Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• A closer look at Tom Emmer's plan to cut state agencies
  Republican gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer says he wants to dramatically redesign and reform state government, but has yet to release the specifics of his budget plan. One thing he has talked about is cutting the number of state departments and agencies.6:20 a.m.
• Officials: State making progress on bridge inspection shortfalls
  State officials say they're making progress responding to bridge inspection shortcomings.7:20 a.m.
• Program helps beginning farmers get started
  New farmers face many challenges, from capital to farming experience to access to land. A program called Farm Beginnings has been helping beginning farmers for more than a decade.7:40 a.m.
• Monday Market report with Chris Farrell
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell gives a preview of the week on Wall Street, and analyzes what's happening in the economy in the Upper Midwest.8:25 a.m.
• Northfield: Memorial wind chimes ring through St. Olaf
  Breezes set off 21 sets of chimes in a wooden tower at St. Olaf College. The chimes play to remember students who have died.8:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Sunbathers Outnumbered On Florida's Emerald Coast
  President Obama returns to the Gulf Coast Monday for the fourth time since the oil spill. He'll tour Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. When he gets to the vacation paradise of the Emerald Coast in Florida's panhandle, it's likely Obama will get an earful. One county commissioner says cleanup crews outnumber sunbathers.
• Should Oiled Birds Be Cleaned?
  It's heart-wrenching to see photos of oiled birds in the wake of a spill, and rehabilitators spend a lot of time cleaning off the oil. But researchers disagree on how well a cleaned bird will do once it's released back into the wild. Some studies have found that cleaned birds don't breed as well and seem to die quickly.
• Crews Search For Girl Missing In Arkansas Flood
  In Southwest Arkansas, rescuers continue the search Monday for the lone person authorities believe is still missing after flash floods ravaged a campground late last week. The remote location coupled with heat and massive tangles of debris have complicated search efforts. A 19th body was found Sunday in a debris pile downriver from the campground.
• Top Arab Diplomat Visits Gaza
  The head of the Arab League visited the Gaza Strip on Sunday -- the highest-level Arab visitor since Gaza came under the control of the Islamist Hamas movement three years ago. International pressure has been building on Israel to end its blockade of Gaza, which Israel says is intended to prevent Palestinian militants from acquiring weapons. Amr Moussa's visit was seen as an effort to keep the plight of Gazans in the public eye.
• Trial To Open In Boy Scout-Philadelphia Dispute
  It's been two years since city officials in Philadelphia threatened to evict the local chapter of the Boy Scouts from the city-owned office space that the group has used rent-free for decades. Officials say the Scouts' policy against openly gay members violates local anti-discrimination laws. The Boy Scouts sued, charging the city with violating the group's constitutional rights.
• Medicinal Marijuana: A Patient-Driven Phenomenon
  Some patients swear by it, but science has yet to catch up with their claims. Even so, 14 state legislatures and the District of Columbia have carved out a big exception to the usual definition of "medicine."
• Spirit Jets Remain Grounded Amid Pilots Strike
  Thousands of passengers have been stranded after about 450 pilots for Spirit Airlines walked off the job this weekend. The pilots say they won't return to their cockpits until they get a contract that raises their pay and benefits to the same level as their counterparts at other discount airlines.
• Hedge Fund Managers Make 'More Money Than God'
  When the financial crisis hit, some people made a mint. Hedge fund traders carrying out complex trades -- largely unregulated -- made sophisticated bets that netted them millions, in some cases billions. Deborah Amos talks to financial writer Sebastian Mallaby about his new book, More Money Than God. It's a history of hedge funds, and explores their role in the U.S. economy.
• Orphan Annie Comic Strips Ends
  Tribune Media Services has determined there will be no more newspaper tomorrows for Annie. In recent years, the comic appeared in less than 20 newspapers. That's unlike the 1940s, when the comic was in hundreds of papers.
• Democrats Cautious On Oil Response
  As Obama makes his fourth trip to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, some more support in Washington would be helpful. But Democrats in Congress face a political risk by defending the administration's handling of the spill, and they have little incentive to do so.

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