Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Week ahead at the Minnesota Legislature
  DFLers in the Minnesota House will release a tax bill Monday morning that could help provide property tax relief to Minnesota homeowners. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck looks ahead to the coming week at the Minnesota Capitol.7:20 a.m.
• Information link elusive between high schools and colleges
  Legislators are considering changing the data practices law to allow tracking of students from elementary school through college.7:25 a.m.
• Cold, wet weather slows spring planting
  In many parts of the state, this spring's cold, wet weather is delaying the start of the planting season for Minnesota farmers. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with Wayne Schoper, an extension educator for Brown and Nicollet counties.7:50 a.m.
• Why are grocery prices going up?
  With food prices soaring around the globe, the head of the University of Minnesota's Food Industry Center talks about the factors behind the rising cost of food.7:55 a.m.
• Markets with Chris Farrell
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell discusses the upcoming meeting of the Federal Reserve and other economic news.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Justin Townes Earle: Sobering Up to Music
  The Nashville singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle is trying to make his own career in music. But it comes with some history: His father is the outspoken Steve Earle, and at 25, Justin has already fought off a powerful drug habit that nearly killed him.
• Letters: Pa. Primary, Pope, Food Banks, Carter
  Hosts Renee Montagne and Steve Inskeep read listeners' responses to coverage of the Pennsylvania presidential primary, Pope Benedict's U.S. visit, Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas leaders and the effects of rising food prices on U.S. food banks.
• Afghan President Escapes Assassination Attempt
  Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai escaped unhurt Sunday from an assassination attempt for which the Taliban took responsibility. Three people were killed in the attack, which occurred at an official celebration in the nation's capital.
• Political Wrap-Up: Barack Obama on 'Fox News'
  Renee Montagne talks to NPR Senior News Analyst Cokie Roberts about the race between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. The Illinois senator appeared on Fox News Sunday, his first time on Fox in more than two years. And his controversial former pastor spoke to the NAACP Sunday.
• Clinton Courts Rural N.C., Where Obama Leads
  Last week's Pennsylvania primary was good news for Hillary Clinton. Barack Obama, her rival for the Democratic presidential nomination, is hoping to pick up a win in North Carolina's primary May 6. It's a state where Obama holds a sizable lead, but Clinton is making headway.
• Taco Truck Lover Maps His Favorite Eateries Online
  Plenty of Web sites allow ordinary people to review restaurants, and good reviews on sites like Chowhound and Yelp can help a restaurant. Now tech-savvy food lovers are creating a new kind of culinary Web site that steers people toward smaller, harder-to-find eateries. YumTacos.com is a prime example.
• Retailers Hope to Get a Piece of Taxpayer Rebates
  Taxpayers this week will start receiving payments from the federal government that are supposed to help stimulate the weakening economy. Some stores are offering special deals to consumers who swap their payments for gift cards.
• Mars Aims to Buy Wrigley for Nearly $23 Billion
  The chocolate candy company Mars plans to buy the gum company Wrigley for nearly $23 billion. The deal will bring many of the most famous names in candy under one corporate roof, and it'll end Wrigley's 117-year history as an independent family-owned company.
• A Solution for Fuel Pumps That Stop at $3.99
  The price gauges on some mechanical fuel pumps don't go higher than $3.99, but the price of diesel has soared way past that, forcing some gas stations to shut down diesel pumps while they figure out what to do. Washington state has a solution: Stations can sell diesel by the half-gallon, as long as they post big signs.
• Militants Attack U.S., Iraqi Posts in Green Zone
  In Baghdad, the U.S. military is reporting the deaths of 38 Iraqi militants who launched attacks during a sandstorm. The attacks defied the latest ceasefire call by militant cleric Muqtada al-Sadr.
• Lee County, Fla., Suffers Foreclosure Glut
  A few years ago, there was a rush to buy property in sun-drenched Lee County, Fla. Bidding wars were common for homes that hadn't even been built yet. But those days are over, and the market now is clogged with thousands of unsold homes. The decline is so extreme that people are looking for ways to walk away from their properties.
• Justice Scalia, the Great Dissenter, Opens Up
  "I'm an originalist and a textualist, not a nut," the Supreme Court justice says in a rare interview. He breaks down why he believes it is important to "destroy" wrong opinions and why he won't be John McCain's running mate.
• Rev. Wright: I'm Descriptive, Not Divisive
  Sen. Barack Obama's former pastor got a standing ovation Sunday night at an annual NAACP dinner in Detroit. The Rev. Jeremiah Wright talked to the crowd of roughly 12,000 people about cultural differences between blacks and whites and the changes needed to heal the nation.
• Efforts to Return Exiles to Iran Problematic
  The government of Iran is closely watching the fate of the Iranian opposition group living at Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Although the government views the group as a threat, some Iranians see the situation differently. An Iranian NGO is trying to help them return to Iran.
• U.S.-Protected Iranian Exiles in Limbo in Iraq
  Since the invasion of Iraq in 2003, the United States has protected Camp Ashraf, home to more than 3,000 members of a cult-like exiled Iranian opposition group. They don't want to return to Iran, but Iraqi officials don't want the group there, and no other countries will accept them.

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