Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Heffelfinger: Politics didn't play a role in leaving U.S. Attorney post
  As the White House faces increasing scrutiny over the firing of eight U.S. attorneys, Tom Heffelfinger says political pressure wasn't the reason he stepped down from his U.S. attorney post a year ago.7:17 a.m.
• Survey finds hundreds of kids alone and on the streets each night
  Nearly 700 Minnesota kids under 18 were homeless each night in 2006, according to the Wilder Foundation's state-wide, one-day homelessness survey.7:22 a.m.
• Wine sale bill gets first hearing
  A bill to allow grocery stores to sell wine got its first hearing at the state Capitol, but its prospects remain uncertain.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Context: How U.S. Attorneys Are Hired and Fired
  David Burnham, a writer and researcher who analyzes government enforcement agencies, explains how U.S. attorneys are appointed and dismissed. He calls the recent firing of eight federal prosecutors unprecedented, and says the criteria for the dismissals are unclear.
• Eagle Population Up, But Prime Habitat Threatened
  Bald eagles may soon be taken off the endangered species list thanks to a recent surge in population. Yet biologists worry that waterfront development is rapidly eating up eagle habitat and that the birds are still in peril.
• Arkansas Legislature Addresses a Weighty Issue
  They're calling it the Arkansas Apostrophe Act, or Arkansas'S Apostrophe Act. How to treat the possessive form in the state with a silent 's' at the end? It's an issue that goes back to 1836 when Arkansas became a state. This week, the state House approved a resolution to settle the question: put an apostrophe and extra "s" at the end. Now Arkansas's (or is that pronounced Arkansa's?) state senators will weigh in.
• Jackson State Prepares to Face Top-Seeded Florida
  The Jackson State Tigers will face the Florida Gators in the opening round of the NCAA men's basketball tournament. Tigers' head coach Tevester Anderson says his team will come to play.
• Taliban Promise Afghan Offensive in the Spring
  Within the next few weeks the snow will melt in the Afghan mountains. When it does, the Taliban say they will launch a fierce spring offensive. American officials say they're confident they can reverse last year's trend, when overall Taliban attacks doubled and suicide attacks quadrupled.
• Awards Recognize Activists in India, Sudan
  Margaret Alva and Awut Deng Acuil are political activists from India and Southern Sudan. They're both receiving the Vital Voices Global Leadership Award Wednesday for their humanitarian work.
• Coffee Created for People with Sensitive Stomachs
  "Stomach friendly" coffee is a new product aimed at people who complain that coffee affects their digestive system. Folgers says 35 to 40 million Americans have cut back on coffee because of stomach problems. So it's come out with a product called "Simply Smooth." Another coffee company's created "Gentle Java."
• Rare Rabbit Seeded in Central Washington State
  The pygmy rabbit has been listed as endangered for six years. Tuesday, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife introduced a number of the creatures to a remote preserve. They hope to jumpstart the animal's population in central Washington state.
• Trial of Former Media Mogul Conrad Black Begins
  Jury selection begins Wednesday in Chicago in the trial of former media mogul Conrad Black. Black and three other executives of Hollinger International are accused of stealing at least $80 million from shareholders.
• Ugandans Scarred by Experience as Child Soldiers
  Child soldiers are fighting in a number of conflicts in Africa, and around the world. In the time that it would normally take one child to be born and go to college, a rebel army in northern Uganda is believed to have stolen more than 20,000 children.
• Spring a Season of Dread for Troops in Afghanistan
  Capt. Benjamin Tupper is in Paktika, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border. He's a member of the Army National Guard, embedded as a trainer with the Afghan National Army. And he's not looking forward to spring.
• San Francisco Nears Ban on Plastic Grocery Bags
  San Francisco is moving closer to outlawing all plastic grocery bags. Supporters of the move claim the bags create too much garbage. But grocers say the ban will only raise costs.
• Latin America Trip Not Entirely Business as Usual
  President Bush wraps up a week-long tour of Latin America on Wednesday. While the trip included high-level diplomacy, public protests and questions about politics back home, there were lighter moments along the way.
• NCAA Tournament Filled with Undeserving Teams
  The NCAA men's basketball tournament gets underway Thursday. It's a field padded with big-conference also-rans who have taken spots from more deserving teams with lesser pedigrees.
• Fired U.S. Attorney Links Job Loss to Abramoff
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales says the firing of several U.S. attorneys was not politically motivated. But one of the fired attorneys says he was replaced in 2003 because he tried to start an investigation into lobbyist Jack Abramoff.

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