Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Mpls. schools plan includes closed schools, fewer magnets, less busing
  The Minneapolis School District wants to close four of its buildings, move some operations to other schools, and get rid of five magnet programs.6:20 a.m.
• Dozens rally for ousted principal as lawmakers demand reinstatement
  Tim Cadotte was recently removed as principal of Burroughs Community School and placed on leave after an incident that's under investigation.6:25 a.m.
• Pork producers scramble as swine flu scares consumers
  Hog prices fell sharply yesterday as the flu scare threatens an already struggling industry. Pork produces are scrambling to convince consumers that their product is safe to eat.7:20 a.m.
• House, Senate pass health and welfare bills
  The Minnesota House and Senate have passed separate Health and Human Services finance bills that use federal economic stimulus money to maintain current eligibility for state-subsidized health benefits. Both versions reduce spending, but not by as much as Gov. Tim Pawlenty has called for.7:25 a.m.
• Minnesota GM dealers anxiously await their fate
  After General Motors announced Monday that it will close 42 percent of its 6,200 dealerships by the end of next year, dealers in Minnesota and elsewhere are anxiously awaiting news about whether their businesses will survive.7:40 a.m.
• Centro Legal closes its doors
  A nonprofit community law office in St. Paul has become one of the latest victims of the struggling economy. Centro Legal, which provided legal services to Minnesota's Latino community for the last 28 years, shut down for good Monday.7:45 a.m.
• St. Lawrence Seaway turns 50 amid controversy
  Fifty years ago next Sunday, an oceangoing ship arrived in the Duluth-Superior harbor for the first time -- thanks to the just-opened St. Lawrence Seaway. Critics say it was a colossal mistake -- an open invitation to destructive and aggressive plants and animals from overseas.8:40 a.m.
• Anglers are of two types
  Anglers hitting the water is a common story every spring in Minnesota. Morning Edition commentator Peter Smith says there are two kinds of anglers.8:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Tent Villages Spotlight Plight Of Japan's Unemployed
  Japanese firms have responded to the current downturn by slashing jobs, mostly targeting temporary workers, who now make up one-third of Japan's workforce. In recent months, organizers have set up a series of hakenmura, or villages for laid-off temporary workers.
• Stimulus Funds Help Chicago Glass Factory Reopen
  The window factory in Chicago that was the scene of a tense sit-in by workers in December is reopening. The workers protested when Republic Windows and Doors abruptly shut down the plant after filing for bankruptcy. Now a company that makes energy efficient windows is reopening the factory with indirect help from the federal stimulus package.
• Learning From Past Health Pandemics
  Author Laurie Garrett has written about pandemics in her book The Coming Plague: Newly Emerging Diseases in a World Out of Balance. Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations, talks with Renee Montagne about what has been learned from other public health crises.
• WHO Braces For Flu Pandemic
  The World Health Organization said Monday the world has moved a significant step closer to a global flu pandemic. The WHO says the newly discovered swine flu virus has proved itself capable of passing readily from person to person.
• Texas: 6 Confirmed Cases Of Swine Flu
  State health officials have confirmed a third case of swine flu at a high school in Cibolo, Texas. In all, the state reports six cases. Along the Texas-Mexico border, local and state authorities are monitoring clinics and hospitals for patients complaining of respiratory problems.
• California Braces For More Swine Flu Cases
  In California, there are 11 confirmed cases of swine flu. State officials are bracing for an increase in that number. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says the infrastructure established a few years ago to handle the SARS scare will allow California to respond to whatever happens.
• Sharp Unveils Solar Powered Cell Phone
  Officials at Japan's Sharp Corp. say a solar panel snaps on to the device and soaks up the sun, which powers the phone. The phone is waterproof, which makes it perfect for poolside chatting. Japanese consumers need only worry about clouds. For now, the phone is only being released in Japan.
• Suez Canal Revenue Falls
  Traffic through Egypt's Suez Canal was up slightly in March, but earnings have been steadily down this year. Last fall, piracy in the Gulf of Aden was seen as a serious threat to the canal, but now economists say it's clear that the global economic downturn is doing more damage.
• Oil Giant BP Reports 62 Percent Fall In Profits
  With the recession taking a big bite out of demand for oil, prices have come way down. One of the biggest oil companies in Europe reported a 62 percent drop in first-quarter profits. BP also is slashing costs. So is ConocoPhillips, the third-largest U.S. oil company, which last week announced an 80 percent drop in profits.
• Robbers Take Advantage Of Mexico's Swine Flu
  Normally three people walking into a department store with blue surgical masks covering their faces would stand out. These are not normal times in Mexico City. The armed thieves took advantage of the swine flu outbreak to slip through a department store undetected. They walked away with watches from the jewelry department.
• Wind Gust Carries Away Chihuahua In Michigan
  A woman in the Midwest named Dorothy watched her little dog get carried away by high winds. Dorothy Utley's Chihuahua Tinker Bell took flight Saturday in a 70-mph gust of wind. The Detroit News reported that "witnesses last saw the dog airborne, heading south over Dixie Highway." Utley says a pet psychic led her to Tinker Bell, who was found nearly a mile away, dirty, hungry and happy to see her.
• Mexico Shuts Down Schools To Contain Swine Flu
  The World Health Organization raised its alert level Monday as new cases of swine flu were discovered throughout the world. In Mexico, officials took the extraordinary step of closing all schools throughout the country until May 6. It's the latest effort to try to contain the virus.
• Michigan City Grieves Pontiac's End Of The Line
  After more than 80 years, General Motors officially announced Monday that it will end its Pontiac division next year. That news hit hard for one Michigan city in particular: Pontiac.
• Pakistan Vows To Boost Offensive Against Taliban
  Pakistan warned the Taliban that it would expand its military offensive in the northwest region of the country if Taliban fighters did not withdraw from the area.
• Middle East Economies Wait For Oil To Go Back Up
  Across the Middle East, most economies have been hurt in some way by the sharp decline in oil prices. Big oil producers had large cash reserves to help ease the financial trauma, but the region's poorer states are being hit harder. Mohammed Ali Zeini, a senior energy analyst at the Center for Global Energy Studies in London, talks with Renee Montagne about how the region if faring.

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