Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Hennepin, Dakota Counties approve sales tax hike
  Hennepin and Dakota Counties Tuesday joined Anoka and Ramsey counties in raising their sales tax to help pay for public transit. Scott County commissioners rejected the idea.5:20 p.m.
• Pawlenty, lawmakers take action on foreclosures
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced Tuesday that a federal grant will help the state pay for more foreclosure counselors. Earlier in the day the Minnesota House passed several bills targeting some of the secondary effects of foreclosures.5:24 p.m.
• Woman donates $1.8 million to help protect loons
  A teacher has designated nearly $2 million from her estate to protect Minnesota's state bird.5:50 p.m.
• Vinyl's staying power
  The vinyl record is undergoing somewhat of a resurgence in the Twin Cities music scene. More bands are putting their music out on vinyl, more consumers, especially younger ones, are choosing vinyl over compact discs.5:54 p.m.
• Budding future scientists gather in St. Paul
  At a hotel ballroom in downtown St. Paul, over 400 young people were standing beside their projects and posterboards.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Senate Seeks to Assuage Home Mortgage Crisis
  The Senate voted to move ahead on a bill that would let states issue bonds for refinancing subprime loans. But it's unclear whether the legislation's centerpiece — a provision to allow bankruptcy courts to rewrite mortgage terms — will survive debate.
• McCain Competing with NFL in Primetime
  Presumptive presidential nominee John McCain faces a ratings battle this September. His acceptance speech at the Republican Convention may be in primetime competition with the opening of the NFL season.
• In Pa., Clinton Distances Herself from NAFTA
  At an AFL-CIO meeting in Philadelphia Tuesday, Sen. Hillary Clinton says that she opposed the North American Free Trade Agreement in behind-the-scenes debate during her husband's administration.
• Male Birth Rate Among Asian Americans Studied
  An analysis of the 2000 census suggests that some Asian-American parents of girls may be using advances in prenatal technology to ensure they get a boy the next time around.
• Oil Executives Defend Profits to Congress
  As the price of gasoline rises toward $4 per gallon, top oil executives explain to a House panel why they need $18 billion in subsidies when their companies rake in huge profits. Democrats want to end the tax breaks and spend the money on renewable sources of energy like wind and solar power.
• Heart Association Supports Compression-Only CPR
  It's all right to skip mouth-to-mouth resuscitation and use hands-only compression when performing CPR on adults, according to the American Heart Association. Dr. Gordon Ewy, a longtime advocate of compression-only CPR, talks about the change in guidelines.
• NATO's Mission, Sense of Unity Is Flagging
  Old alliances, like old soldiers, never die. They just fade away. In the case of NATO, membership may expand even as the alliance's sense of purpose and cohesion fades.
• Fluegel's 'B-Flat' Starts on a Good Note
  Subminimalistic composer Simon Fluegel — famous for his two-note cello concerto — returns with a surprisingly stark but refreshing new CD, B-Flat and Other Notes.
• A Hoop Dream Comes True
  Lance Allred is a basketball vagabond who most recently played for the Idaho Stampede in the NBA's development league. His hard work on and off the court — he lives with a severe hearing deficiency and battles obsessive-compulsive disorder — finally paid off when the Cleveland Cavaliers called.
• Bush Urges NATO Membership for Ukraine, Georgia
  Visiting Kiev ahead of this week's NATO summit in Romania, President Bush says he supports the idea of extending possible NATO membership to Ukraine and Georgia — even in the face of strong Russian opposition.
• Cuba Eases Restrictions, Aims for Economic Boost
  In Havana, some restrictions are easing for Cubans, who can now buy cell phones and other electronics and stay at hotels formerly reserved for tourists. Reuters economics correspondent Marc Frank says the reforms are aimed at improving the value of the Cuban peso.
• Colo. Town Flushes Salmonella from Water System
  As Alamosa, Colo., recovers from a salmonella outbreak that sickened 300 people, Mayor Farris Bervig talks about learning how to manage such a crisis and what it means to be under yellow water notices.
• Backroom Primary: Profile of a Calif. Superdelegate
  Robert "Big Red" Rankin, a retired chemical worker from California who supported John Edwards, is an undeclared superdelegate with an important vote to cast. He's trying to decide which of the two remaining Democratic candidates will be best for working families.
• Ore. Uses Lottery Approach for Health Program
  Oregon officials knew demand for new slots in a state-funded health-insurance program would far exceed supply, so they decided to randomly pull names from the nearly 100,000 people who applied. Meet a winner and a loser in Oregon's health-insurance "lottery."
• Divisions Arise in Wounded Iraq Veteran's Family
  Sgt. Tim Ngo was 20 years old when he almost died from a head wound in an Iraq grenade attack. Though years of therapy have helped him recover, his relationship with his mother has deteriorated. Now, he's starting a new life in Texas, and the rift with his mother remains.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor