Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• New Islamic mortgages now available in Minnesota
  Advocates say Islamic mortgages will help expand home ownership among Muslims.6:50 a.m.
• MnDOT to shore up road over abandoned mine shafts
  The federal stimulus package provides funding for shovel-ready infrastructure projects, and in Minnesota one of those projects involves protecting the public from hazards left over from shoveling long ago.6:55 a.m.
• New state budget forecast out this week
  It's a big week at the State Capitol. A new economic forecast comes out Tuesday, and all signs are pointing to an even bigger state budget deficit. The budget is just one of the many issues coming up this week for state lawmakers.7:20 a.m.
• State colleges prepare for budget cuts
  St. Cloud State University already lost $1.6 million when Gov. Pawlenty used his budget-cutting authority late last year.7:25 a.m.
• Markets with Chris Farrell
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the latest in the financial markets.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Expert: Chances Slim For Mideast Peace Agreement
  The success of President Obama's Middle East initiatives will depend partly on Israel. After last month's parliamentary elections failed to produce a clear winner, right-wing leader Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to put together a coalition government. Aaron David Miller, an adviser to six U.S. secretaries of state, discusses Netanyahu's approach to negotiations with the Palestinians.
• Testing The Benefits, Burdens Of School Choice
  Since Hurricane Katrina, education in New Orleans has evolved from an ineffective and corrupt centralized school district to a kind of educational shopping mall. Parent can choose from among 80 schools with different approaches to teaching — and different success rates.
• French Farms Get A Makeover
  In France, nearly every industry is laying off workers except one: Farming. Yet French farmers say they are unable to fill thousands of positions each year. In an effort to attract new recruits, the French government has launched a campaign to jazz up farming's image.
• East Coast Storm Marches In Like A Lion
  A late winter storm has dumped more than a foot of snow in spots across the East Coast. Hundreds of flights have been delayed or cancelled and schools are closed.
• Irish Airline Nixes Pay Toilets For Now
  The head of Ryanair has suggested the idea of pay toilets. Michael O'Leary said future passengers on his European no-frills airline might be obliged to insert a British pound coin before using the restroom. The airline's staff wasn't sure if he was joking. O'Leary pioneered charging airline customers to check bags, to use a check-in desk and to use a credit or debit card to make an on-line booking.
• Clinton Pledges Aid To Palestinians
  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is pledging about $900 million to Palestinians, a third of which will help rebuild war-ravaged Gaza. Clinton is in Egypt attending a conference seeking money for Gaza and the Palestinian economy. All the money must be approved by Congress.
• U.S. Government Revises AIG's Bailout Package
  The Treasury and the Federal Reserve announced a new bailout for the troubled insurance company on Monday. It's the fourth time the government's stepped in to save AIG. The new agreement restructures AIG's existing $150 billion bailout. It involves another $30 billion of taxpayer money. AIG also announced its latest quarterly financial report. It lost nearly $62 billion dollars — the biggest quarterly loss in corporate history.
• LA County To Have No Cussing Week
  Los Angeles officials are preparing another campaign against air pollution. On Tuesday, the L-A County Board of Supervisors will issue a proclamation: It will declare No Cussing Week. It's at the request of a teenager named McKay Hatch. The 15 year old doesn't expect full compliance.
• Journalists Tour Pakistan Military's Accomplishments
  Defense Secretary Robert Gates believes the "most worrisome" part of the U.S. war in Afghanistan is actually in Pakistan. After a six-month offensive, Pakistan's military says it has driven the Taliban out of one region in the tribal belt bordering Afghanistan. It's an area where the foreign media are banned. But over the weekend, Pakistan's military flew some journalists there.
• Jim, Tammy Faye Bakker's Old Shows For Sale
  Thousands of episodes of "The PTL Club" starring Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker are to be auctioned. The televangelists hosted the Christian talk show from their theme park. The show ended when Jim was imprisoned for fraud after a sex scandal. The couple later divorced.
• Kansas Gov. To Be Named Health Secretary
  President Obama names his health secretary on Monday. It's expected to be Democratic Governor Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas. Later this week, Obama hosts lawmakers and representatives of major interest groups at a White House summitt on overhauling health care.
• 23 Compete For Emanuel's Congressional Seat
  Primary elections will be held in Chicago Tuesday to narrow the field of candidates vying to fill the congressional seat of Rahm Emanuel. More than 20 candidates are running for the seat vacated when Emanuel became President Obama's chief of staff.
• Remembering Broadcast Legend Paul Harvey
  The man with one of America's most familiar radio voices has died. Paul Harvey had been heard on national radio since 1951 and was known for his trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story." He died Saturday at the age of 90.
• The War Vietnam Wants To Forget
  Thirty years ago this month. Vietnam and China fought a brief but bloody border war. The conflict lasted less than a month but as many as 60,000 people may have died. Though neither side likes to talk about it much.
• Court To Examine Prisoners' Right To DNA Evidence
  The Supreme Court on Monday will hear a case that could determine whether a person imprisoned for a crime has a constitutional right to access physical evidence when new methods of analysis could exonerate him.

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