Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Surviving childhood cancer leads to new challenges later in life
  The number of children in this country who survive a cancer diagnosis has increased steadily over the past 40 years. The five-year cancer survival rate for kids exceeds 80-percent. But along with survival success comes new challenges.4:44 p.m.
• Carol Barnett writes music for real-life heroines
  Twin Cities composer Carol Barnett uses poetry about women with breast cancer in her new song cycle for soprano and harp, "Music for Heroines."4:53 p.m.
• Pawlenty, Rybak pledge to cooperate
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty and Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak are pledging to work together to fight crime in the state's largest city. They met Friday afternoon to smooth over their public disagreement about paying for public safety.5:19 p.m.
• Crime in Minneapolis: Perception vs. reality
  The coverage of two high-profile homicides in Minneapolis has renewed the debate about crime in the state's largest city. One of the biggest concerns is the perception that the city is not safe for visitors. Media analyst David Brauer talks with MPR's Tom Crann about how media coverage influences those perceptions.5:22 p.m.
• Dueling candidates
  There's always some politics in every policy debate at the Legislature. Republican Reps. Phil Krinkie and Jim Knoblach are taking that to a higher level at the Capitol, because they're running against each other for the same Congressional seat. Some say they're trying to "out-conservatize" each other.5:45 p.m.
• Holy hip hop hits town
  Does this seem familiar? A music style that captivates young people, but is condemned by the larger society. Once it was rock and roll. Now it's hip hop.5:50 p.m.
• He's back and he's bad
  Prince's new album, "3121," debuted at the top of the charts, his first No. 1 album in 17 years. Critics have largely praised the album as a return to what Price does best. Prince got his start in the Twin Cities and still performs here periodically. Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Lucia follows Twin Cities music including the music and career of Prince, and she's here now to talk about the Purple One.6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Egyptian Temples Endangered by Rising Water
  Scientists are scrambling to figure out a way to protect ancient temples in Luxor, Egypt -- among the world's most valuable archeological finds. The 4,000-year-old sandstone marvels are crumbling because of a rising water table. Local farmers say they need the water for irrigation.
• Studios Catch the Growing Animation Wave
  As the summer movie season nears, so does an impending tidal wave of computer-animated movies. But NPR's Bob Mondello wonders whether it will swamp what's fast becoming Hollywood's most lucrative genre. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown brought in more than $70 million in three days.
• U.S. Diverts or Suspends Money for Palestinian Aid
  The United States is canceling or suspending more than $400 million in projects in the Palestinian territories and shifting some of that money to help meet basic humanitarian needs. The change was made after Hamas, which the United States considers a terrorist organization, assumed the Palestinian leadership.
• Music for Kids That Even Parents Might Love
  A wide range of tunes for children is climbing the music charts — and much of it is acceptable to adult ears. Stefan Shepherd, who writes the kids music blog Zooglobble, talks to Melissa Block about his current favorite songs and artists.
• Overburdened Testing Services Bring Delays
  States struggling to meet their testing requirements under the No Child Left Behind act are increasingly struggling with scoring problems and testing delays. Officials say the problems stem from the limited number of companies that provide tests and testing services.
• Republicans End a Week of Divisions
  Melissa Block talks with David Corn, Washington editor of The Nation, and David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times. They'll discuss the White House leaks authorized by President Bush and Vice President Cheney, and the GOP tension over the immigration bill.
• Unemployment Falls as Immigrants Hit Benchmark
  The nation's unemployment rate fell to 4.7 percent in March, the lowest level since 2000, and employers added 211,000 jobs to their payrolls. Economists say growth in service and construction may explain why the unemployment rate for immigrants is lower than that of native-born Americans.
• Sectarian Violence Stirs Neighborhood, Militias
  The west Baghdad neighborhood of Amiriya is one of the city's most dangerous. There are daily sectarian killings, which has included people being pulled off buses and shot, others burned alive in their homes. Residents are gathering arms, and new militias have sprung up.
• Neko Case Continues to Shift on ' Fox Confessor'
  Singer and songwriter Neko Case has spent the last few years trying to put some distance between herself and the default description of her music as alt-country.
• State's Student Loan Sparks Fear in Borrowers
  When Missouri's governor proposed selling the state's student loan operation and using the $400 million in proceeds to fund a campus building boom, the plan was roundly panned. Student groups say the demise or weakening of the state student loan system would make student loans more expensive.
• Urging Vigilance on the U.S.-Mexico Border
  Until a few weeks ago, commentator Jim Gilchrist says he was not in favor of building a wall along the entire U.S.-Mexico border, a distance of almost 2,000 miles. But the political debate in Washington has convinced him that lawmakers will not make new policy to control illegal immigration sufficiently. He says the only way to protect the United States is to build a wall.
• Personal Maps Emerge as Visual Mix Tapes
  For some people, hearing a particular song immediately conjures up thoughts of an old boyfriend or girlfriend. For others, it's a place -- a park, a street corner or a restaurant. At platial.com, a new Web site founded by "psychogeography hobbyists," the result is something like Wikipedia crossed with Rand McNally.
• Heisting, and Hoisting, a Cannon in Prank War
  In the latest development in the CalTech-MIT prank war, MIT students stole a two-ton Spanish-American war cannon from a courtyard at Cal Tech and set it up in their courtyard back at MIT. David Somers participated in a heist of the very same cannon, 20 years ago.
• Democrats Eye Cunningham's Abandoned Seat
  On Tuesday April 11, voters in San Diego go to the polls to choose a replacement for Randy "Duke" Cunningham, who retired in the face of a criminal investigation. The district is usually a safe Republican stronghold, but this time, Democrat Francine Busby is leading a crowded pack of contenders.
• Pressed on Leaks, White House Restates Policy
  The White House is besieged with questions regarding President Bush's role in leaking sensitive data related to Iraq. Former vice presidential aide Lewis Libby has stated that Bush authorized leaks. Press secretary Scott McClellan defended leaking information "in the public interest."

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