Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Franken to pay $70K in back taxes in 17 states
  DFL U.S. Senate candidate Al Franken says he is paying tens of thousands of dollars in back income taxes to more than a dozen states. Franken says he became aware of the taxes owed after a recent review of his books following other tax problems.7:20 a.m.
• U of M to make its case for alternate LRT route
  University of Minnesota officials disagree with the Metropolitan Council over the Central Corridor route through the U of M campus, as the clock ticks on the application for funding.7:25 a.m.
• African Americans more likely to end up in child protection
  African-American children are six times more likely to enter the child protection system in Minnesota than their white counterparts.7:50 a.m.
• Study predicts 28,000 Minn. foreclosures this year
  There were more than 38,000 foreclosures in Minnesota between 2005 and 2007, according to new numbers from a group of state housing organizations. The study suggests there will be 28,282 home foreclosures this year.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Some Eateries Embrace Nutrition-Information Laws
  Dozens of cities and counties are considering laws to require restaurants to post nutritional information, either on posters or on the menu, because of concern about obesity. The restaurant industry opposes the laws, but Fortune Magazine reports that some restaurateurs view them as a marketing opportunity.
• Sluggish GDP Growth May Bring a Rate Cut
  The government's latest estimate on the GDP — gross domestic product is 0.6 percent, the second in a row of slight growth. That allows the economy to skirt the classic definition of recession. But it still points to an overall slowdown, which may prompt the Federal Reserve to cut interest rates again today.
• Why Are Gas Prices Soaring, and What Can U.S. Do?
  Host Steve Inskeep talks to Vijay Vaitheeswaran, a correspondent for the Economist and co-author of Zoom, about the reasons behind high oil prices. They also discuss what the U.S. government can do to help the situation.
• Restructuring Costs Drive Up GM's Quarterly Loss
  General Motors — thought until recently to be on the mend — reported a loss of $3.25 billion in the first quarter. But that number is a little misleading. When one-time charges related to the company's ongoing restructuring are factored out, the loss is more like $350 million. A two-month-long strike by workers at a key parts supplier has affected production at 30 GM plants. The company, which still vies with Toyota for the title of world's largest automaker, made money on its overseas operations.
• Ono Sues over Lennon Video, Documentary Song
  Yoko Ono is going to court over John Lennon's legacy. She is suing Ray Thomas of World Wide Video — which has almost 10 hours of videotapes of Lennon smoking pot and plotting to slip LSD to Richard Nixon — and the makers of the documentary Expelled, who used part of the song "Imagine."
• London Mayoral Race Pits Colorful Candidates
  Voters in London head to the polls Thursday to elect a new mayor. The contest is a match-up between two big personalities on London's political scene — the incumbent Ken Livingstone and his rival Boris Johnson. Andrew Miller, Economist magazine's political editor, talks about the election.
• Brown's Labor Party Faces Losses in Thursday Vote
  Many people in Britain saw Prime Minister Gordon Brown as a welcome replacement for Tony Blair, who was deeply unpopular with the public by the time he left office last year. Now, Brown's honeymoon is over. When Britons vote in local elections Thursday, the results are expected to be disastrous for Brown's ruling Labor Party.
• Mexican Police, Politicians Unite after Drug Shooting
  After a shootout left 13 people dead over the weekend, Mexican officials in Tijuana — just across the border from San Diego — announced Tuesday that they're cracking down on drug cartels. It was a massive show of force among police, military and elected officials after the brutal killings.
• Citizenship Checks on Wash. Ferries Stir Controversy
  The U.S. Border Patrol is now checking the citizenship of passengers on domestic ferry routes around Washington state's San Juan Islands. Some passengers say having to identify themselves when traveling inside the U.S. is a violation of privacy.
• Hurdles Mount for Starbucks as Economy Sputters
  There's no doubt that Starbucks is having problems. It's just a matter of whether they're grande or venti. Store sales are flagging. And the economic downturn could make matters worse if consumers decide that "affordable" luxuries like lattes aren't so affordable anymore.
• GDP Report: Economy in Low Gear or Reverse?
  The government on Wednesday releases its estimate of economic growth in the first three months of the year. The gross domestic product is the total value of all goods and services produced — everything from autos built to manicures sold.
• Iran Pushes for Gas Line Through Pakistan, India
  Iran's president visited India and Pakistan this week in hopes of sealing a billion-dollar gas pipeline deal, which would link Iran to growing South Asian nations. The deal is opposed by the United States.
• China Expands Effort to Make Olympics Smoke-Free
  Beijing is pledging a tobacco-free Olympics, and as part of that promise, the city will expand its existing smoking ban in certain public areas Thursday. But past government smoking bans have been widely ignored.
• Heparin Victims' Relatives Urge Drug-Safety Reform
  Lawmakers investigating drug safety heard for the first time Tuesday from family members of patients killed by the tainted blood-thinner Heparin. Meantime, the drug maker Baxter International said the contamination appeared to be deliberate.
• Obama Expresses Outrage at Ex-Pastor's Speech
  At a news conference Tuesday in North Carolina, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama strongly condemned recent remarks by his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. In recent days, Wright had sought to defend controversial comments he made in the past.

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