Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art makes noise at St. Paul museum
  The spatial, sculptural and psychological dimensions of sound are the focus of a new exhibition at the Minnesota Museum of American Art in St. Paul. Organizers of "Sound in Art/Art in Sound" say it's designed to bring the background noise of our lives into the foreground of our consciousness.6:53 a.m.
• Potential power struggle at the Capitol
  Members of the Minnesota House Taxes Committee are set to take up the tax bill, and conference committees will meet in the House and Senate to discuss spending bills. Meanwhile, Gov. Pawlenty is threatening to use his veto power.7:20 a.m.
• Open government laws at issue in South Dakota
  The South Dakota Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in a first-of-its-kind case dealing with open records.7:25 a.m.
• Widening Somali conflict has locals worried
  Violence in Somalia escalated dramatically over the weekend with hundreds more civilians killed and injured. The war is affecting Minnesota's Somali community deeply as many fear for the safety of family and friends back home.7:50 a.m.
• More than 20,000 care packages and counting
  A loosely organized group of Minnesotans has been sending thousands of care packages to troops deployed in the war on terrorism. Without "Operation Minnesota Nice," many of these members of the military would receive little or no mail.7:55 a.m.
• How are high schools doing?
  MPR's Cathy Wurzer talks with Minnesota Public Radio education reporter Laura McCallum for an overview of the current state of high school education.8:25 a.m.
• Monday Markets
  From earnings reports to gas prices, MPR's Cathy Wurzer talks with Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell about the current state of the economy.8:35 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Merger Would Create European Banking Titan
  Britain's Barclays plans to buy the Dutch lending firm ABN Amro in a deal valued at more than $91 billion. The merger would create a bank with nearly 50 million customers, headquartered in Amsterdam.
• Hugh Hefner on a Life Less Ordinary
  Before he was Hef, Hugh Marston Hefner was the son of a couple from Nebraska, growing up on Chicago's Westside, at a time when it was still prairie. Today, a reality show chronicles the lives of Hefner's three blonde live-in girlfriends.
• As I Grow Old
  David Greenberger has made a career of talking with old people and sharing their stories in books, magazines and CDs. He believes the elderly friends he's made over time are teaching him how to grow old.
• Looking Back at Yeltsin's Career
  Leon Aron, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote a book about Boris Yeltsin. He offers his view of the former Russian leader's career and influence. Yeltsin died Monday at 76, apparently from heart failure.
• Former Russian President Yeltsin Dies at 76
  Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin has died. We remember him as the man who engineered the final collapse of the Soviet Union. He served nine years as the first freely elected president of Russia.
• Guest-Worker Debate: Human or Mechanical Labor?
  American growers who say they need more workers to pick crops are pushing lawmakers to pass an agricultural guest-worker program. Business leaders and even some unions endorse the idea. Critics say giving farmers a low-wage, imported workforce will stifle modernization.
• Churches Set Tone of Memory, Forgiveness
  Church services in Blacksburg, Va., were poignant on the first Sunday following the shootings at Virginia Tech. At one church, the fallen were remembered name by name, with punctuation from piano chords. At another, the pastor preached a message of forgiveness.
• 'Star Wars' Stamps: A Force to Be Reckoned With?
  You have one month left to persuade the Postal Service to choose your favorite Star Wars character for a sheet of stamps. An online "election" determines a winner. As of last week, wise Yoda led evil Darth Vader.
• Nigerian Election Results Hotly Disputed
  Opposition candidates for Nigeria's presidency refuse to accept results that show a win for ruling-party candidate Umaru Yar'Adua. Outside monitors also say voting was marred by violence and ballot tampering.
• Cases of Forced Abortions Surface in China
  Dozens of women in southwest China have recently been forced into abortions, some late in their pregnancies. It's not the first time a local government has been accused of such an action, but it's surprising because China has relaxed its law that limits each family to one child.
• For Iraqi Sisters, Staying Home Presents Dilemma
  Isra al-Rubaie lives with her two sisters in a largely Sunni neighborhood. As Shiites, the women face a difficult choice: Should they leave the home they love or stay and risk becoming casualties of Iraq's sectarian conflict?
• NBA Playoffs: The Heat Is In, But For How Long?
  It was a busy weekend for basketball fans — the NBA playoffs have begun. Can the defending champion Miami Heat repeat? They have to get by the Bulls first, and they're a little bit banged-up. In the West, the Dallas Mavericks are the favorite.
• Data Breach Revealed at USDA Web Site
  For more than a decade, the Department of Agriculture posted Social Security numbers of agricultural-grant awardees on its Web site — 63,000 names in all. It's the latest in a string of security problems uncovered at federal agencies.
• Light-Bulb Switch May Create a Glaring Problem
  Environmental groups are trying to get people to buy fluorescent bulbs because they save energy and they're better for the environment. But some homeowners take a dim view of the way fluorescent bulbs look.
• For Texting Winner, It's All in the Thumbs
  In the "sport" of text messaging, 13-year-old Morgan Pozgar of Claysburg, Pa., is a winner. By typing "supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" in 15 seconds, she became the LG National texting champion, with a $25,000 prize. By the way, in the more conventional sport of basketball, the NCAA is considering banning coaches from texting potential recruits at high schools.

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