Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• New teacher layoffs may have broader impact on Minn. education
  Minnesota's schools are losing a generation of teachers to layoffs. Districts across the state are cutting teachers because of budget cuts. Many of those teachers have fewer than five years experience. Findings show that some of those teachers are going to other states for work.6:50 a.m.
• State workforce grows despite hiring freeze
  The number of people on the state's payroll has grown even though thousands of government employees have retired since Gov. Tim Pawlenty ordered a hiring freeze at state agencies.7:20 a.m.
• Critics argue new ballast water permits are inadequate
  Critics of Minnesota's new ballast water permit system will argue in court today that the system doesn't do enough to protect Lake Superior from invasive species. They say with a deadly fish virus infesting every Great Lake except Lake Superior, the state needs to act more quickly and more effectively.7:40 a.m.
• Art Hounds: Week of May 14
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.8:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Samuel Ramey: Bad-Guy Bass Of Opera
  Composers seem to equate villainy with the bass voice. All the better for Samuel Ramey, whose resonant low tones have thrilled opera audiences worldwide as he plays libertines, devils and scoundrels.
• Illuminati: Pet Villains Strike Again In 'Demons'
  The new film Angels & Demons revolves around a group whose name has become synonymous with shadows and global conspiracy: the Illuminati. But how big — and how bad — are they really?
• CIA: Flouting The Law Or Enforcing It?
  The 62-year-old Central Intelligence Agency has been accountable to Congress only for the last half of its existence, beginning with the 1975 Church Committee. How the CIA has conducted itself in the past 34 years has continually landed the agency in the limelight.
• Democrats Divided On Gun Legislation
  Democrats may enjoy a near filibuster-proof majority in the Senate, but it's a split party when it comes to voting on guns. Some gun-law advocates say lawmakers are overly fearful of the National Rifle Association, but one Republican says public sentiment has shifted against tougher gun laws.
• White House Reverses Decision On Abuse Photos
  The Obama administration had said it would release Pentagon photos of prisoner abuse by May 28. But when military and foreign policy experts protested the decision, the White House reversed course — saying the release of the photos would endanger U.S. troops.
• Myanmar Opposition Leader To Stand Trial Again
  A lawyer for Myanmar's pro-democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi says she has been charged with violating terms of her house arrest and could face a prison term of up to five years. The trial is scheduled to begin Monday.
• NTSB Hearing Probes Buffalo Air Crash
  The third and final day of hearings into February's crash of a commuter plane near Buffalo, N.Y., get under way Thursday in Washington, D.C. All 49 people onboard were killed, as was a man inside a house the plane hit. Testimony at the hearing has shown a troubling combination of fatigue, improper conduct in the cockpit and an inexperienced flight crew.
• UAW Mad: GM May Import Cars From China
  According to news reports, General Motors plans to import Chinese-made vehicles to the U.S. The company will neither confirm nor deny the reports. With GM dependent on government loans, the UAW describes GM's plan to import cars as "using taxpayer money to subsidize U.S. job losses."
• Craigslist To Drop 'Erotic Services' Ads
  Craigslist says it will eliminate its "erotic services" category and screen all submissions to a new "adult services" section before they're posted. The announcement comes a month after the killing of a masseuse who advertised on Craigslist.
• Discounts To Be Found On Bank-Owned Houses
  A private-sector report indicates a rise in home foreclosures. In some parts of the country, that means financial institutions have had to get creative in order to move a growing backlog of bank-owned houses.

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