Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Who pays when a home goes empty?
  What's Minneapolis' responsibility for foreclosed properties? For every empty property, the city can spend thousands on securing the home, boarding windows and doors and maintaining the lot. Who should pay those bills?3:49 p.m.
• Author Manil Suri uses fiction to explore India
  Indian-born author Manil Suri burst onto the literary scene in early 2001 with his novel, "The Death of Vishnu." Now he's completed his second work, "The Age of Shiva."5:44 p.m.
• Authorities question driver's record and background
  The woman driving the van that plowed into a school bus in southwestern Minnesota this week has been arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation. The news came on the same day that the community of Cottonwood gathered to mourn the four children killed in the accident.5:49 p.m.
• Who pays when a home goes empty?
  What's Minneapolis' responsibility for foreclosed properties? For every empty property, the city can spend thousands on securing the home, boarding windows and doors and maintaining the lot. Who should pay those bills?6:17 p.m.
• Transportation bill headed to governor's desk
  Supporters and opponents of a transportation funding bill will be stepping up their lobbying efforts now that the Minnesota House and Senate have both passed it. The Senate passed the bill with enough votes to override a gubernatorial veto. The House came up one vote short.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Clinton, Obama Debate in Texas
  In the 16 days since Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton hasn't won a single primary or caucus. With contests in the crucial states of Texas and Ohio less than two weeks away, the Clinton camp has to get back into the race. One opportunity comes Thursday night in a debate with Barack Obama at the University of Texas in Austin.
• NBA's O'Neal, Kidd Debut with New Teams
  A host of teams are winning big in the NBA, but two of its biggest stars — Jason Kidd and Shaquille O'Neal, both recently traded — made less than impressive debuts Wednesday night with their new teams.
• Volunteers Sew for Injured U.S. Troops
  An organization called Sew Much Comfort in Beavercreek, Ohio, is doing its part for injured soldiers all over the country. More than 1,000 volunteer seamstresses thread their needles to make clothes for injured soldiers. Some 30,000 clothing items were delivered to 100 locations last year alone.
• Mine Wastewater Threatens Historic Colo. Town
  A blocked mine drainage tunnel near the historic mining town of Leadville, Colo., is filled with about 1 billion gallons of polluted water. With this year's heavy snowpack, local officials are worried that a dam in the mine will burst, sending water through a trailer park and into the Arkansas River.
• China Protests after U.S. Shoots Down Satellite
  With the successful shootdown Wednesday night of a failing spy satellite that was headed for landfall, Pentagon officials say they believe they destroyed the potentially hazardous fuel tank. China is protesting the move, fearing a space-based arms race and debris.
• How Will the Democratic Nomination Be Settled?
  Barack Obama has won 1,178 pledged Democratic delegates in primaries and caucuses, and Hillary Clinton has won 1,024, according to the Associated Press. That leaves 1,025 delegates yet to be awarded. It's possible that the Democratic nomination may not be settled until the party's convention in August.
• 'Times' Draws Criticism for Timing of McCain Story
  Any innuendo of marital infidelity against a presidential candidate is likely to produce an uproar, but in this case, much of the uproar is about the newspaper that broke the story: The New York Times.
• McCain Denounces 'Times' Story on Lobbyist Ties
  The New York Times reported Thursday that Republican presidential front-runner's John McCain's relations with a lobbyist eight years ago prompted concern with his circle of advisers during the 2000 presidential campaign. McCain denounced the story in a news conference Thursday morning.
• Letters: Fortunes, Chopsticks and ... Cheese?
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' letters and e-mails, including responses to stories on the Fortune Cookie Chronicles, the effects of chopsticks on the environment, and ... "sweet barking cheese"?
• Music Archivist Sells Huge Collection on eBay
  This week, All Things Considered reported about Paul Mawhinney and his archive of 3 million record albums and 300,000 CDs. The Pittsburgh man has now sold his collection on eBay.
• Bush Pledges Support for War-Stricken Liberia
  President Bush spent a few hours in Liberia on Thursday, the last stop in a five-nation, six-day Africa tour. While in the city of Monrovia, the president promised to support development in Liberia, which was eviscerated during a brutal 14-year civil war.
• Pakistani Lawyers Seek to Reinstate Fired Judges
  Chief Judge Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry is one of dozens of independent-minded Pakistani judges sacked late last year by President Pervez Musharraf. On Thursday, several hundred lawyers showed up at his house in Islamabad, demanding that the new government immediately reinstate him and the other judges.
• Study: Stroke Risk Triples for Women Ages 35 to 54
  A new study shows an increase in the risk of stroke for women between the ages of 35 and 54. Using data from two earlier National Health and Nutrition Studies, Dr. Amy Towfighi and her colleagues concluded that the risk of stroke has tripled for this age group. The culprit, they believe, is weight gain.
• Health Officials Mix Flu Vaccine to Fight Fall Strains
  Federal health officials are changing all three components of the flu vaccine for fall 2008, based on a prediction that U.S. residents will be exposed to flu strains that currently are active in Southern Hemisphere countries. Changing all three of the components almost never happens.
• Rioters Burn Vacant U.S. Embassy in Belgrade
  Protesters in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, broke into the U.S. Embassy on Thursday and set some rooms on fire. The rioters were part of larger protests among Serbian nationalists opposed to the independence of Kosovo. A charred body was later found inside.

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