Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Heather McElhatton revels in her "Pretty Little Mistakes"
  It's a rare novel that opens with instructions on how it should be read. But that's exactly how Heather McElhatton's "Pretty Little Mistakes" begins. At the end of each chapter she presents a choice and a reader gets to decide the direction of the story. McElhatton admits the book arose out of a personal crisis.4:50 p.m.
• Untangling the infamous Crosstown Commons now underway
  One of Minnesota's largest and most expensive road and bridge projects is underway. The rebuilding of the Crosstown Commons traffic interchange in south Minneapolis began on Tuesday.5:20 p.m.
• Minnesotans not so nice on the highways
  A new annual survey shows drivers in Minneapolis-St. Paul are becoming more rude.5:24 p.m.
• Twins ballpark construction ready to begin; Vikings waiting for their turn
  Construction on the new Minnesota Twins ballpark begins next week, when crews will begin ripping up asphalt from the old Rapid Park site in downtown Minneapolis. The Twins are scheduled to move into their new home in 2010, leaving the Metrodome behind.5:44 p.m.
• Residents of upper Gunflint Trail to be allowed back briefly
  The Gunflint Trail fire has consumed 75,000 acres so far -- about half in the U.S. and half in Canada. Fire officials are now predicting if conditions remain the same, they could have the fire contained by Sunday.5:50 p.m.
• The Canadian firefighting effort is gearing up
  Across the northern border, Canadian firefighters are gathering to fight the same fire as it crosses into Ontario. MPR's Greta Cunningham talked with Dave Jackson, the fire information officer for "Thunder Bay 37," the Canadian name for the Ham Lake Fire.5:55 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• GOP's Second Debate Is in South Carolina
  The Republican candidates for president are gathering for their second televised debate of the year Tuesday. The debate will be held in South Carolina, a state that has never erred in picking GOP nominees. The Fox News Channel is broadcasting the debate.
• Tony Award Nominees Announced for 2007
  This year's Tony Award nominations have been announced. The musical Spring Awakening received 11 nominations making it the front-runner. It joins Curtains, Grey Gardens, and Mary Poppins for best musical.
• Former Justice Deputy Describes Political Clash
  Leaders at the White House and the Department of Justice clashed long before last year's dismissal of U.S. attorneys, according to former Deputy Attorney General James Comey. Comey, who worked under John Ashcroft in President Bush's first administration, testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee.
• Sentencing Panel Changes Crack Recommendation
  The U.S. Sentencing Commission has called on Congress to reduce the tough penalties for federal crack cocaine crimes. And in a sign that the commission isn't waiting for Congress to change the law, it is using its own authority to recommend shaving sentences for most federal crack cocaine offenses.
• Companies Drop Cash on Dream to Fly Into Space
  A handful of companies are vying to be the first to take paying tourists for brief rides to the edge of space. Some, like Virgin Galactic, have built sleek spaceships for the task. But a company in Oklahoma is trying to get into the game with an old Lear Jet fitted with an Atlas rocket engine.
• Cocaine Prices Have Fallen Steeply Since 1980s
  Recent government estimates show cocaine's price fell to about $135 per gram —down from the peak prices of the early 1980s, when a pure gram of the drug sold for several hundred dollars. An analyst attributes the low prices to a drop in popularity, along with aging drug traffickers.
• Even a Little Exercise Boosts Fitness, Study Shows
  New research shows that even small amounts of physical activity can improve fitness. The study compared four groups of women ages 50 and older. The women who exercised most were the most fit — but even women who began exercising just 70 minutes a week saw a boost in fitness.
• Gonzales: McNulty Played 'Central' Role in Firings
  Resigned Justice Department deputy Paul McNulty occupied "a very central place" at the agency, according to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. At the National Press Club, Gonzales said it was McNulty's suggestions on which U.S. attorneys to dismiss that mattered most to him.
• Running Entertainment for a Meeting of the Suits
  What happens when an employee is put in charge of entertainment at a Fortune 500 company's annual sales meeting? Top hats, tails and stumbling execs, all to the tune of "One" from A Chorus Line.
• Brown Poised to Emerge from Blair's Shadow
  Once British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced he would be stepping down in June, the ruling Labor Party began the process of finding a successor. But there is little suspense about the process; Finance Minister Gordon Brown is the sole legitimate candidate.
• Son of Prominent War Critic Dies in Iraq
  First Lt. Andrew Bacevich was killed in Iraq on Mother's Day. His mother and father received the news when two uniformed officers rang their doorbell in Walpole, Mass. Bacevich is the 3,400th U.S. serviceman to die in Iraq. His father, a professor of international relations at Boston University, is one of the most prominent critics of the Iraq war in America.
• Fort Drum and the Loss of Killed, Missing Soldiers
  U.S. troops continue to search for three American soldiers believed captured by an al-Qaida-affiliated group during an ambush Saturday south of Baghdad. Four soldiers were killed in the attack. Army officials confirm that all seven men were members of the 10th Mountain Division, based at Fort Drum.
• Rival Accuses E-Harmony of Rejecting Suitors
  Online dating continues to be a popular way to meet folks, and it's a big moneymaker. The biggest sites include Match.com, e-Harmony, and chemistry.com. Chemistry.com is attacking e-Harmony in advertisements, claiming e-Harmony rejects applicants too often.
• Wolfowitz Will Meet with World Bank Board
  Embattled World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz is set to appear before the World Bank board behind closed doors. This week, the bank is due to give its final decision on whether Wolfowitz should remain as bank president. The question at hand is whether Wolfowitz violated rules by arranging a pay raise for his bank-employed girlfriend.
• The Falwell Effect in American Politics, Religion
  The Rev. Jerry Falwell's death Tuesday ended a career that helped shape America's evangelical community, and its politics. Michele Norris talks with Paul Weyrich, who worked with Falwell in founding the conservative Christian group, Moral Majority. Weyrich is now the chairman and CEO of the Free Congress Foundation.

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