Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Court system short of cash
  The Minnesota judicial system is reporting a deficit, and a group is studying the possibility of closing county courtrooms.5:20 p.m.
• It's agreed: Hastings bridge needs replacement, but how to pay for it?
  There are renewed calls for the Hastings bridge to be replaced, after a new MnDOT report downgraded the bridge's condition. The span is slated for replacement, but not until next decade. Replacing the bridge would cost nearly $100 million, and at this point that money isn't available.5:24 p.m.
• Xcel asks to increase generation at Monticello plant
  Xcel Energy wants to make more electricity at its nuclear power plant in Monticello. Company officials asked state regulators to allow more power generation to meet a growing need for electricity in Minnesota.5:50 p.m.
• The sacred side of Ellington
  Duke Ellington is considered one of the greatest composers in jazz history. Many of his songs are enduring standards. On Sunday, the choral group VocalEssence explores a lesser-known side of the legendary jazz pianist and bandleader.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• National Security Immunity Sought for Phone Firms
  Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell says phone companies that cooperated with government eavesdropping programs after the Sept. 11 attacks deserve retroactive immunity from civil rights lawsuits. But is the Bush administration, which is pressing Congress to extend the immunity, simply trying to avoid embarrassing disclosures?
• Remembering the Victims in School Shootings
  In piles of snow on the Northern Illinois University campus lie roses and candles, small makeshift memorials to the five students killed Thursday. The dead included aspiring teachers and students majoring in finance and anthropology.
• Campus Security Back in the Spotlight
  The Virginia Tech massacre last year prompted schools and universities across the country to rethink their security procedures. Melissa Block talks with Darcie Shinberger of Western Illinois University in Macomb, which recently instituted a new campus-wide emergency alert system.
• Illinois University Shooter Halted Medication
  The gunman in Thursday's shooting at Northern Illinois University had stopped taking his medication and became erratic before opening fire inside a lecture hall, police say. Five people were killed before Stephen Kazmierczack killed himself.
• If It Feels Like a Recession ...
  A slumping housing market, sluggish retail sales, sagging consumer confidence suggest the economy could be heading into a recession. While it may already feel like a recession to millions of Americans, by the time we know for sure, the recession may already be over.
• 'Green-Collar' Jobs and the Presidential Campaign
  There's been a lot of talk during this presidential election campaign season about "green-collar" jobs. Melissa Block talks with Jerome Ringo, president of The Apollo Alliance, about how environmentally friendly forms of energy can create jobs.
• Medicare Trigger May Bring Political Headache
  The 2003 Medicare prescription drug bill had a hidden provision that's about to cause a huge political headache. If certain types of Medicare spending grow too fast, the provision calls for the administration and Congress to act to rein it in. Now, that action has been "triggered," with potentially devastating — and politically unpopular — cuts coming in the middle of an election year.
• River Runs Through Georgia-Tennessee Fight
  For nearly 200 years, Georgia and Tennessee have shared a border. But now Georgia legislators are poised to order a survey of the border they think will show that it should move a mile-and-a-half. What's on the land Georgia would gain? Access to the Tennessee River — at a time when water is especially precious in drought-stricken north Georgia. John Sepulvado from member station WGPB in Rome, Ga., reports.
• Snips of History: A Presidential Hair Collection
  Presidents come and go, but their hair lasts forever — or at least for hundreds of years. This weekend, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia will display some of the ornate pages from its unusual hair albums. The books include bits of hair from many prominent people, including more than a dozen U.S. presidents.
• To the Candidates: What About Primary Care?
  Dr. Douglas Kamerow says all of the major presidential candidates omit a very important issue from their health care proposals. The former assistant surgeon general's search of the health care platforms of the candidates failed to find a single mention of the term "primary care."
• Democrats Eye Working-Class, White Men
  In Wisconsin next Tuesday and Ohio two weeks later, white, working-class males are a key voter group that both Democratic campaigns are working hard to win. Some say they could become the "soccer moms" of this election cycle — the demographic that tips the balance.
• Clinton Eyes Support in the Rio Grande Valley
  Hillary Clinton is pinning her presidential hopes on a strong showing next month in Ohio and Texas. She may have no better stronghold in either state than among Hispanics in the borderlands of the Rio Grande Valley.
• Presidential Signing Statements and the Constitution
  In many cases, statements released by President Bush as he places his signature on legislation essentially say he reserves the right to ignore legislation if he decides it conflicts with his constitutional powers. An American Bar Association task force calls these statements "contrary to the rule of law."
• Loyalty vs. Voters: A Superdelegate's Dilemma
  Rep. Emanuel Cleaver of Missouri is supporting Hillary Clinton for president, but Democrats in his state went for Barack Obama. He discusses the challenges that face those whose personal allegiances run counter to the political will of their constituents.
• Alaska Law Change Helps Kidney Donation
  Alaska State Rep. Richard Foster won't run afoul of state law after the legislature voted to do away with a $250 limit on compassionate gifts. In this case, the gift is a kidney, to be donated by a legislative staffer. Melissa Block talks with Alaska State Rep. John Coghill, who sponsored the change.

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