Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Farm Bill agreement in hand
  A congressional conference committee will work through the weekend to finalize a $300 billion Farm Bill, but the contentious process may end up with a showdown between Congress and the President.4:50 p.m.
• Dean Barkley ponders race for Senate
  Independence Party leader Dean Barkley says he is considering entering the race for U.S. Senate in Minnesota. Barkley served in the Senate for a few weeks in 2002, after the death of incumbent Paul Wellstone.4:54 p.m.
• Some bridge victims say they'll accept settlement
  Some victims of the 35W bridge collapse have already stepped forward to praise an agreement on state aid and say they plan to accept a state settlement.5:20 p.m.
• A micro-loan helps fund the passion of BBQ entrepreneurs
  Brooklyn Park entrepreneurs are cooking up a way to survive the economic slowdown.5:46 p.m.
• Former justice O'Connor urges changes in judicial elections
  Former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor said Minnesota should consider adopting Arizona's method for choosing judges.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Coots Overstaying Welcome in Calif. Neighborhood
  Can coots (a black and white bird the size of a football) co-exist with the homeowners of a wealthy California subdivision? The homeowners say the birds have to go, but the plan to shoot them or poison them seems problematic with children around. And the coot is protected by the Migratory Bird Act.
• Dalai Lama Envoys in China for Talks
  Two representatives of the Dalai Lama arrive in Hong Kong on Friday for the latest round of talks with Chinese officials. Robert Barnett, director of Modern Tibetan Studies at Columbia University, talks with Melissa Block about what progress is expected out of the discussions.
• Letters: The Black Church; Clinton
  Robert Siegel and Melissa Block read e-mails from listeners about the black church and Rev. Jeremiah Wright, and Hillary Clinton's efforts to be an "everyday American."
• Britain's Labor Party Hammered in Local Elections
  Britain's ruling Labor Party takes a drubbing in Friday's local election — suffering its worst electoral defeat in 40 years. It's the first test of voter sentiment since Gordon Brown took over 10 Downing Street from Tony Blair last June. Predictions give the Conservatives 44 percent of the vote to 24 percent for Labor, which is one point below Britain's third party, the Liberal Democrats.
• Historian Details Roots of Windfall Profit Tax
  With the economy in turmoil and oil prices rising, there's been a lot of talk in past months of a "windfall profit tax." Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have both pushed the idea. Joseph Thorndike, director of the Tax History Project at TaxAnalysts.com, tells Robert Siegel about the tax's origins in the 1970s and the World Wars.
• Culinary Memoir Shares Spice of Sichuanese Cuisine
  Fuchsia Dunlop was the first Westerner to study cooking at the Sichuan Higher Institute of Cuisine in the western Chinese city of Chengdu, back in the 1990s. She has written a food memoir of her time in China, Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper.
• Neville Brothers Return to Close Jazzfest
  The closing festivities of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage festival are this weekend. It will be the first time since Hurricane Katrina that the Neville Brothers close the event. For a decade before the storm, the wrap-up performance by one of New Orleans most famous families was a Jazzfest tradition.
• Jobs Report Better than Predicted
  Employers continued to shed workers in April — 20,000 of them. But that's not as many as forecasters were predicting. Manufacturing and construction are still in bad shape, but other sectors are faring better. Leading economists conclude that if the U.S. is in a recession it won't be a bad one.
• Opposition Slams Calls for Runoff in Zimbabwe
  Zimbabwe's opposition leader garnered the most votes in presidential voting five weeks ago. But in announcing the results Friday, Zimbabwe's election officials said Morgan Tsvangirai still didn't win enough to avoid a runoff election. The opposition claims that government attempts to force a runoff are nothing short of criminal.
• Olympic Torch Gets Patriotic Reception in Hong Kong
  The Olympic torch is paraded without disruption through the streets of Hong Kong on Friday. This is the first time the torch has reached Chinese soil. It was greeted by crowds of flag-waving residents, shouting insults at pro-Tibet and human rights protesters. Some of them were forced to seek refuge in police vans.
• Superdelegate Seeks Voting Advice on YouTube
  Lauren Wolfe, the president of College Democrats of America, posted a video on YouTube asking people what they think about the presidential campaign. Wolfe, who is also a superdelegate, tells Melissa Block she's getting a ton of feedback that will help her represent young people when she decides how to vote.
• La. Holds Special Election to Replace Republican
  The retirement of veteran Republican Richard H. Baker has forced a special election that will be held Saturday. And it's been a nasty campaign: Democratic Don Cazayoux has been attacked as a tax-happy liberal who's soft on illegal immigrants, while the Republican, Woody Jenkins, has been painted as a tax cheat with ties to former Ku Klux Klansman David Duke.
• 'Son of Rambow': An Unlikely Action Hero
  A British boys-school hellion and his shy, sheltered patsy make a homegrown sequel to Rambo: First Blood. Garth Jennings' film is cheerfully ramshackle, childishly overstated, and pretty darn appealing.
• What I Learned on the Way to 'Graduation'
  All Things Considered staffer Cory Turner went to film school, paid his dues and finally sold a screenplay. So why — with his movie ready for release — wasn't he happy?
• Kentucky Derby Chefs Race to Finish
  Feeding the tens of thousands of spectators at the annual "Run for the Roses" is never easy. In fact, the chefs spend a year planning what to cook and making sure it all gets done on time. Joe Corcoran of member station WKYU reports on how it all gets completed.

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