Over the past two months, eight nursing homes in Hennepin County have announced they will close. Four hundred and twenty nursing home residents have either found or are in the process of moving into new homes. Officials who run the facilities say most homes are losing money and call the situation a crisis. They say more closings are possible if the state Legislature doesn't provide assistance. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

This week we've been looking at how rural communities respond to crime in our series "A Quiet Violence." Commentator Eric Bergeson lives in northwest Minnesota. He admits to a different, perhaps naive, approach to personal safety.

Small towns were once immune from big city crime - separated by distance and culture. By in large, they still are. Residents still don't fear becoming the victim of a violent crime. But reports from law enforcement and the Justice Department show that drug and alcohol abuse are contributing to the increases in crime. In 1991, Grand Rapids was rocked by the violent abduction and murder of a popular teenage girl. Carin Streufert's death spawned an unprecedented movement to identify the factors that might lead a person to violence - and explore what could be done to stop it. Mainstreet Radio's Bob Kelleher has another story in our series "A Quiet Violence," on how Grand Rapid's experience is being applied in small communities across Minnesota.

If you're out getting a cup of coffee these days, you might stop at Caribou. Founded by John and Kimberly Puckett, Caribou Coffee began with two small shops in Minnesota and has grown to 130 stores in six states. John Puckett stopped by the studio to talk with Minnesota Public Radio's Chris Farrell and me about starting your own business. He says Caribou began with a dream.

Later today, 30 Minnesota college presidents will declare their commitment to the civic responsibility of their schools and their students. The presidents are meeting at Macalester College to sign the "Declaration on the Civic Responsibility of Higher Education." It encourages the schools to teach the values and skills of democracy, and to create opportunities for their students to carry out good citizenship. Joining us on the line is the President of Macalester College, Mike McPherson.

Legislators at the state Capitol return today after a long break for Easter and they have a lot of work left to do. Republicans in the House, Democrats in the Senate, and Independent Governor Jesse Ventura have yet to even agree on how much money is available this year in the state's surplus. Joining us on the line is Minnesota Public Radio political editor Mike Mulcahy.

Commentator Neil Haugerud was Sheriff of Fillmore county from 1959 to 1967. He's just published Jailhouse Stories, a book about his experiences as Sheriff.

During the week we've discussed several sensational crimes as part of our rural crime series. Commentator Bettye King says we forgot an important story - that of the headless bodies of a black or hispanic mother and son found in a ditch near Rochester.

The Red Cross is there in times of disaster, but the Minneapolis chapter is just getting past its own disastrous predicament. For three years, it didn't have a permanent home. They were forced out of their old building because of fungus, which refused to go away. Since then, the chapter has been scattered around the city in 12 temporary sites. But today marks the end of that nightmare as the chapter moves into a new headquarters. Joining us on the line is Marian Adock, CEO of the Minneapolis Chapter of the Red Cross.

Big crime - small town. According to our romantic image of life on Main Street, the two aren't supposed to go together. In fact, when a sensational crime occurs in a small town, the reporters who know that community the best can face enormous pressure covering the news. Pressure that can force important stories out of the local media, and keep them from the public eye.

A recent MPR Poll shows that 44 percent of rural Minnesotans think crime is on the rise. A majority of those polled also said crime is a major concern in their community, closely following economic concerns.

So at a time when rural residents think crime is a serious issue, Mainstreet Radio's Tim Post examines how limited coverage of crime can affect a community in the next report in our series on "Quiet Violence".

Governor Jesse Ventura will sit down to breakfast with House Republicans this morning, mostly to focus attention on proposals for a single-house state legislature. Ventura has pushed hard to put a unicameral referendum on the November ballot, but legislators haven't been very supportive. It's likely the discussion will also include a wide range of tax and spending issues currently on hold at the Capitol. Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Khoo reports.

