Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Lorna Landvik leaves Minnesota in new novel
  In her new novel, "Oh My Stars," popular Minnesota author Lorna Landvik writes about a suicidal young woman who finds joy in life while traveling through the Depression-era Midwest, with an unlikely trio of musicians.4:45 p.m.
• Bullish on Becky Buller
  Becky Buller is a lanky, 27-year old redhead who is remaking bluegrass one song at a time. The St. James native will be performing with Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike this weekend at the Winter Bluegrass Weekend.4:52 p.m.
• Parties duel over how to spend health care surplus
  The two leading health care experts at the state Capitol are calling for changes to Minnesota's health care system, but their ideas differ dramatically.5:18 p.m.
• U of M pushes for biomedical research money
  The University of Minnesota is going to the Legislature with a plan to dedicate $330 million of state bonding money over the next 10 years for academic biomedical research. University President Robert Bruininks publicly unveiled the plan in his State of the University address Thursday.5:23 p.m.
• Coleman proposes changes to port security
  As debate continues over whether a United Arab Emirates company should manage terminals in some major U.S. seaports, U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., is proposing legislation he says will balance security and economic interests.5:45 p.m.
• 2006 session: Short and sweet, or partisan polemics?
  On the first day of the 2006 legislative session there was plenty of talk about bipartisan cooperation in the air. But a few partisan shots were fired, too. After the last two divisive and sluggish legislative sessions, there are plenty of predictions that this year will go smoothly and quickly. As this session starts, we sought out the perspective of two veteran lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. Sen. Bill Belanger is a Republican from the southern Metro area, including most of Bloomington. He's been in the Senate for 26 years. We also called on DFL House member Loren Solberg, who was first elected in 1982. He represents Aitkin and parts of Itasca County.6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Lawmakers Blast Mining Industry Safety Standards
  In the wake of recent, high-profile West Virginia mine disasters, House members grill mining officials about a lack of potentially lifesaving equipment for workers underground. Federal authorities draw criticism for not collecting fines from companies with safety violations.
• Bush Announces Nuclear Deal with India
  President Bush announces an agreement with India to share nuclear reactors, fuel and expertise with the energy-starved nation in return for its acceptance of international safeguards. The plan would reverse decades of U.S. policy against nuclear cooperation with states that have not signed the nonproliferation treaty.
• Congress Leery of India's Absence from Treaty
  President Bush's nuclear agreement with India must first be approved by Congress, and lawmakers are uneasy about India's refusal to sign the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
• Oregon Lawsuit Challenges Domestic Spying
  A lawsuit filed in Portland, Ore., alleges that the federal government illegally wiretapped lawyers for an Islamist charity based in that state. As Colin Fogarty of Oregon Public Broadcasting reports, it isn't the first legal challenge to the warrantless surveillance program but it's the first to claim specific documented evidence.
• New Orleans Regains Its Famous Appetite
  As New Orleans comes back to life, the restaurants that have reopened their doors are hopping. Michele Norris visits Li'l Dizzy's Cafe, where owner Wayne Baquet cooks up breakfast for about a hundred customers every morning.
• Laundromats Are Hopping in Post-Katrina Mississippi
  Hancock County, Miss., has 8,000 temporary FEMA trailers with electricity, water and sewer. These are small travel units, with a kitchen and a bathroom but no washer or dryer, so keeping a family in clean clothes means a visit to a crowded laundromat. Rich man, poor man -- quarters are what really count.
• Sudden Growth Brings Obvious Changes to Baton Rouge
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu tours Baton Rouge, the city where he teaches, and comments on the changes since Hurricane Katrina. The city absorbed a large population of New Orleans residents who were displaced by the storm. The sudden growth has forced Baton Rouge to accept that it's a big city now.
• Housing Shortage Hurts New Orleans Hotels
  The smaller-than-normal crowds at Mardi Gras this week symbolize the lingering impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans' economy. The city's hotels are struggling to recover, but a shortage of workers is hampering their comeback.
• China Orders That Ban on Compact Cars Be Lifted
  The central government orders local governments to scrap their bans on small cars. The public rationale for the ban is that the cars are slow and clog traffic, but the real reason is that local leaders think the sight of fancy cars on their streets is good for their public image.
• Continued Unrest Stalls Iraq's Political Process
  Ongoing sectarian violence in Iraq results in political fallout for the struggling new government. Sunni and Kurdish leaders are now pressing the main Shiite alliance to drop its choice of Ibrahim Jaafari to head a new government. Negotiations on a national unity government have stalled.
• Louisiana Governor Reviews Lessons of Katrina
  Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco talks with Michele Norris about how her state is faring post-Katrina. She says more money is needed to rebuild neighborhoods and to build stronger levees, but that the reconstruction is a chance to do things right.
• Week in Review: Ports, Polls and Leaked Tape
  E.J. Dionne, a columnist for The Washington Post and David Brooks, a columnist for the New York Times talk with Melissa Block about the political flap over the port deal with Dubai, the leaked videoconference tape of the president before Hurricane Katrina, and recent polls.
• Baton Rouge Economy Absorbs Displaced Population
  After Hurricane Katrina, thousands of displaced New Orleans residents fled to Baton Rouge, changing the city's economy overnight. Stephen Moret, president and chief executive officer of the Baton Rouge Area Chamber, talks with Robert Siegel about the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina on his city.
• Gulf Coast Economy Slowly on the Rebound
  Much of the coffee, rubber, and steel in the United States travels through New Orleans along the Mississippi River on giant ships and barges. And although the Port of New Orleans is back to pre-Katrina levels, the economy along the storm-battered Gulf Coast is still suffering. Michele Norris and Robert Siegel report.
• S. Africa Study Sounds Alarm on Climate Change
  Climate change could create serious water shortages in Africa, according to a study being published online by Science magazine. Researchers in South Africa suggest that a relatively small decrease in rainfall can result in a dramatic reduction in the total length of streams and rivers throughout Africa.

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