Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• House passes school funding bill
  DFL leaders in the Minnesota House say they've passed one of the best education funding bills the state has seen in decades.7:20 a.m.
• Crime and decay follow foreclosures in Minneapolis
  The home foreclosure crisis is setting off fears of crime and decay in some Minneapolis neighborhoods.7:25 a.m.
• Flood forecasting improves after 1997 disaster
  Some residents along the Red River criticized the National Weather Service for not providing an accurate warning of the severity of the flood in 1997. Now, there are new systems in place to prevent a disaster like the one in 1997 from happening again.7:50 a.m.
• 2007 MSP International Film Festival launches amidst concerns for the future
  As the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film celebrates its silver anniversary, organizers admit there are concerns about its future.7:55 a.m.
• A critic in the Big Apple
  Morning Edition arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic Dominic Papatola is in New York for a few days, taking in some shows soon to be on Twin Cities stages.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bush Warns Sudan During Holocaust Museum Visit
  President Bush reiterates threats to impose sanctions against Sudan, which the U.S. says has ignored ethnic genocide in the Darfur region. The president made the comments while touring the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.
• Gonzales Spars with Senate Panel
  Sharp questions are asked of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales in a visit to Capitol Hill. He appeared at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing to answer questions about his role in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys.
• Inside Room 207: A Survivor's Tale
  Virginia Tech student Erin Sheehan survived Monday's shooting attack on her German class at Norris Hall. Many of her classmates did not. Sheehan recounts stories of heroism and horror, and says she will stay in school.
• A 'Righteous' Honor for an Arab Who Saved Jews
  During World War II, in Tunisia, Khaleb Abdulwahab helped save the lives of a Jewish family. He is the first Arab nominated for a "Righteous Among the Nations" honor from Israel's Holocaust Museum.
• Great Expectations for Dickens Theme Park
  A $125 million Charles Dickens theme park is set to open outside London in May. Attractions will include cobblestone streets, staff dressed as pickpockets and wenches. Plus rat catchers who will hunt down vermin.
• Feith Takes Iraq Policy Debate to Georgetown
  Douglas Feith left a high-profile Pentagon job, where he helped shape U.S. policy leading to the war in Iraq, for Georgetown University. He's now teaching a seminar on the Bush administration's war on terrorism.
• Senate Panel Set to Hear from Gonzales
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will return to Capitol Hill on Thursday for much-anticipated testimony on the firing of eight U.S. attorneys. The Senate Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing amid calls for Gonzales to step down.
• High Court Ruling a Blow to Abortion Rights
  The U.S. Supreme Court upholds a federal ban on "intact dilation and extraction," a procedure known to critics as partial-birth abortion. Wednesday's ruling is seen as a significant blow to abortion rights.
• Smoke Break Turns Out to Be Lifesaver
  A South Carolina woman was washing dishes in her kitchen this week when she decided to go outside for a cigarette. Brenda Comer turned around to see an 80-foot oak tree crashing through her roof. It hit the kitchen sink, where she had been standing seconds earlier.
• New Orleans Runs Short on Public Defenders
  A judge in New Orleans has released 42 inmates who were suspected of drug crimes. They lack legal counsel, so they can't be tried. The public defender's office has been in crisis since Hurricane Katrina.
• Yahoo Faces Suit over Chinese Operations
  A lawsuit from the World Organization for Human Rights USA accuses Yahoo of providing information to the Chinese government that led to the arrest and torture of dissidents. Yahoo, Google, Microsoft and other U.S. technology companies have signed pledges to abide by China's censorship laws. A Yahoo spokesman says the company must comply with those laws or its employees would face civil or criminal penalties.
• Iraq Security Measures Failing, Iraqis Say
  Amid a flurry of fatal bombings, many Iraqis say U.S.-led attempts to increase security in Baghdad are failing. Critics say additional checkpoints simply mean larger crowds — and make for bigger targets.
• Google Earnings Awaited; eBay Profits Jump
  Google, one of the Web's biggest success stories, is expected to announce Thursday that its earnings are up as well. Meanwhile, the Internet auction site eBay reports that quarterly earnings are up 52 percent, an impressive jump.
• Innovative Vonage Blocked by Powerful Rival
  The innovative Internet phone company Vonage is on the verge of collapse after copyright infringement lawsuits from traditional phone giant Verizon. Some see Verizon's legal action as a simple power play.
• Hometown Honors Virginia Tech Professor
  Hundreds gather at a church in the small town of Pine Mountain, Ga., where Virginia Tech language professor Jamie Bishop grew up. The 35-year-old instructor was among those killed during Monday's attacks.

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