Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Crime and punishment for teenagers
  A 13-year-old kid drops a rock off a bridge on a highway overpass. The rock hits a car and kills the driver. Is the teen guilty of murder? A play at the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis is asking questions of teen audiences, and getting some surprising answers.3:47 p.m.
• Another push for Duluth to Minneapolis rail service
  Public officials from Minneapolis to Duluth have formed an alliance to start passenger rail service between the Twin Cities and the Twin Ports. A feasibility study says a high-speed passenger train could make millions of dollars, especially if it's routed close to a popular casino in Hinckley.4:35 p.m.
• Pawlenty vetos transportation bill
  Gov. Pawlenty has vetoed a bill that would spend $6.6 billion over the next 10 years on transportation, setting up an override showdown in the the House and Senate.5:14 p.m.
• How Pawlenty's veto impacts transit
  One of the tax increases in the transportation bill vetoed by Gov. Pawlenty is an optional one-quarter percent sales tax for Twin Cities transit. Advocates say the money would supply a long needed, dedicated source of transit funding for the metro area.5:19 p.m.
• Van driver faces criminal charges and deportation
  The driver of a van which struck a school bus near Cottonwood, Minn., Tuesday, killing four students, has been charged with four counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Federal officials say the driver is in the U.S. illegally. They also say they don't know her real name.5:44 p.m.
• Pilot seniority is sticking point in airline merger deal
  Merger talks between Northwest and Delta airlines and their pilots have apparently resolved issues related to pilot pay, stock and other issues. But the two pilot groups are still deadlocked over how to combine the separate pilot seniority lists into one. And that could kill a deal.5:47 p.m.
• Crime and punishment for teenagers
  A 13-year-old kid drops a rock off a bridge on a highway overpass. The rock hits a car and kills the driver. Is the teen guilty of murder? A play at the Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis is asking questions of teen audiences, and getting some surprising answers.6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Credit Woes Squeeze Bond Insurance Business
  Wall Street has a problem, and important bankers and regulators are trying to come up with a solution. They're looking for a way to rescue the bond insurance business, which plays a vital role in the finances of cities and towns across the country — and is being squeezed by the ongoing turmoil in the credit markets.
• Arizona GOP Congressman Renzi Indicted for Fraud
  Republican U.S. Rep. Rick Renzi was indicted Friday in Arizona on 35 counts of extortion, conspiracy, money laundering and related charges. The indictment says the congressman conspired in land-swap and insurance-fraud schemes.
• Extreme Weather Worsens Potholes around Chicago
  With a relentless thaw-and-freeze cycle this winter, the potholes in and around Chicago — numbering an estimated quarter-million — are worse than ever.
• Storms Deplete Salt Stashes in Northeast, Midwest
  Drivers in the Northeast have already had plenty to deal with this winter as storm after storm pummels the region. Now, they've got another challenge: Public works departments have pretty much run out of road salt. Road crews blame the Midwest, which has had its share of storms — and also is running short of salt.
• Clinton, Obama Attack Health Care Plans
  At Thursday night's relatively polite debate in Texas, health care was one of the few issues on which Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama got into a heated disagreement.
• 30-Second Ad Can Say a Lot About a Candidate
  A standard 30-second television commercial may be a minor inconvenience when watching your favorite show, but when it comes to presidential politics, it can tell you a lot about a candidate. A professor of political science runs through some of the latest Democratic presidential campaign ads.
• GOP's Shadegg Reconsiders, Seeks 8th House Term
  U.S. Rep. John Shadegg (R-AZ) has had a change of heart after announcing a week ago that he would not seek re-election at the end of his current term. He now says he will seek an eighth term. He re-thought his decision after getting a pair of letters pleading for him to run again.
• In 'Charlie Bartlett,' the Teen Therapist Is In
  Kicked out of prep school, over-shrunk rich kid offers counseling — and prescription antidepressants — to his new public-school peers in a makeshift office in the boys' bathroom. An improbably charming comedy.
• McCain Gets Favorable Reaction amid Bad News
  John McCain met with supporters and had a fundraiser in Indianapolis on Friday, a day after the New York Times and the chairman of the FEC hit him with a one-two punch, raising questions about his relationships with lobbyists and his financial viability. The news was bad, but the reaction to it was largely positive for McCain.
• Letters: McCain, Consumers, 'No Depression'
  Melissa Block reads from listeners' e-mails, including responses to our coverage of Republican presidential candidate John McCain, and to our stories on the "predictably irrational" choices of consumers and on the folding of the music magazine No Depression.
• Imam's Wife a Bridge Between Two Worlds
  Jerusha Lamptey is the devout wife of an imam in Virginia. She's also an American woman earning a Ph.D. who keeps up with pop culture. Lamptey may be a glimpse into the future — for American converts adapting to Islam, and Muslim women adapting to the U.S.
• Dozens Fired After Roach Invades Turkmenistan TV
  According to a news Web site in Turkmenistan, a recent TV news broadcast was visited by a cockroach. The Web site, Kronika Turkmenistan, says the country's president — when he heard what happened — fired 30 people from the main state news channel.
• U.S. Military Praises Militia's Cease-Fire Extension
  At Shiite mosques across Iraq on Friday, aides to radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr announced that he has decided to extend the cease-fire for his Mahdi Army militia. The announcement prompted sighs of relief among U.S. military commanders and in the streets of Baghdad.
• Turkish Troops Hunt Kurdish Rebels in Iraq
  Turkish troops, backed by tanks and warplanes, moved into northern Iraq on Friday to hunt down Kurdish separatist guerrillas of the PKK, who have been launching raids into Turkey from Iraqi territory. Turkey says the guerrillas are their only target. It's unclear how many troops are involved.
• Behind the Scenes with an Oscars Show Writer
  With the Oscars days away, Melissa Block chats with writer Bruce Vilanch, who has been on the Academy Awards staff for 20 years. The host, Jon Stewart, has his own writers from Comedy Central furiously working on his material. But other writers are coming up with copy for the presenters — and will be rewriting as the show goes along.

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