Social Issues

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has signed into a law a measure that would require any woman seeking an abortion to wait 24 hours before the procedure is done. Minnesota is now the 19th state to have such a law. The Minnesota Senate passed the bill and sent it to the governor earlier Monday afternoon. Supporters of the waiting period say it provides women with information about possible risks. Opponents say the bill is an attempt to chip away at a woman's right to choose.

The Minnesota Senate will vote on Thursday on a bill that would require any woman seeking an abortion to get specific information and wait 24 hours before the procedure is done. A parliamentary procedure on the House floor will force the full Senate to either adopt the bill or send it to conference committee. Supporters say they have the votes in the Senate to send the bill to Gov. Pawlenty's desk. Critics say the parliamentary procedure is undermining the committee process and won't allow the Senate to make any changes to the bill.

As the baby boom generation seriously considers where to live out last years, the nursing home and assisted living industries are changing. People who study the aging in Minnesota say the state will need more assisted living and in-home care options.

African-American church and community leaders say black Minnesotans face growing challenges in today's troubling economic times. At a Sunday evening worship service in Minneapolis, black leaders expressed hope that through church and community collaboration, those problems can be solved. Singer Stevie Wonder was a surprise guest at the event.

Duluth is just like other US cities. All over town, signs say, "No war," and "Support our troops." And now people in Duluth are divided over something that might have happened to a man in uniform. Or maybe it was several men in uniform. Or maybe it didn't happen at all.

The federal government has charged Minnesota Somali activist Omar Jamal with violating immigration rules. The Homeland Security Agency has detained him in the Washington County jail. Jamal also faces criminal charges for the same allegations -- that he lied to the government to get into the country.

A scholar who studies the image of Arab people in mass media discusses the stereotyping of Arabs.

Mordechai Vanunu is a convicted traitor, accused of jeopardizing Israel's national security. He is also a hero to anti-nuclear activists around the globe, who say no one in the western world has spent longer in solitary confinement. Vanunu, called an international martyr by his supporters, is also the adopted son of a retired couple who have lived all their lives in St. Paul.

Budget cuts threaten city funding for St. Paul's nine part time recreation centers. What would be lost if those centers close? Can others provide those services?

Some vulnerable seniors in Minnesota would feel the pinch of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's proposed budget cuts. Pawlenty's plan to fix the state's $4.2 billion budget deficit includes elimination of state funding for a number of senior services, including the Foster Grandparent and Senior Companion programs.