Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Ann Bancroft and "Pilgrim at Tinker Creek"
  January is National Book Month, and in celebration, Morning Edition is launching a new series called The Bookshelf. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with polar explorer Ann Bancroft about the books that mean the most to her.6:50 a.m.
• Preview of the week at the Capitol
  Cathy Wurzer talks with MPR's Tom Scheck about what we can expect from the first full week of the 2007 Minnesota Legislative session.7:20 a.m.
• A town divided talks about the immigration raid that tore it apart
  At Sunday's event there were calls for new immigration policies. But not all Swift workers oppose the raid.7:25 a.m.
• Gopher sports teams aim high at precarious time
  The University of Minnesota is entering an arena where the stakes are high, and getting higher, as officials aim to replace two key coaches.7:50 a.m.
• Minneapolis theater rides Disney's wave
  The phenomenal success of a Disney Channel movie called "High School Musical" may be duplicated on the stage--if the reception at its Minneapolis premiere is any indication.7:55 a.m.
• Monday Markets
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell provides an update on the marketplace.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Madrid Bombing Hits Close to Home
  Police have found the body of a second man in the rubble of a parking garage at Madrid's airport. Authorities say the Basque separatist group ETA destroyed the building with a bomb last month. Reporter Jerome Socolovsky found himself uncomfortably close to the violence.
• Warsaw Archbishop Resigns Over Communist Ties
  The newly appointed archbishop of Warsaw, Stanislaw Wielgus, resigns after admitting he spied for Poland's former communist regime. Renee Montagne talks to Emily Harris about this major embarrassment for the Vatican.
• L.A. Ports Eye Maglev Trains to Cut Pollution
  The ports at Long Beach and Los Angeles are looking for ways to reduce air pollution and congestion. Officials are considering a plan to install magnetic levitation trains. It would be the first freight application for the technology anywhere in the world. From member station KPCC, Rachael Myrow reports.
• Buckeye Fans Pumped Up for the Big Game
  We'll find out tonight which team is college football's champion. The top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes meet the No. 2 Florida Gators in the BCS national championship game. Mike Thompson of member station WOSU sent audio of Buckeye fans.
• Sen. Sherrod Brown, Fair Trade over Free Trade
  Sherrod Brown is the first Democrat elected to the U.S. Senate from Ohio since 1992. Brown says voters responded to Democratic promises to help a struggling middle class.
• TV on the Big and Tiny Screen
  At the Consumer Electronics Show in Los Vegas, Sharp Corp. is showing off a 108-inch high-definition LCD television screen. But another company, Microvision, thinks bite-sized is better: It's unveiling a video projector for installation in your cell phone or Blackberry.
• Consumer Electronics Show Abuzz About Mobility
  More than 140,000 people descend on Las Vegas for the 40th annual Consumer Electronics Show. The buzz this year is about mobile electronic devices that allow users to access whatever information and entertainment they want where they want it. Renee Montagne talks with Laura Sydell about what's cool.
• Wal-Mart Counters Critics in Ads
  Wal-Mart begins running a series of national television ads aimed at countering its critics. One of the commercials cites the legacy of the company's late founder, Sam Walton. Labor groups accuse the giant retailer of being anti-union, paying low wages and skimping on employee health care.
• Letters: Basketball Record and Calvin Trillin
  Listeners write in this week to remind us about a women's basketball coaching record and to tell us how much they were touched by an interview with author Calvin Trillin about his late wife Alice. They also confirm our report about which dog breeds really need winter coats.
• Advocates Renew Push for Mental Health 'Parity' Bill
  A bill has long lingered in Congress that would require health insurers to provide equal benefits for mental and physical ailments. President Bush has vowed to sign such a mental health "parity" bill on several occasions, but a Republican-controlled House repeatedly blocked it. Now with Democrats in control of Congress, mental-health advocates are quietly planning a quick campaign for the bill's passage.
• Warm Weather Keeping Skiers Off Slopes
  Balmy weather this winter has been bad news for skiers — and the resorts that want their money. At Liberty Mountain Resort in Carroll Valley, Pa., it's been so warm that workers can't even make man-made snow.
• Bush Must Convince Congress on Iraq Troop Levels
  President Bush is set to announce changes in his Iraq strategy Wednesday night, including an expected increase in U.S. troop levels. Advance word of that plan has already prompted Democrats newly in control of Congress to warn that they will not automatically approve the funding.
• Power Struggle Between Palestinian Leaders Heats Up
  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and rival ruling faction Hamas are in a power struggle. The friction between the leaders has increasingly become violent amid rising political problems in Israel. More than 30 Palestinians have been killed in factional fighting over the past month.
• Proving Laws of Probability, Caltech Snaps Losing Streak
  Congratulations to the Caltech Beavers. Over the weekend, they won their first NCAA basketball game since 1996. Beating out Bard College of New York 81-52, Caltech ended a 207-game losing streak. The math-and-science whizzes of the California Institute of Technology know well the next set of numbers they need to crack: The Beavers haven't won a conference game in 245 tries over more than two decades.
• This 'Prince' Was Way Overdue
  A Michigan man was in ninth grade when he checked out a book to research a paper. The book was Prince of Egypt by Dorothy Clarke Wilson. The man says his mother misplaced the book while cleaning house. And it went missing for 47 years. It didn't turn up until last week, when he was looking for the family archives. The man remembers getting an A on his paper. Which is some consolation for his library fine: $171.

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