Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Women at war, examining the experience
  The role of women in the U.S. military has changed. A North Dakota sociologist is trying to learn how being closer to the front line affects women.6:50 a.m.
• Busy week ahead at the Minnesota Legislature
  Minnesota lawmakers will be back at the Capitol today, where work continues on a state bonding bill. That bill will borrow money to fund construction projects around Minnesota-- projects including college buildings, prisons, zoos, and wastewater treatment plants. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Pugmire covers the state Capitol.7:20 a.m.
• Feds to announce farmers' bets on crops
  The U.S. Agriculture Department this morning releases a report which in some way could affect practically everyone in the U.S. and beyond.7:25 a.m.
• Ralph Rapson, architect of the original Guthrie, has died
  Architects Ralph Rapson, who lived in Minneapolis, died of heart failure over the weekend at the age of 93. In Minnesota, Rapson is best remembered for designing the first Guthrie Theater.7:40 a.m.
• Colleges brace for thinning population of high school graduates
  A new study predicts the number of Minnesota high school students heading to college reaches a peak this year and next, then steadily falls off.7:45 a.m.
• Markets with Chris Farrell
  The Bush administration is proposing the most sweeping overhaul of the financial regulatory system since the Great Depression. Minnesota Public Radio chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell discusses that and other economic news.8:25 a.m.
• Twins open regular season
  When the Minnesota Twins open their regular season tonight at the Metrodome, they'll have several new players on the roster. Centerfielder Torii Hunter and star pitcher Johan Santana have signed with other teams. The Twins have filled the void with a number of young prospects and one wily veteran. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with LaVelle E. Neal III, who covers the Twins for the Star Tribune.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Cubs Mark 100 Years Since Last World Series Title
  Chicago Cubs fans are eagerly awaiting the Major League Baseball season's start. That's because it marks the 100th season since the last World Series title for the Cubs. NPR's David Schaper reports on a century of "wait 'til next year."
• 'Prosperity Gospel' Churches' Spending Reports Due
  Monday is the deadline for some popular mega-churches to report to Congress on how they spend their money. These churches all preach wealth as an essential part of faith.
• 'One Laptop Per Child' Plan Faces Challenges in U.S.
  The group behind the One Laptop Per Child initiative just delivered more of its super-cheap laptops to South Africa, but how will this new technology fare with schoolchildren in the United States? Now the group has a deal to provide computers to kids in Birmingham, Ala.
• Problems Plague Heathrow Airport's New Terminal
  London's Heathrow Airport opened a new terminal last week that was expected to help relieve congestion in one of the world's busiest airports. But that hasn't been the case. Major problems with the baggage handling system caused British Airways to delay and cancel flights in the first few days.
• Aloha Airlines Says Goodbye
  Aloha Airlines is calling it quits. The Hawaiian carrier shuts down service Tuesday, citing unfair competition. The airline has been operating for 61 years, but in the past two years it has been in a brutal price war with a new low-cost airline, and it recently filed for bankruptcy protection.
• Car Dealers Install Payment Reminders
  Car dealers facing higher default rates because of the financial squeeze are trying to get customers to pay up on time — by installing a little plastic box under the dashboard. As the monthly payment date nears, a little light flashes. If the driver doesn't pay up, the vehicle won't start.
• Shiite Politician: Iraqi Government 'Cannot Deliver'
  Iraq's government is claiming some hopeful news after a week of fighting as Muqtada al-Sadr ordered his militiamen to stop fighting. But the declaration doesn't impress Shiite parliament member Kassim Daood, who says "there are many signals showing that this government cannot deliver" on its promise to secure Iraq.
• Israel, Palestinians Make Concessions as Rice Visits
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is wrapping up her latest mission to the Middle East with separate meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. As part of the visit, Israel pledged to remove 50 roadblocks in the West Bank, and Palestinian officials vowed to do more to stop attacks on Israel.
• Backroom Primary: Bill Clinton Courts California
  Former president Bill Clinton on Sunday spoke to democratic activists at the state's annual party convention. But his real audience was a small number of undeclared superdelegates who may determine the presidential nominee for the Democratic Party.
• Four Top-Seeded Teams Make Final 4, NCAA History
  For the first time in NCAA men's basketball history, all four No. 1 seeds are in the Final Four. Kansas will play overall No. 1 seed North Carolina, with UCLA and Memphis meeting in the other semifinal.
• Dith Pran, 'Killing Fields' Journalist, Dies at 65
  Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born journalist who helped bring to light the brutalities of the Khmer Rouge in the 1970s, died over the weekend of pancreatic cancer. He was 65 years old. His experiences inspired the movie The Killing Fields.
• Mixed Reports Boost Scrutiny of Zimbabwe Elections
  Results from Saturday's key parliamentary elections in Zimbabwe are trickling in. A long delay in releasing the results has prompted the opposition to accuse President Robert Mugabe of trying to rig the vote. The election is seen as the toughest challenge to Mugabe's 28-year hold on power.
• Fighting Calms in Iraq amid Mahdi Army Cease-Fire
  Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has ordered his militiamen off the streets as part of a truce to end fighting in Basra and Baghdad. He also called on the government to stop its raids against his followers. Some fighting persists, but al-Sadr's statement raised the possibility of ending much of the violence of the past week.
• Helen Mirren Traces Her Regal Russian Roots
  Actress Helen Mirren has played countless royals — Cleopatra, Queen Charlotte, Queen Elizabeth I and II. It's no coincidence. Aristocracy is in the blood. Even the working class women in her family were "queenly," she says.
• Hollywood's Private Detective to the Stars On Trial
  Anthony Pellicano is on trial in Los Angeles. He's charged with running a criminal enterprise that illegally wiretapped the personal and legal adversaries of his high-powered clients. Those clients included Hollywood stars and power players.

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