Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pawlenty set to release two year budget plan
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty is set to unveil a two-year budget proposal Monday that tops $30 billion and puts his spending priorities for the 2007 session in sharper focus.7:20 a.m.
• Capitol budget and bipartisanship
  Minnesota Public Radio reporter Tom Scheck talks with Perry Finelli about the week ahead at the Capitol.7:25 a.m.
• Bolivians benefit from Minnesota's surplus medical goods
  Rather than wringing their hands over all that is wrong in the world, a Mendota Heights couple is actually doing something about it. Segundo and Joan Velasquez collect new and used medical goods headed for the trash heap in this country and send them to clinics in Bolivia.7:55 a.m.
• Monday Markets
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell offers an update on the state of the economy, and he talked with Perry Finelli about about lower oil prices and the State of the Union speech.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Iraqi Kidnapping Hits Home at NPR
  Abdulla Mizead, an NPR reporter in Baghdad, is still waiting for news of his kidnapped father after negotiating for his release and paying a ransom. Stories of abduction are common in the chaotic Iraqi capital.
• Full House in White House Race
  The 2008 presidential election is still nearly two years away, but the field of candidates is beginning to fill up for both parties. There are now eight Democrats and four Republicans in the running.
• Pennsylvania Family Struggles with Soldier's Death
  Army Sgt. Jae Moon of Levittown, Pa., died in Baghdad when a roadside bomb detonated near his patrol unit on Christmas Day. His mother says "I don't need a hero. I need my son."
• 'Little Miss Sunshine' Wins Producers' Guild Honor
  Oscar nominations are due Tuesday, and an underdog Best Picture prospect got a boost over the weekend. The Producers Guild of America picked Little Miss Sunshine for best picture.
• California Hopes Smart Meter Will Spur Conservation
  Millions of Californian consumers could soon know the real costs of their electricity with the debut of the Smart Meter. Environmentalists and economists think it will make them more careful about how and when they use energy.
• Gambling Probe Rattles the Markets
  Share prices in the world's largest online gaming company, PartyGaming, fall sharply on the London markets after news that the United States will continue an investigation into online gambling.
• Serb Elections Results Leave Questions
  Members of the hard-line Radical Party in Serbia won 28 percent of the vote in Sunday's general election. But they might not be able to form a government.
• Libby Jury Selection Includes Some Surprises
  The judge in the Lewis "Scooter" Libby trial is surprising many observers with the potential jurors he has so far refused to excuse from serving. Among them are journalists and others who have had daily contact with people involved in the case.
• Democrats Consider a Changing Abortion Agenda
  For years, people have tried to bring the two sides of the abortion debate together to pursue ways to prevent unplanned pregnancies. Democrats have two reasons now to push for a more moderate abortion-avoidance agenda: They have more anti-abortion members than before, and presidential candidates are favoring the center.
• Midwestern Farmers Cope with Hay Shortage
  Blizzards across the high plains, summer fires in Oklahoma and a drought across the western Midwest have combined to create a hay shortage. Hay is going for nearly three times the normal price in some places.
• Boost from Big Stores Has Religion Books Rising
  Sales of books on religion have sold to a wider audience since the Sept. 11 attacks. Now major retailers are creating much more room for religious titles, and writers are taking notice.
• Coaches in Focus as Colts, Bears Advance
  As the Colts meet the Bears in Miami, the coaching matchup will get special attention. Tony Dungy of the Colts and Lovie Smith of the Bears will be the first black head coaches in the Super Bowl.
• Libby Judge Rose Above a Troubled Youth
  Judge Reggie Walton says he was once a young man on the brink of a wasted life, getting in trouble with the police, before he focused on getting to college and law school.
• Sadr Followers to End Parliament Boycott
  Reports that Shiite leader Muqtada al-Sadr and his radical movement will end a boycott of Iraq's parliament are raising a number of questions about politics in Iraq.
• Establishing Bipartisanship Is a Big Challenge
  Bipartisanship has been the talk of the nation's capital since Democrats won control of Congress in November. Is it possible for Congress and the White House to make good on their rhetoric?

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