Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Cleanup begins in flooded town
  Residents of Browns Valley are beginning to clean up after sections of their town flooded Tuesday night. The town sits on the Minnesota side of the border with South Dakota. Ice jams apparently caused the Little Minnesota River to burst its banks.4:45 p.m.
• Study finds homeless numbers steady in Minnesota
  The overall number of homeless people in Minnesota has leveled off at about 9,200, but the Wilder survey found some troubling increases.5:19 p.m.
• Number of homeless vets is small, but growing
  The number of homeless veterans will likely grow, experts say, because of the kinds of trauma troops are now facing.5:22 p.m.
• Two-dozen employees grab Star Tribune buyout
  The Star Tribune began saying goodbye to 24 newsroom employees on Wednesday. The workers have chosen to take a buyout offer from the paper; Friday will be the last day on the job for many. It's unclear whether the paper's new owner will want even more staff reductions in the future.5:50 p.m.
• Where journalism and blogging overlap
  A ruling from a Dakota County judge may be good news for bloggers. Last week the judge dismissed a lawsuit brought about by public relations executive and political commentator Blois Olson, who accused blogger Michael Brodkorb of defaming him.5:55 p.m.
• Local musicians hope to go national in Austin
  Minnesota musicians hoping to get 'discovered' head to Austin, TX to play at the South by Southwest Music Festival.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bush's White House, Built on Partisanship?
  When NPR Senior News Analyst Ted Koppel looks at the flap over U.S. attorneys, it reminds him of a movie and a book — and a pattern of the Bush administration.
• Top Al-Qaida Suspect Admits to Sept. 11 Attacks
  Top al-Qaida suspect Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has admitted to organizing the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, according to the transcript of a hearing released Wednesday. The transcript of a military hearing held last Saturday at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was released by the Pentagon.
• Presidential Hopefuls Visit Firefighters' Conference
  Democratic and Republican presidential contenders are visiting the International Association of Fire Fighters Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. Confirmed candidates include Democrats John Edwards, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, Bill Richardson, and Republicans Duncan Hunter, Chuck Hagel, and John McCain. Invited but unconfirmed are Rudolph Giuliani, Mike Huckabee, James Gilmore III and Tommy Thompson.
• Giuliani: Authentic Candidate or Also-Ran?
  Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani is the strongest Republican in the race to be president, according to polls. But most insiders dismiss these numbers, pointing out that Giuliani's views on abortion, gays and guns do not fit in with a conservative electorate.
• Templeton Winner Stresses Balance of Spirituality
  Law professor Charles Taylor's 45 years of analyzing societal problems related to violence and bigotry have led to his winning the 2007 Templeton Prize, worth more than $1.5 million. Among Taylor's conclusions is the idea that society's problems can't be solved as long as natural history and religion are divorced.
• My Spring Break: Playing a Tchaikovsky Concerto
  Yuja Wang, 20, recently played with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Her chance came after 65-year-old pianist Martha Argerich canceled at the last minute. After just two rehearsals, Wang wowed audiences and critics.
• Raid on Illegal Immigrants Brings Chaos to Town
  A roundup of illegal workers in New Bedford, Mass., last week continues to spark criticism about the federal government's handling of the raid. Nursing infants were separated from their mothers, and older children were left in inappropriate care when immigration officials took their parents.
• China's Shopping Groups Use Web for Bargains
  Chinese consumers are using the Internet to organize themselves into powerful bargaining groups that use their extremely large numbers to negotiate discounts on products of all kinds. Group buying also offers some protection from fakes and shoddy products.
• Immigration Raid Leaves Schools Scrambling
  When a garment company was raided in New Bedford, Mass., last Tuesday, more than 350 workers were arrested — many of them with children enrolled in the town's schools. Fred Fuentes, the district's superintendent for equity and diversity, says his first challenge is to accurately count how many students have been directly affected.
• Eagles Vie with Landowners for Waterfront Property
  Development around the Chesapeake Bay is quickly eating up the habitat of a resurgent population of bald eagles. Terrell Bowers' riverfront property is at the center of a controversy over how to protect eagle habitat.
• Anatomy of a Scandal: E-Mails Led Up to Dismissal
  The Bush administration announced in December that it was replacing seven federal prosecutors around the country. In the following weeks, Democrats became the majority party in Congress and began holding hearings on the subject. Developments have piled up since then.
• Bush Urges Immigration Changes as Trip Ends
  After talks with Mexico's President Calderon, President Bush says he will press Democrats and Republicans in Congress to overhaul U.S. immigration law. The president ended his Latin American tour in Mexico, after visiting Brazil, Uruguay, Colombia and Guatemala.
• Detecting Safety in the Sound of Air Brakes
  Listener and big-rig truck driver David Huiner says he relies on the sound of his air brakes to let him know that his truck is operating safely. He gives us an example.
• North Korea, El Baradei Hold 'Useful' Talks
  North Korea says it is ready to shut down its main nuclear reactor, which has produced plutonium for its nuclear weapons program. But the country is also calling on the United States to lift financial sanctions. Mohamed El Baradei, head of the U.N. nuclear watchdog, returned from the country Wednesday.
• Pentagon Acknowledges 'Civil War' in Iraq Report
  For the first time, the Pentagon's update to Congress on the state of the Iraq war acknowledges that elements of the conflict "are properly descriptive of a 'civil war.'" The quarterly report pointed to the hardening of ethnic and sectarian identities, increased violence and the fact that more civilians are leaving their homes.

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