Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• As the Twins shape up for the 2006 season, health issues on and off the field are considered
  It's been about a month since the start of spring training, and the Minnesota Twins are gradually welcoming several players who took time away to play in the World Baseball Classic. Pitching prospect Francisco Liriano is one -- he's expected to pitch tonight after missing two-and-a-half weeks to compete for the Dominican Republic. On the field issues tend to be front and center during this time when players shape up for the season, but off the field issues can dominate as well.4:49 p.m.
• GOP files ethics complaint against Dean Johnson
  Republican state senators filed an ethics complaint Wednesday against Democratic Majority Leader Dean Johnson, assuring the controversy over his gay marriage comments won't fade anytime soon.5:19 p.m.
• It's a circus in there
  A bill that would ask voters to dedicate a portion of the sales tax to environmental projects has become so loaded down with other proposals that even the bill's sponsor says he doesn't recognize it. Supporters of the measure are upset with the changes.5:23 p.m.
• Small towns merge for sake of efficiency
  The Scott County towns of Elko and New Market are both experiencing rapid growth as Twin Cities area sprawl spreads south along Interstate 35. Yesterday, voters at the Elko City Hall overwhelmingly approved a referendum to merge with their neighbor. A mile and a half down the road, New Market residents were doing the same.5:48 p.m.
• Is it right to call a Lincoln impersonator "Honest Abe"?
  A new photography exhibit in Minneapolis is calling on viewers to question the symbols we choose to represent American history.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Book Review: 'Philosophy Made Simple'
  Philosophy Made Simple by Robert Hellenga, is a novel about a widower who leaves Chicago to run an avocado farm in South Texas.
• Supreme Court Adds Limits to Search and Consent
  In a 5-3 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that police without a warrant cannot search a home when the residents disagree about whether the police can enter. Chief Justice John Roberts was among the dissenters, saying the ruling could have severe consequences on domestic violence cases.
• Basque Group Announces Permanent Truce
  The Basque separatist group, ETA, announces a permanent cease-fire as of Friday. A statement announcing the cease-fire was sent to television and newspaper outlets. If it holds, it could bring a dramatic end to a decades-long campaign of violence.
• New Rule Will Bar Evidence Gained Through Torture
  The Pentagon issues a new rule that will prevent certain evidence from being used in military trials of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. The rule bars the use of any evidence created under conditions of torture.
• Report Judges Allowable Fluoride Levels in Water
  The National Academies releases its report on whether the Environmental Protection Agency is allowing unsafe levels of fluoride in America's drinking water.
• Wood Brothers Make Music a Family Affair
  Just about every successful rock band seems to have a side project these days. This month, an unlikely spinoff of the jam trio Medeski, Martin and Wood arrives — a family affair known as the Wood Brothers. The duo's first CD is called Ways Not To Lose.
• Non-Native Weeds Get Whacked in Southwest
  Many wildfires in the Southwest have grown much more dangerous because of the spread of non-native grasses. These grasses grow thicker and burn hotter than native desert plants. The threat has led to serious weed-whacking in the Arizona desert.
• Civil War: What's at Stake in Debate over Words
  Col. Thomas X. Hammes, a former Marine and author of The Sling and the Stone and Monica Toft, assistant director of Harvard's John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies talks with Melissa Block about what's at stake in the debate over whether Iraq is in a civil war.
• Minivans, SUVs Face Tougher Efficiency Standards
  Minivans and SUVs may need to comply with tougher fuel-efficiency standards as part of the Bush administration's fuel-economy plan. The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration will issue a ruling on April 1. Wall Street Journal reporter Laura Meckler talks with Robert Siegel.
• Afghan Militia Commanders Find New Purpose
  Hundreds of militia commanders in Afghanistan are being retrained after decades spent fighting Soviet forces and other militias. The disarmament program includes training in computers, English, human rights, even accounting. But some of the fighters say the new skills simply aren't enough.
• 'Eat, Pray, Love': Finding Pleasure in the World
  Commentator Elizabeth Gilbert, who is the author of the new book Eat, Pray, Love, recalls a trip to Naples, Italy that helped restore her love of pleasure after a painful divorce.
• High-Tech Methods Used to Deter Ginseng Poaching
  Ginseng is in high demand, selling online for upward of $1,000 a pound. Rangers fighting poachers in places like Mammoth Cave National Park use high-tech sensors and dyes to discourage them. Private landowners also are victims of clandestine harvesting. Joe Corcoran of member station WKYU reports.
• GM, Delphi Develop Early-Retirement Deal for Union
  General Motors, its bankrupt parts supplier Delphi and the United Auto Workers Union have a deal to provide early retirement to union members and to move about 5,000 Delphi workers to GM. About 13,000 hourly-paid Delphi workers will be eligible for buyouts of at least $35,000 each.
• Study Aimed at Treating Drug-Resistant Depression
  Only about one-third of people with major depression respond to the most commonly used antidepressants. The National Institute of Mental Health has funded a multimillion-dollar study to figure out how to help people who don't respond to treatment.
• Flight Instructor Testifies About Brush with Hijackers
  A flight instructor tells Moussaoui jurors about his brush with two of the Sept. 11 hijackers. Daniel Pursell says Mohamed Atta and another man once abandoned a plane on a taxiway during their training. Prosecutors are apparently trying to draw parallels between the al-Qaida conspirator's flight training and that of the hijackers.

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