Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Red River's second crest forecast gives cities a break
  Residents and city officials in Fargo-Moorhead will slow work on additional contingency dikes because of the National Weather Service's downgraded prediction of the Red River's second crest.5:18 p.m.
• A busy year for highway and bridge construction
  State transportation officials announced a long list of highway and bridge construction projects that will get underway shortly in Minnesota.5:20 p.m.
• MPR, Met Council reach deal on light rail noise
  After three months of negotiations, the Metropolitan Council and Minnesota Public Radio have finally struck a deal on how to resolve MPR's concerns over noise from a proposed light-rail transit line.5:24 p.m.
• Minneapolis says gun involved in fatal shooting never in police custody
  The Minneapolis city attorney filed documents Wednesday, which dispute allegations that police officers planted a gun near Fong Lee after they shot him in 2006.5:50 p.m.
• Iran charges American journalist with espionage
  The lawyer for Roxana Saberi, a native of Fargo, N.D., says she has been charged with espionage. Saberi has been in jail in Iran since late January.5:52 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Goldman Sachs CEO Defends Executive Pay
  Lloyd Blankfein says that because the New York company receives taxpayers' money, it is extra careful in how it spends it. "It certainly affects our behavior," he says. Blankfein also tells NPR that executive pay would never be as high today as it was two years ago.
• Israeli Settlement Seeks Barrier's Protection
  Ariel is one of Israel's biggest settlements deep inside the West Bank. For the moment, it lies outside the barrier, a fact that its mayor and other local leaders are not happy about. As well, the settlement has become something of an issue in relations between Israel and the U.S.
• 'True Mom Confessions': I Ate The Marshmallows
  Romi Lassally's new book gathers together women's confessions of "mommy misdemeanors" — and offers an alternative viewpoint to the idealized notion of how blissful motherhood is supposed to be.
• Captain Of Hijacked Vessel Still Hostage
  The crew of a U.S.-flagged ship that was seized by pirates Wednesday off Somalia retook the vessel, but the ship's captain was still being held hostage. It was the first such hostage-taking incident involving Americans in more than 200 years.
• Piracy Spreads Across Africa Coast
  The dramatic story of the Maersk Alabama is unfolding off the coast of Somalia, but in a different area from most of the other recent pirate attacks. The attack could mark a significant shift in pirate tactics.
• TARP Inspector Gears Up To Oversee Bailout
  The $700 billion TARP program comes with its own internal police force tasked with ensuring that taxpayer money to bail out Wall Street is spent properly. Neil Barofsky, a former federal prosecutor, heads the new office, which is up and running, but undergoing some growing pains.
• Life Insurers May Receive Federal Bailout Funds
  Many struggling life insurance companies are expected to receive rescue funds from the Treasury Department. Some insurers are struggling to obtain credit, and there are fears that they could run out of money if large numbers of customers redeem policies.
• Chicago Struts Its Stuff For Olympic Committee
  The International Olympic Committee has wrapped up a six-day visit to Chicago, one of four cities vying to host the 2016 Summer Olympics. The city's bid is getting strong support from President Obama, a Chicagoan, who helped make the pitch in a videotaped message.
• Politician Embraces His American And Mexican Roots
  Abel Maldonado is a Republican state senator who cast the pivotal vote in California's prolonged budget debate. Maldonado is a successful businessman and rising political star, but he won't forget his immigrant parents' humble beginnings in the U.S.
• Letters: Spoilers
  Many listeners wrote in to protest the mention of a critical plot twist in the TV series House. Some thought a big "spoiler alert" should have been included though the program had already aired on the Fox network. Entertainment Weekly TV critic Ken Tucker offers his insight.

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