Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• U freshmen welcomed with message to leave in four years.
  The University of Minnesota welcomed this year's freshmen class at its annual convocation Monday, the official start of classes for the academic year. The event was designed to motivate the new students to graduate in four years.7:20 a.m.
• School lunches appeal to more discerning palates
  Many districts are looking for ways to upgrade the nutritional quality and popularity of their lunchroom offerings. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Jean Ronnei, Nutrition Services Director for St. Paul Public Schools about recent changes at the lunch lines.7:22 a.m.
• Minneapolis WiFi system could close digital divide
  Construction is expected to start later this month on a broadband wireless network that will blanket the city of Minneapolis. Some say the biggest advantages of the network will be cost savings for the city and a narrowing of the technology gap between lower- and upper-income residents.7:49 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New York County Takes Stand Against Illegal Immigrants
  The immigration debate has arrived in Suffolk County, N.Y. The county includes working-class suburbs and ritzy vacation spots. Tuesday, residents assembled for a hearing on a law that would prohibit businesses from doing work for the county if they hired illegal immigrants.
• Ford Taps Boeing Executive to Lead Company
  The Ford Motor Company has a new CEO. Bill Ford stepped down from the position, although he remains chairman. Boeing executive Alan Mulally is replacing Ford as CEO.
• Departure Pressure Mounts on Britain's Blair
  British Prime Minister Tony Blair is coming under increasing pressure to set a date for his departure. Six junior members of his government resigned Wednesday to protest his refusal to set a resignation date. Those resignations come amid intense media speculation about how long Blair will remain in office.
• African Migrants Pour into Spain's Canary Islands
  A record-breaking wave of African migrants is inundating the Canary Islands. So far this year, more than 22,000 have reached the Atlantic archipelago that belongs to Spain. Nearly 800 poured in Tuesday, one of the busiest days ever. The migrants know that when they reach the Canary Islands, they are effectively in Europe.
• Mexican President-Elect Calls for Unity
  Mexico's new president-elect gave his first address to the nation Tuesday night after an election tribunal certified Felipe Calderon's narrow victory over leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. While Calderon called for unity, Lopez Obrador told his supporters that he would never recognize his rival's victory.
• The Cancer Patient's Roller Coaster Life
  Life with cancer is a lot like being trapped on a roller coaster. A really good one with lots of twists and turns and huge drops -- the kind that make your stomach turn over. But, in some ways, the life of a cancer patient becomes predictable with the regular rhythm of chemo treatments.
• Redstone Dismisses Freston from Viacom
  Viacom CEO Tom Freston was once a golden boy in the entertainment and media worlds, the protege of media mogul Sumner Redstone. But Redstone has now fired Freston, catching the industry -- and Wall Street -- off guard.
• U.S. Attorney General Discusses Terror Prosecutions
  Attorney General Alberto Gonzales spoke with reporters Tuesday about how the administration makes decisions on prosecutions in the war on terror. At the news briefing, he explained why al-Qaida co-conspirator Zacharias Moussaoui was charged in a criminal court, while other terrorism suspects were not.
• Sudan Confounds International Efforts to Help Darfur
  Diplomats trying to resolve the crisis in Sudan's Darfur region are in a bind. A U.N. Security Council resolution authorizes a large peacekeeping force. Ideally, the U.N. would take over from an African Union force that has been unable to keep the peace in Darfur. But Sudan has rejected a U.N. force.
• Katie Couric Debuts at CBS News
  Last in the ratings, CBS News debuted Katie Couric as the division's flagship anchor on Tuesday. The network hopes that the personable Couric can bring viewers back to the once-dominant evening newscast.
• Neighborhood Revival Difficult in Baghdad
  Efforts are underway to revive the local economy in Dora, one of Baghdad's most dangerous districts. There's been a major U.S. and Iraqi operation to establish security in the neighborhood.
• Sudan Plots Independent Political Path
  The Sudanese government appears to be largely immune from international pressure to bring peace to the country's Darfur region. Sudan has already survived years of international economic sanctions. And the country has challenged the U.N. over the use of peacekeepers in Darfur.
• How to Succeed with Fantasy Football
  Three friends talk about how fantasy football helped them climb up the corporate ladder. Michael Henby, Kevin Werner, and Jamie Frintz have moved on to other jobs. But they still compete in a fantasy football league. Henby's new e-book is called Fantasy Kick.
• Polygamist Held in Purgatory
  Polygamist Warren Jeffs is in jail in Utah awaiting a hearing on charges that he arranged plural marriages of underage girls to much older men. Jeffs is confined in a county jail at Purgatory Flats.
• Montenegro Redefines Itself as an Independent Country
  Europe's newest country is the tiny state of Montenegro. The former Yugoslav province voted in May to become independent. Its departure from a political union with Serbia was peaceful. But not everyone is happy about the division.

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