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Stories you'll find only in your Sunday Star Tribune newspaper
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The international adoption system has for years been built on good-intentioned people looking abroad to bring orphans into their family.
And there's no greater example than Minnesota residents, which have the highest rate of world adoptions in the country.
But the system also can be lined with greed, fraud and child-trafficking. Adoption-related payoffs and even kidnapping have cropped up in a number of countries in recent years, and some have temporarily stopped allowing international adoptions.
U.S. officials are hoping a newly implemented treaty will reign in abuses, but critics say the new system still isn’t sufficient to root out problems. In Minnesota, it’s clear that serious problems persist.
Reporter David Shaffer looks at what's gone wrong with a system that has been a lifeline for thousands of Minnesota families.
Other stories you'll find only in Sunday's paper:
Metro: Breaking Free, an organization based in St. Paul that helps girls and women caught up in prostitution, is one of the few of its kind in the Twin Cities and is struggling financially. In the coming weeks, the organization will take a hard look at each of its programs to see which can survive. Repoter Pat Pheifer looks at the group's mission and where it might need to cut.
Business: It's been almost a year since the Northwest and Delta merger, and many travel experts are calling the transition close to seamless, and for some, an improvement. “They worked very hard to alleviate the potential for disruption that can occur when you’re putting two companies together,” said Bill Swelbar, who analyzes airline mergers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “I think they paid an awful a lot of attention to history and what went wrong at others.”
Arts & Entertainment: “The Louvre and the Masterpiece” opens next Sunday at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, and it's already being mentioned among the most exciting and important exhibitions ever staged at the museum. But what really does make a masterpiece? Reporter Mary Abbe takes a deep look at this exhibition while looking for the answer.
Sports: Twenty years ago, the Vikings also were a playoff team that was solidly built to make a run at the Super Bowl. The final piece that year was Herschel Walker. Or at least he was supposed to be. Mark Craig takes a look at what is now widely regarded as one of the more infamous trades in sports history.
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Current state office holders
Governor: Tim Pawlenty
One of only a few prominent Republicans to win a competitive re-election contest in the Democratic sweep of 2006, Tim Pawlenty is widely seen as politically shrewd and naturally likable.
- Lt. Governor: Carol Molnau
- Secretary of State: Mark Ritchie
- Attorney General: Lori Swanson
- State Auditor: Rebecca Otto
Minnesota's political giants: Learn more about the men and women who have shaped Minnesota's political history.
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