Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Will merger solve library's problems?
  Hennepin County Commissioners meet Tuesday to consider a merger of the Minneapolis and Hennepin Libraries, to help solve a funding problem with the city library system.7:20 a.m.
• Republicans in St. Paul
  Concerns about the bulge of people in St. Paul for the 2008 Republican National Convention arise at public meetings.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ethiopian-American Artists Make Their Mark
  Author Dinaw Mengestu is among a generation of Ethiopian Americans whose families fled the East African nation in the 1970s and '80s. Now their writing, music and art are adding a new chapter to the epic of American immigration.
• Church Tries Its Hand at Sex Education
  The federal government has invested millions of dollars in sex-education programs for public schools that emphasize abstinence. But a church in Washington state is among many now offering their own sex-ed programs, which they say offer a fuller picture.
• Russian Exhibit Looks at Belief After Communism
  The collapse of the Soviet Union left most artists to fend for themselves. Now Russia's new wealth is helping fund new galleries and fuel hopes that Moscow will once again become a major part of the global art world.
• D.C. Mayor Addresses Blow to Handgun Ban
  A federal appeals court says the city can't keep people from having handguns in their homes. The case seems headed to the Supreme Court. Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty says the ban is one way to fight a disturbing murder rate.
• Reports: Firing of All U.S. Attorneys Was Proposed
  There are reports that the White House suggested two years ago that the Justice Department fire all 93 U.S. attorneys. The Washington Post and The New York Times report that Attorney General Alberto Gonzales approved dismissing a smaller group.
• Pa. City's Law Offers Immigration Test Case
  A federal judge in Pennsylvania is considering whether an ordinance passed by the city of Hazleton is legal. City officials are seeking to penalize people who hire and rent property to illegal immigrants.
• Immigration Proposal Inflames French Campaign
  France's leading conservative presidential candidate, Nicholas Sarkozy, proposes a ministry of immigration and national identity. He says the move would reduce bureaucracy. Political opponents call his proposal racist and xenophobic.
• NASA Report on Asteroids Suggests Nuclear Option
  Scientists have sent Congress a report on ways to prevent an asteroid from hitting Earth. Among the proposals: Use nuclear weapons to nudge a big space rock off a collision course. Some scientists don't think much of that idea.
• Documentary Highlights Montana's Meth Problem
  A documentary focusing on methamphetamine use in Montana will air on HBO this month, as part of a series on addiction. State officials say the film is hardening their resolve to find new ways to address the problem.
• Unfazed by China Trouble, Starbucks Eyes India
  A Chinese lawmaker is calling for Starbucks' removal from the Forbidden City. The company says it's trying to resolve the concerns. Meanwhile, it's moving into the world's other big tea-drinking nation. The first Starbucks in India will open this year. But it will be in New Delhi or Mumbai, not the Taj Mahal.
• Zimbabwe Opposition Leaders Arrested, Beaten
  Opposition leaders are among scores of Zimbabweans under arrest after a crackdown by President Robert Mugabe's security forces. One opposition leader was reportedly beaten while in police custody.
• Schultz Bemoans Starbucks' Lost 'Soul'
  Starbucks plans to open an additional 40,000 stores worldwide. But in a recent e-mail to staff, CEO Howard Schultz complained the coffee shops have "lost their soul." He urged employees to help bring the company back to its founding principles.
• TV Anchor Wants Starbucks Out of Forbidden City
  Starbucks coffee shops are seemingly everywhere, including China's Forbidden City, the ancient home of Chinese emperors. Rui Chenggang, a Chinese TV anchor, says the coffee shop does not belong in the country's most-prized tourist site.
• South Africa Seeks Solutions to Crime Problems
  High-profile murders and robberies have fueled a perception that crime is rampant in South Africa. The crime rate is high, but has dropped a bit in recent years. Still, government officials concede crime is a major problem.
• Wounded Soldier Fights for Health Benefits
  One soldier's fight to get disability benefits after being wounded in Iraq illustrates a much more widespread problem. Some soldiers claim it has actually gotten harder to receive health benefits since the war began.

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