Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dollars and bills
  To raise taxes or not is emerging as a big question at the State Capitol.7:20 a.m.
• Transit ridership up nationally
  Transit ridership in this country is up. Higher gasoline prices appear to be part of the reason. A check with some Twin Cities riders shows parking costs are also a factor.7:25 a.m.
• Familiar names leaving Star Tribune
  About a dozen workers at the Star Tribune, including reporters, may be leaving the newspaper this week. They've accepted a buyout offer following the sale of the state's largest newspaper.7:55 a.m.
• Monday Markets
  Cathy Wurzer gets an update on the marketplace from Minnesota Public Radio chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell.8:25 a.m.
• State takes control of wolf population
  The state of Minnesota is back in charge of its gray wolf population. The federal government had been in control of the wolf for the past 30 years because it was under endangered species protection.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ski-Mask Wearing Man Arrested Outside Store
  Kevin Lambert says you shouldn't be biased against him just because he's wearing a ski mask. In 2005 he walked out of a package liquor store and put on a ski mask for a photo. Somebody thought the store had been robbed and called police, who arrested him. Now Mr. Lambert and his friends are wearing ski masks around Winsted, Conn. They insist there's no reason to be afraid. Ski masks don't kill people — people kill people.
• Man Supports Troops with Firecracker Stunt
  A Michigan man strapped more than 13,000 firecrackers onto himself, and lit the fuse. John Fletcher publicized it as an effort to support U.S. troops. It was an event to collect cell phones for soldiers. The Daily Press and Argus, in Livingston County, Mich., shows Fletcher standing calmly as the firecrackers explode. Afterward he did say he needed some Tylenol.
• Patti Austin Spins New Stories from Old Classics
  Patti Austin is best known as an R&B singer. But on her new album, she reinterprets the American standards of George Gershwin — including the controversial song "Swanee," made famous — and infamous — by Al Jolson.
• Smuggled Bushmeat Poses U.S. Health Threat
  In Africa, some people hunt wild animals for their meat. Some of this so-called bushmeat is smuggled into the United States. Health experts say that it sometimes contains microbes that cause serious diseases.
• NCAA Tournament Selections Favor Big Teams
  The 65-team NCAA men's basketball tournament begins this week. Defending champion Florida, North Carolina, Ohio State, and Kansas are the top seeds. In picking this year's at-large teams, the selection committee favored clubs from the power conferences.
• Iconic French Museum Opening Branch in Middle East
  France's Louvre is opening a branch in the Middle East. In a deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars, one of the United Arab Emirates will get to use exhibits from, and the name of, the Louvre. But critics say the deal is nothing more than crass commercialism.
• Will Bill Clinton's Popularity Help Hillary?
  Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) has been bringing her husband to major events on the campaign trail lately. But the former president's popularity may not be a clear-cut advantage for his wife's campaign.
• Republican Presidential Field for 2008 Grows Again
  More Republicans appear ready to enter the 2008 race for president, with Fred Thompson suggesting he might run and Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) planning on announcing his intentions Monday.
• Wikipedia Considers Vetting Contributor Credentials
  The online encyclopedia Wikipedia is running into trouble with with contributor credentials. Last week it discovered that an influential contributor who claimed to be a theology professor was, in fact, a 24-year-old college dropout.
• Halliburton Opening a Headquarters in Dubai
  Oil industry services company Halliburton is moving its CEO and other corporate leadership to new headquarters in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
• Local Immigration Law Challenged by ACLU
  The ACLU is challenging an immigration ordinance passed last year by the town of Hazleton, Pa. The local ordinance would penalize employers who hire undocumented immigrants, and fine landlords who rent to them.
• County Agencies Rescue Veterans from Bureaucracy
  Many veterans are turning to county agencies to help them navigate the often-dense government bureaucracy that stands between them and their benefits.
• Paperwork Slows Treatment for Wounded Soldier
  Army Sgt. Chase Gean spent months at a Boston Veterans Affairs hospital after he was shot and paralyzed during fighting in Afghanistan. But he hasn't had a therapy session since Thanksgiving. That's because Gean hasn't been officially discharged from the Army.
• China Nears Passage of Landmark Property Law
  China's National People's Congress is on the brink of passing the most controversial law in the history of communist China. The law would protect private property by mandating compensation when the government expropriates it.
• Bombing Kills Shiite Pilgrims in Iraq
  A suicide bomber killed more than two dozen Shia on Sunday, a day after a regional conference in Baghdad focused on improving Iraqi security. The religious pilgrims killed in the attack were returning from the holy city of Karbala.

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