "candy of jubilation" was handed out.
• Stalemate Changes Dynamic Between Iraqi Factions
  Ghassan al-Atiyyah, founder and director of Iraq Foundation for Development and Democracy, and Miami University professor Adeed Dawisha discuss with Robert Siegel how Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki was weakened politically when his attempt to wrest Basra from Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr's militia failed.
• Classics Professor Robert Fagles, 74, Dies
  Princeton University professor Robert Fagles' translations of Homer and Virgil made him an esteemed and best-selling classical scholar.
• HUD Secretary Jackson Steps Down amid Probe
  Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson resigns amid a criminal investigation following allegations of favoritism in HUD projects.
• HUD's Crisis Management Evaluated
  Carol Leonnig of the Washington Post discusses how the Department of Housing and Urban Development has handled the crises brought on by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita through the subprime mortgage meltdown.
• Hybrid SUVs Are Missing in Action
  Manufacturers are blitzing the airwaves with ads for hybrid SUVs, but they aren't actually making very many. Orders can take months, and some dealers are adding big markups.
• Gore's 'We' Campaign to Fight Climate Change
  Former vice president Al Gore's non-profit organization on Monday launches the "We" campaign, a $300-million effort to push policymakers to adopt tough legislation to combat climate change.

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