Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• How to solve a family crisis the democratic way
  The child welfare system traditionally diagnoses a family crisis and then tells the family how to fix it. But another model called Family Group Decision Making gives the family in crisis a voice in the decision making process. One family in St. Paul experienced this kind of democracy first hand.6:46 a.m.
• Jerry Wayne produces a bleak view of Los Angeles
  Jerry Wayne knows all about the good and the bad of Los Angeles. As a kid from central Minnesota, he headed west to try to make it in the music business. He saw how some people succeed, but many don't.6:52 a.m.
• Boston Scientific will cut 2,300 jobs
  Medical device maker Boston Scientific plans to cut 2,300 jobs, about 13 percent of its global workforce. It currently employs about 7,000 people in Minnesota. Analysts say sagging sales of the stents and defibrillators the company makes are forcing the cutbacks.7:20 a.m.
• Pesticides touch more than crops
  Environmental groups say pesticide drift needs more regulation.7:23 a.m.
• Duluth meterologist calls storm a Superior Slammer
  Mike Stewart, chief meterologist at the National Weather Service in Duluth, talks about the tradtional gale-force storm.7:48 a.m.
• Dan Wilson enjoys his 'Free Life' in Minnesota
  Minneapolis music veteran Dan Wilson, of Trip Shakespeare and Semisonic, has just released his first solo album. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with him about the new album and the song-writing process with collaborators like The Dixie Chicks and Sheryl Crow.7:50 a.m.
• Arts commentator Dominic Papatola on exposure and disclosure
  Some patrons saw a little more of Ian McKellen than they bargained for when the Royal Shakespeare Company visited the Guthrie Theater earlier this month. McKellen's brief nude scene in "King Lear" set some tongues wagging, even though the theater warned audiences in advance. This situation got Morning Edition arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic Dominic Papatola thinking about how and when theaters should warn audiences about content that some might find objectionable.8:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bhutto Welcomed in Karachi, Pakistan
  Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister, makes an emotional return after eight years in exile. She hopes to bring change to Pakistan in a power-sharing agreement with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf after elections in January.
• U.S. Accused of Poor Help for Iraqi Refugees
  The flow of refugees from the war in Iraq is becoming a humanitarian crisis. Thousands have applied for refugee status in the U.S., but only a trickle has arrived. Critics weigh the moral obligations the United States may have toward displaced Iraqis, especially those who worked with the invading force.
• Democrats' SCHIP Veto Override Not Likely
  House members are set to vote on overriding President Bush's veto of a $35 billion spending increase for children's health insurance, or SCHIP. But Democrats appear about 15 votes short. President Bush has asked three top advisers to negotiate a new deal with Congress.
• Immigrant Workers Send Billions Home
  The large migration of workers from poor countries to rich, industrialized nations has produced an equally large flow of money in the opposite direction. A United Nations agency says immigrant workers sent home more than $300 billion last year, a number that far outpaces official government aid.
• Who Ate the First Oyster? Cave May Hold an Answer
  The first people to eat shellfish may have been found. Scientists digging in a cave in South Africa uncover evidence of shellfish dinners that date back 164,000 years. Anthropologists say it's evidence of some of the earliest known modern behavior.
• Republicans Lack Clear Frontrunner for President
  The presidential primaries are a few months away, and Republicans are divided about the contenders, although Rudy Giuliani leads in the national polls. None has really proven to GOP donors and decision-makers that he will run the best campaign against the Democratic presidential hopefuls.
• Sarkozy's Woes: Workers Strike, Marriage in Crisis
  French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirms he and wife Cecilia will separate, leaving him devoid of an important adviser. Also, public transportation has come to a halt as part of a 24-hour strike by the public sector unions. The strike is in response to Sarkozy's proposed pension reform.
• New York Woman Scared by Snake in Toilet
  A New York City woman got an early Halloween scare when a 7-foot python paid an unexpected house call. She was washing her hands in the bathroom when a snake head popped out of her toilet. As you might imagine, she screamed, then called a plumber who removed the unwanted pet.
• U.S. Partners in Peace Talks Unpopular
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice continues efforts to smooth the way for an Arab-Israeli peace conference next month in Maryland. But her partners Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert are politically weak and unpopular.
• Company Converts Fuel Tank for Vegetable Oil
  The company Veggie Wheels installs a separate tank in cars to heat vegetable oil before pumping it in the tank. Afterward, you can refuel at a supermarket instead of a gas station. Or, if you get desperate, you can stop at McDonald's and fill up with their waste oil.
• Fed Survey Shows Economy Slowing
  New Federal Reserve data shows a slowdown in job growth and manufacturing, as well as signs that the housing slump is still deepening. In the Fed's "Beige Book" survey, businesses say they are worried about their profits. But one thing has held steady: inflation.
• 'Hannah Montana' Star Kicks off Concert Tour
  Miley Cyrus, the 14-year-old who plays Hannah Montana on the Emmy award-nominated show of the same name, stars as the daughter of a country singer who moonlights as a kid rocker. Her 54-date national tour, which sold out four minutes after it went on sale, kicks off in St. Louis.
• ACLU Supports Woman Arrested for Cursing
  A Pennsylvania woman whose toilet backed up started cursing. She was overheard by her neighbor, who's a cop. He had her arrested for disorderly conduct. The American Civil Liberties Union is backing her up, saying Americans have a constitutional right to curse at home.
• Letters: Armenians, Sen. Dodd, Sports
  A House resolution referring to the World War I mass killing of Armenians as genocide receives a flood of comments. Sen. Dodd's office denies that he will not seek re-election for his Senate seat in 2010. Sport is not considered art; it invariably dismissed as something lesser.
• New U.S. Command in Africa Faces Skeptics
  Many African leaders are opposed to AFRICOM, a new U.S. military command planned for the region. Critics say it offers an opportunity for the Defense Department to plant a foothold inside the continent and vie for oil in the Gulf of Guinea. The Pentagon says it will have a humanitarian focus.

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