Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• The number of children raised by grandparents is on the rise in Minnesota
  About 71,000 children in Minnesota are being raised by their grandparents or other relatives. It's a situtation that presents a number of problems.6:35 a.m.
• Growing pains on the Iron Range
  The Iron Range in northern Minnesota is undergoing an economic transformation. How that will affect the long-standing communities there is open to question.6:50 a.m.
• The Central Corridor light rail gains public support
  A public transit hearing last night in Minneapolis yielded a number of enthusiastic comments in favor of building light rail in the Central Corridor, which would run along University Avenue and connect downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul.7:20 a.m.
• Conservationists see mix of wins and losses in legislative session
  Many hunting and fishing enthusiasts are frustrated that lawmakers wrapped up the legislative session without agreeing on a bill to dedicate a portion of the state sales tax to conservation funding. But other environmental groups say the session did produce a few important victories.7:25 a.m.
• Ballpark design
  So far, the Twins have only released conceptual sketches of what the $522 million ballpark will look like; full architural drawings will come later. To get an idea of what those drawings could look like, Cathy Wurzer talked with Minneapolis-based architect Donald Eyberg. Eyberg has been working on sports and entertainment design for more than 25 years. He was involved with design of the Metrodome, and he's been watching as new stadiums have been built in other cities.7:55 a.m.
• Hockeytown USA in Eveleth, Minnesota
  The U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame may stay in its hometown of Eveleth, Minnesota. After 34 years in its Iron Range location, the museum closed two weeks ago citing poor attendance. The closing prompted St. Paul city council member Dan Bostrom to suggest the museum be relocated to the capitol city. But a provision in the U of MN Gophers stadium aims to keep the museum in Eveleth with financial support from a portion of the taconite tax and funding from other sources. Cathy Wurzer talked with DFL State Representative Rukavina, who was behind this provision.8:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Charles Sheeler's Still Life: Paintings from Photos
  Charles Sheeler tried to explore the path between photos and paintings. Much admired for his meticulous, carefully composed photography, he put down his camera and picked up paintbrushes instead. His works are on exhibit in Washington, D.C.
• Mexico Serves as Way Station on Trip to U.S.
  For illegal Central American immigrants, traveling through Mexico to reach the United States is dangerous. Some crooked Mexican police extort money from them, and some of the women are assaulted. We meet three women from Honduras and one man from Nicaragua who are moving through Mexico together by train.
• Choosing Life Over Career
  Commentator Dana Goldman is a recent college graduate who decided to give up her job and make ends meet with part-time work. She made the switch because of the peace and free time it gives her.
• Squeezing Oil Out of Stones in the Rocky Mountains
  Oil shale is an idea that was tested a generation ago, then abandoned when the price of crude oil plunged. Now, a self-taught inventor is once again eyeing the vast shale deposits of the Rocky Mountains.
• Bentsen Remembered as Towering Political Figure
  Former Texas congressman, senator, Treasury secretary and vice-presidential candidate Lloyd Bentsen has died at his home in Houston. He was 85. Steve Inskeep talks with Wayne Slater, a reporter who covered Bentsen's career. Slater is Austin bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News.
• Senate Haggles over Immigration Bill Details
  As debate on an immigration bill continues, lawmakers are clashing over whether to establish a minimum wage for immigrant farm workers, and which illegal immigrants to offer a path to citizenship.
• Israel's Olmert Seeks Support at White House
  Ehud Olmert, Israel's new prime minister, meets President Bush at the White House. Olmert is seeking support for his plan to make more unilateral withdrawals from the West Bank. He has said he intends to set Israel's final borders by 2010.
• Congressman Under Investigation Won't Resign
  Embattled Rep. William Jefferson (D-LA) says he will not resign his House seat. Jefferson's Capitol Hill office was searched over the weekend as part of an FBI investigation. The government says it has videotape of the congressman accepting a bribe.
• Government Fines Immigrant Labor Company
  The owner of a Los Angeles firm that a supplies legal immigrant farm labor is being fined by federal authorities for allegedly failing to pay 88 temporary workers from Thailand. The owner of the company, Mordechai Orian, was recently profiled by NPR's Carrie Kahn, who has a follow-up report on his problems with the government.
• Observers Fear New Intellectual Crackdown in Iran
  Some observers fear a new round of crackdowns on intellectuals is taking place in Iran. They point to a prominent Iranian scholar who has been held in a Tehran prison for more than three weeks. The government has not leveled specific charges against the man.
• Government Scrutinizes Dating of Stock Options
  The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is reportedly examining the timing of stock option awards by corporations. The SEC is concerned that some executives have been gaming the system by "backdating" their options to increase their value.
• Microsoft Plays Catch-Up in Online Advertising
  Lagging far behind Yahoo! and Internet leader Google, Microsoft is making a big push to attract more online advertising.
• British Court Rules Indian Ocean Islanders Can Return Home
  A group of islanders, expelled from their homes in the Indian Ocean, has won the right to go home after almost 40 years in exile. The inhabitants of the Chagos Islands were forced out by the British. Their home island was leased to the U.S. to build the strategically important Diego Garcia air base. Now, the High Court in London says they should be allowed to return.
• Church Leader Says He Was Lured into Abramoff Web
  The pastor of a church in Maryland says he became tangled in the Jack Abramoff lobbying scandal through a member of his evangelical congregation. Chris Geeslin says that the man used him as a front for possibly illegal activities.
• Defending NBA Champs Bounced from Playoffs
  Sports commentator John Feinstein talks about the NBA playoffs with Steve Inskeep. In two game sevens, the Dallas Mavericks beat the defending champion San Antonio Spurs and the Phoenix Suns beat the surprising Los Angeles Clippers.

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