Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds
  Each week Minnesota Public Radio News asks three people from the Minnesota arts scene to be "Art Hounds." Their job is to step outside their own work and hunt down something exciting that's going on in local arts.4:45 p.m.
• After Minneapolis gas fire, search for answers begins
  Investigators are trying to determine what caused an explosion and fire Thursday morning at a gas line near a major highway intersection.4:50 p.m.
• Effect of federal budget cuts on Minnesota programs minimal, for now
  The U.S. Senate passed another short-term funding measure Thursday to keep the federal government operating for three more weeks, cutting $10 billion worth of federal spending in the past month, but so far the cuts only affect a few Minnesota programs.5:20 p.m.
• Bill banning human cloning rankles researchers, bio-business leaders
  Some stem cell researchers and bio-business leaders are urging lawmakers to kill a proposed bill that would ban human cloning in Minnesota.5:24 p.m.
• Legendary Gophers football coach dies at age 98
  The football coach who led the Minnesota Gophers to a national championship and two back-to-back Rose Bowls has died at age 98.5:51 p.m.
• The Cube Critics and movies for couch potatoes
  Stephanie Curtis, the Movie Maven, and arts reporter Euan Kerr work in cubicles across from each other in the Minnesota Public Radio newsroom, where they have a rapid, running dialogue about movies. Together, they are known as The Cube Critics. Today, they talk about "couch potato cinema."6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• For Matadora, Bullfighting Is Her 'Absolute Truth'
  Last Sunday, a 32-year-old bullfighter named Lupita Lopez appeared in Mexico City's Plaza Mexico — the largest bullring in the world — and was inducted into the tiny sorority of matadoras, or professional female bullfighters. Lopez has wanted to be a bullfighter since she was 11.
• In Reporting Nuclear Crisis, Fears Of Exposure
  In Japan's Fukushima prefecture, some 10,000 people have been checked for exposure to radiation. That's after the nuclear plant there was severely damaged by last week's earthquake and the tsunami that followed.
• Workers Struggle To Cool Fuel Rods In Japan Plant
  At Japan's beleaguered nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture, the only good news appears to be that the situation hasn't gotten substantially worse. Workers at the facility are focusing much of their attention on the most urgent problem: Two pools used to store nuclear fuel should contain enough water to cover the fuel rods — but they don't. The water keeps the rods cool and also acts as a radiation shield. So, it's vital. In the past 24 hours, Japan's military has tried to get some water into the pools by dropping it from helicopters and spraying it from water cannons on the ground.
• Japan Revives Fears At N.J. Nuclear Plant
  One in five U.S. nuclear plants shares the same reactor design as the ill-fated Fukushima Dai-ichi plant in Japan. That includes Oyster Creek Nuclear Generating Station in New Jersey, the nation's oldest operating nuclear plant — which is already scheduled to close in 2019. The threat of a major earthquake or tsunami in the area is low. But critics of nuclear power warn that the cooling systems at Oyster Creek, and other nuclear plants in the region, could be vulnerable to flooding from a major hurricane.
• Clinton: No-Fly Zone In Libya Requires Bombing Raids
  Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says enforcing a no-fly zone in Libya would require bombing raids — one of several options being debated by the U.N. Security Council. Clinton made the comments while visiting neighboring Tunisia — where she met aid workers who have been helping refugees from Libya.
• Tennessee College Bucks Annual Tuition Hike Trend
  Other than death and taxes, nothing has been quite as certain as the yearly rise in college tuition. But The University of the South plans to cut tuition by 10 percent next year. The school's president says the current practice of colleges charging the most they possibly can is no longer working.
• Detroit Markets Smaller Cars For High Gas Prices
  U.S. automakers are in a very different position than they were the last time gas prices skyrocketed. Now, Ford, General Motors and Chrysler have more compact cars with high fuel economy. The cars can be tricked out, and there's more customer demand.
• Q&A: The Economic Impact Of The Crisis In Japan
  Is the crisis in Japan an economic disaster? And what will it mean for the U.S. economy?
• NHK Orchestra Plays Tribute To People Of Japan
  Japan's top orchestra, the NHK Symphony, played last night outside Washington, D.C. "Bach's Air On a G String," was added at the last minute by conductor Andre Previn. He said it was a tribute to the people of Japan. Michele Norris and Robert Siegel have more.
• Obama To Visit Rising Economic Power Brazil
  President Obama heads off on a trip to Latin America this weekend. He's due to visit Chile, El Salvador and Brazil — a growing economic and political powerhouse that is looking for a new relationship with the United States.

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