Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Christopher Moore takes a bite out of vampires
  The title of Christopher Moore's new comedic novel about vampires consists of a phrase rarely, if ever, heard on public radio.4:50 p.m.
• Legislative session coming down to one question: Who pays?
  Senate DFLers said on Friday they will pass $1 billion income tax increase aimed at the state's top earners to raise more money for education. House DFLers also want to raise taxes on the highest incomes. Gov. Pawlenty says he will veto any tax increase.5:16 p.m.
• Violence in Somali capital worst since "Blackhawk Down"
  The Red Cross is calling recent fighting in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, the worst violence there in 15 years. Minnesota has the largest population of Somali immigrants living in the United States. They're keeping careful track of events in their homeland, where Ethiopian soldiers are trying to protect a United Nations supported transitional government. But insurgents in Mogadishu have been stepping up attacks on the Ethiopians they see as invaders. MPR's Tom Crann talks to Abdi Aynte, editor of Hiiraan-dot-com, a Minnesota-based news Web site about Somalia.5:24 p.m.
• Farmers to plant more corn to meet ethanol demand
  The U.S. Agriculture Department reported Friday that American farmers will plant the most corn in about 60 years.5:45 p.m.
• C. Ford Rungee
  To find out more about the impact of planting so much corn long-term, MPR's Tom Crann spoke with C. Ford Rungee, a professor of Applied Economics and director of the Center of International Food and Agricultural policy at the University of Minnesota.5:49 p.m.
• The moose mystery
  Is the heat or the humidity hurting Minnesota moose?5:53 p.m.
• When the cancer comes back
  People who are successfully treated for cancer can seldom consider themselves "cured," because the disease can so often reoccur. That situation has been brought into focus with the recent announcements by Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow that their cancer had returned. Medical analyst Dr. Jon Hallberg dicusses the latest treatments for cancer.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Violent Videos Put Chicago Police Under Cloud
  The Chicago Police Department is under fire over two incidents caught on videotape that allegedly show off-duty officers brawling in bars. Superintendent Phil Cline is moving to fire one of the officers involved, who has been charged with a felony.
• U.S. Corn Farmers Hear a Call for Ethanol
  U.S. farmers will plant more acres of corn this year than at any time since 1944, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The trend is tied to the boom in demand for ethanol, which has pushed up the price of corn.
• Bush Tours Walter Reed Hospital, and Apologizes
  President Bush went to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington D.C., Friday, his first trip there since revelations six weeks ago about deplorable living conditions for wounded soldiers in the facility's outpatient housing. "We're not going to be satisfied until everybody gets the kind of care that their folks and families expect," the president said.
• Gonzales Remains, Despite Resignation Rumors
  It's been a very rough week for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. His former chief of staff testified on Capitol Hill, contradicting statements the attorney general has made to Congress and the public.
• At Hong Kong Track, Fix Was In, Police Say
  The recent discovery of a device found hidden at a Hong Kong horseracing track has led to a police hunt and a $100,000 reward. The device appeared to be designed to shoot darts into the bellies of horses as they came out of the starting gate. Police are looking for four men who are believed to have been in the area where the device was found.
• Baseball Prepares to Open 2007 Season
  Robert Siegel looks forward to the upcoming major league baseball season with sportswriter Stefan Fatsis of The Wall Street Journal. Stefan points out that the ownership succession of the premier New York Yankees has been thrown up in the air by the divorce proceedings of Yankee owner George Steinbrenner's daughter.
• Texas Teen to Go Free After One Year, Protests
  Officials in Paris, Texas, announce that authorities will free 15-year-old Shaquanda Cotton, who has spent a year in juvenile detention for pushing a hall monitor at her school. Some civil rights groups say the sentence for Cotton, who is black, was far out of proportion - and that racism was behind it.
• Iran Airs Footage of a Second British Marine
  One week since Iran seized 15 British navy personnel in the northern Persian Gulf, London and Tehran trade accusations and counter-accusations, and another statement from one of the captured Royal Marines was broadcast on Iranian TV.
• In Iran, Standoff with Britain Is Sideshow to New Year
  Robert Siegel talks with Azadeh Moaveni, reporter in Tehran for Time magazine. She says the story of the captured British troops did not get very much play at the beginning, but is receiving somewhat more on TV now.
• Judge Cuts Hicks' Sentence from 7 Years to 9 Months
  Australian detainee David Hicks today became the first person to be convicted at a U.S. war crimes trial since World War II. But in a startling development, the judge in the case reduced Hicks' sentence to nine months — not the seven years that he faced. Hicks could be free by the end of 2007.
• Will Biodegradable Plastic Bags Melt in Trees?
  San Francisco recently approved a ban on non-biodegradable plastic shopping bags. While stores adjust to the change, it's unclear how it will affect people whose job it is to snag plastic bags caught in trees and other high places. Melissa Block talks with Bill McClelland, president of Bag Snaggers, Inc.
• Making Mystical Sounds of a Handsaw
  Listener Gary Wood of new Brunswick, N.J., tells us about a skill his father taught him: how to get an eerie sound out of a common handsaw. Wood was a carpenter, as was his father. As an amateur musician, Wood uses the saw sound, which resembles a Theremin.
• Rise and Fall of Subprime Lenders Began on Wall St.
  It all started last November, when a relatively small lender, Own-It Mortgage Solutions, defaulted on its loans to JP Morgan Chase. Since then, more than 24 subprime lenders have folded, victims of rising default rates — but also of rising suspicions that the entire subprime market is teetering.
• Study Links Voter ID Rules to Non-Voting
  A new study shows that tough new voter identification requirements appear to reduce the probability that someone will vote — and that the impact is greater on minorities. The study comes amid intense debate over whether ID requirements should be expanded.
• Storm Struck Southeastern Colorado in Recovery
  It has been nearly three months since a blizzard dumped about four feet of snow on rural Southeastern Colorado, paralyzing towns there and stranding livestock. National Guard helicopters dropped loads of hay to starving cattle. But still, the state estimates that at least 10,000 farm animals died.

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