Sunday marks the 25th anniversary of the fall of Saigon. One of groups directly impacted by the Vietnam War was the Hmong. During the war, the CIA recruited many Hmong out of the hills of Laos. They were trained to rescue downed American fighter pilots. After the war, some of them fled to the United States, where few Americans knew of their contribution to the war effort. Minnesota now has the largest urban Hmong population in the U.S., with estimates ranging from 45,000 to 70,000. Lee Pao Xiong is the first Hmong appointed by the governor to a state policy-making body. He's on the Metropolitan Council. And, he's on the line now.

Every year, roughly 450 sex offenders are released from custody in Minnesota. Some 20 percent of those will be arrested for another sex crime. The enactment of notification laws and the occasional community protest suggest sex offenders are among the most feared people in society. While cities provide some measure of anonymity, half of Minnesota sex offenders live in small-town Minnesota - where everybody knows your name; and where you went; and why. Mainstreet Radio's Leif Enger continues our series "A Quiet Violence".

Many of the violent crimes that captivated Minnesota in the past two years happened in small towns or rural areas. Moose Lake, Hallock, Waseca and Cannon Falls now struggle to portray their communities as more than backdrops to senseless murders. The high-profile crimes served to erase residents' perceptions that "it doesn't happen here".

At a time when crime rates are down and news headlines across the country declare victory over violent urban crime, 44 percent of rural Minnesotans think crime in their neighborhood is on the rise. A recent MPR poll shows that crime is the second-most-serious issue in rural cities and towns. But rural crime is a quiet violence. It happens in cities and towns where people know each other - where often, the victim knows the criminal.

In this final installment of our series "A Quiet Violence", Mainstreet Radio's Art Hughes revisits Cannon Falls, where nearly five years after young Jessica Swanson disappeared from her home, residents still feel that justice betrayed them.

The U.S Census Bureau says counters today will start the hard work of trying to track down people who have not returned their census questionaires. Seventy-two percent of Minnesotans have voluntarily responded thus far, but federal law requires census officials to county everybody. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.

A spokesman for California's Silicon Valley companies is warning Twin Cities businesses to avoid the pitfalls of untamed growth confronting taxpayers in his state. Carl Guardino spent yesterday talking with business and government leaders, including Governor Ventura's staff, warning them it's smart to address growth problems now or pay a much higher price later. Minnesota Public Radio's Dan Olson reports.

Republicans in Minnesota's Fourth Congressional District will meet tomorrow to endorse a candidate for the seat being vacated by Representative Bruce Vento. DFLers will do the same next weekend. A rare form of cancer is forcing Vento to relinquish his seat in Congress after representing St. Paul and its closest suburbs since 1976. Vento's successor will serve a district that's changed substantially in 24 years. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

This week we've reported on several high-profile crimes as part of our rural crime series, "The Quiet Violence." Commentator Bettye King says we forgot an important story - that of the headless bodies of a black or hispanic mother and son found in a ditch near Rochester.

Tim Hoogland is the state coordinator of History Day; he talks with us today about crafting a history project that will fulfill a Profile of Learning requirement.

Minnesota native Charles Lindbergh was an international hero after his solo flight across the Atlantic in 1927. Now there's a new biography of his wife, Anne Morrow Lindberg, an accomplished aviator in her own right. She flew 50,000 miles around the world with Charles. She was also a writer and a mother who lost her first son when the Lindbergh baby was kidnapped in 1932. Susan Hertog spoke with Anne several times while writing the biography, Anne Morrow Lindbergh: Her Life. Hertog says she grew interested in Anne Lindbergh after reading one of Lindbergh's books.

The National Park Service has issued a broad ban on the recreational use of snowmobiles in nearly all national parks. The only exceptions are parks in Alaska, and Voyageurs National Park here in Minnesota. The ban includes Yellowstone, where snowmobiling has been the subject of intense controversy. The Park Service says snowmobiles have had adverse effects on the environment. Tom Tiller is the CEO of Minnesota-based Polaris, the world's largest snowmobile manufacturer. He's on the line now.