Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Controversy over proposed psychiatric hospital
  A controversial plan to build a psychiatric hospital in Woodbury goes before a Minnesota House committee Tuesday night. The project is rekindling an old debate: Does the state need more hospital beds for mentally ill Minnesotans, or should it expand community-based care?4:44 p.m.
• How to reform mental health care in Minnesota
  One of the most dramatic reforms is an idea new to the state: Instead of at a hospital, a treatment center or a group home, people who need mental health care are served by a team of caregivers who come to them.4:49 p.m.
• AG's office defends suspension of attorney
  A deputy to Attorney General Lori Swanson insisted Tuesday that an attorney in her office was not punished for union activity.5:20 p.m.
• Franken says he is now free to target Coleman
  Analysts say Al Franken can focus on Republican incumbent Norm Coleman, now that fellow DFLer Mike Ciresi is out of the U.S. Senate race.5:24 p.m.
• Richard Price says he writes about trouble
  Richard Price is acknowledged as one of the great masters of capturing the nuances of street life. His new novel "Lush Life" explores the ripple effect of a single gunshot across New York's Lower East Side.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Spitzer Speculation Abounds in N.Y. Capital
  One day after New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer admitted involvement with prostitution, NPR's Mike Pesca reports on how the news is playing in Albany.
• Obama Leads in Mississippi Democratic Primary
  Michele Norris talks with NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving and NPR Correspondent Audie Cornish about Tuesday's primary in Mississippi. The Magnolia State is the only state with a primary Tuesday. The next major primary is late next month in Pennsylvania. Cornish is with Barack Obama campaign supporters in Jackson, Miss.
• Burglaries on the Decline in the United States
  Criminologists cite a number of factors for the trend, including the rise in private police forces and burglar alarms, better locks and the wide availability of cheap new electronics. As one former burglar puts it, "everybody has everything now."
• Fallon, Top U.S. Commander in Mideast, Resigns
  The top U.S. military commander for the Middle East has resigned. Adm. William Fallon reportedly has differed with the Bush administration on Iran policy. Fallon, in a statement, suggested that there were not differences but that the "perception" of differences made it hard for him to do his job as head of Central Command.
• Bank Inquiry Uncovered Spitzer's Prostitution Link
  A routine financial inquiry led to the discovery of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a high-priced prostitution ring. How do banks scrutinize the transactions of their customers, particularly "PEPs" — politically exposed people?
• Studies: Climate Change Threatens U.S. Roadways
  Scientists on Tuesday issued a warning of almost Biblical proportions to the nation's transportation planners. They warn that much of the transportation system will be increasingly vulnerable to flooding and sea-level rise.
• Letters: Spitzer, 'Re-Voting,' Dragonfly
  Melissa Block and Michele Norris read from listeners' comments on Monday's program. Some wrote with criticism of our coverage of New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's apparent involvement in a prostitution ring. We also hear reflections on "re-voting" in Michigan and Florida, and our field trip with a flying toy dragonfly.
• Why Do Men Seek Out Prostitutes?
  Social psychology professor Martin Monto at the University of Portland did a study on customers of prostitutes and found that many of the assumptions of why men seek out prostitutes are accurate: variety, simplicity, no commitment. Many are also attracted to the very illicit nature of prostitution.
• Spitzer's Fate In the Air amid Prostitution Scandal
  New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's involvement in a high-end prostitution ring has trashed the career of a man who made his reputation by zealously prosecuting corruption. He has given no indication that he plans to resign. But Republicans in the state legislature say they will move to impeach Spitzer if he doesn't quit.
• Fed Funnels Cash to Banks, Eases Lending
  The Federal Reserve announced Tuesday that it will make an additional $200 billion available to the banking system in order to address an ongoing credit crunch. The Fed also is easing lending rules, and for the first time will accept mortgage-backed securities as collateral.
• Finding Balance and Pleasure in 'The House of Mirth'
  As a young woman living in Paris in 1968, author Mireille Guiliano found friendship — and frustration — in Lily Bart, Edith Wharton's naïve, self-interested heroine who struggles to make decisions that are in her self-interest.
• Gasoline Prices Continue to Soar
  Record high crude oil prices mean gasoline is probably headed higher as well, and prices at the pump already are at record highs. The Energy Department reports that gasoline is selling for an average of more than $3.22 nationwide. That's up more than 25 cents in the past month.
• Kosovo's 'Woman of Courage' Bridges Ethnic Divide
  Valdete Idrizi, a 34-year-old ethnic Albanian who survived the ethnic violence in Kosovo in the 1990s, has reached out to her Serb neighbors. She has faced death threats from Kosovar Albanian militants. But she also received an International Woman of Courage award from the U.S. Secretary of State.
• Biofuel Rush Makes Drought a Bigger Economic Risk
  As grain prices rise and ethanol makes up an increasing portion of the nation's fuel supply, a major drought in the Plains states could pose a significant threat to the U.S. economy. Agricultural economists are warning that El Nino could cause grain shortages that could reverberate in an unprecedented way through the economy.
• What's Driving Up Grocery Prices?
  Beyond new demands on corn for use as a fuel, transportation costs for all kinds of food are going up. People around the world are eating more and eating differently, and the weakening dollar doesn't help. USDA economist Ephraim Leibtag identifies factors that are driving up grocery prices.

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