Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Legislature begins session with DFL in control
  The 85th Minnesota Legislature is scheduled to convene at noon Wednesday. Gov. Pawlenty and legislative leaders are pledging to work together on some core issues over the next five months.7:20 a.m.
• Forest competition
  Loggers and mill workers are hoping for action in the legislature this year aimed at making Minnesota's forest industries more competitive. There's a sense of urgency, after three mills shut down in northern Minnesota last year, putting 400 people out of work.7:25 a.m.
• Minnesota Fantasy Legislature explained
  A new way to follow the legislative session: Fantasy Legislature7:50 a.m.
• How to pay for more troops in Iraq
  With President Bush expected to announce a policy change in Iraq, commentator Chris Steele offers his ideas about one of the options on the table: an increase in troops.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Route 50 Conversations: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio
  Our series of conversations with people living along U.S. Route 50 about the new Congress continues with people in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.
• Federer and Woods Dominate Like No Others
  2006 was a lackluster year for American sports teams. But two individual athletes -- Roger Federer in tennis and Tiger Woods in golf -- showed uncommon brilliance. They stand above all as masters of sport.
• Cows Engineered for Immunity to Mad Cow Disease
  Scientists have created a dozen cattle that seem to be immune to mad cow disease. The animals, now 2 years old, have been genetically engineered to lack the protein that's susceptible to the disease.
• Virginia Sets Example for Communication Readiness
  The Department of Homeland Security issues a report on how well U.S. cities are prepared to communicate during a disaster. In past disasters, communications have been difficult for emergency responders. Virginia has set up a statewide plan that many consider one of the best.
• Ritz-Carlton Puts on the Dog (Massage)
  The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, Fla., is offering a new service for people with pets. The hotel now offers a dog massage. Your dog can get a relaxing rubdown, and it will only cost you $130.
• Travel Conditions Likely to Deteriorate in 2007
  For business travelers, 2007 could be difficult: They'll likely find airplanes packed even tighter than last year, hotel rooms priced higher and travel managers demanding cutbacks in travel expenses. Renee Montagne talks to James Gilden of The Internet Traveler.
• A New Congress Pushes a Fresh Agenda
  The first Democratically controlled Congress in 12 years opens for business Thursday. House Democrats have a 100-hour plan to pass popular legislation right away. But every move in Washington is likely to be colored in some way by the calculations of a bevy of 2008 presidential hopefuls.
• Wal-Mart Changes Scheduling to Match Customers
  The nation's biggest private employer will switch to a computerized scheduling system based on the number of customers in stores at any given time. Wal-Mart has about 1.3 million workers.
• Robertson Predicts Mass Killing in the Coming Year
  Religious broadcaster Pat Robertson is predicting that there will be a horrific terrorist attack later this year. He made his prediction on the Christian Broadcasting Network show The 700 Club. Robertson said God told him a "mass killing" will affect millions of people.
• Iraqi Women Struggle to Find Suitable Marriages
  Decades of war have left many Iraqi women without husbands. Now the violence of post-Saddam Iraq is making it even more difficult to get married. Many women now resort to relationships of necessity in a society that places a very high value on the institution of marriage.
• Iraq Investigates Cell-Phone Video from Execution
  A cell-phone video circulating on the Internet shows the hanging of Saddam Hussein. Now the Iraq government has launched an investigation to find out who made the video, and how a cell phone was smuggled into the execution.
• Wood-Frame House Suffers in Simulated Earthquake
  A team of engineers in Buffalo, N.Y., recently built a house on a shake table -- a device that can simulate an earthquake. They wanted to see how a typical wood-frame house would fare in a quake. The results were not encouraging.
• Oprah Opens Leadership Academy in South Africa
  After a six-year effort, talk-show host Oprah Winfrey has opened a school in South Africa. The $40 million leadership academy for poor girls drew a star-studded group to its campus for the grand opening.
• Somalis Divided on Presence of Ethiopian Troops
  Diplomats from the United States, Europe and Africa meet in Brussels to discuss how to keep Somalia's fragile government going. Ethiopian troops in the country are the biggest issue of debate under the new government in Somalia right now.
• Starbucks Begins Move Away from Trans Fats
  Starbucks is going trans-fat free. The coffee chain is eliminating trans fat from pastries in one-third of its stores, with a plan to eventually do the same nationwide.

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