Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Manga show displays girl power (and internationalism)
  Frenchy Lunning says her life changed when she discovered Japanese comic books. Now she's combining her personal and academic interests in an exhibit at MCAD. It's called "Shojo Manga! Girl Power! East and West."4:50 p.m.
• Pawlenty trims three budget bills before signing them
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty approved budget bills for health and welfare programs, economic development and state agency operations on Friday, after trimming spending provisions that weren't to his liking.5:24 p.m.
• Attorney general calls for end to fixed-payment gas plans
  Minnesota's two biggest providers of natural gas are under fire for programs that allowed customers to lock in prices for natural gas.5:50 p.m.
• A modest proposal: One metro paper instead of two
  With both Twin Cities daily newspapers in trouble, media analyst David Brauer suggests one strong newspaper might be better than two weak ones.5:54 p.m.
• Death gets personal
  They're kind of like a book group. But instead of discussing the latest bestsellers, these Twin Cities women talk about living wills and cremation, and the music selections they'd like at their funerals.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New Deals Link U.S. to World-Class Soccer
  Soccer is bridging the Atlantic in new ways: American investors are buying British soccer teams; and in July, David Beckham will make his debut with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Stefan Fatsis, sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal, tells Michele Norris, the trend is keyed by opportunities for merchandise and marketing.
• New Books Ask: Who Is Candidate Clinton?
  Two upcoming books focus on the leading Democratic presidential candidate, Sen. Hilary Rodham Clinton. One book is by Washington Post reporter Carl Bernstein and the other by New York Times reporters Jeff Greth and Don Van Natta Jr.
• Family Road Trip: The Cheapest Way to Travel
  A family of four traveling from Washington, D.C., to Boston for a holiday weekend faces a range of options: air, train, bus and car. But which one is best? Robert Siegel measures the cost of traveling for two adults and two teens and learns that, despite higher prices at the pump, gassing up the car is still a bargain.
• Dairy Prices Drift Higher in U.S., Globally
  You can expect to pay $3 a gallon for it in a lot of places, and the price is going higher as we head into the summer. No, we're not talking about gasoline — we're talking about milk. For most of this year, prices for dairy products have drifted higher, not just in the United States but around the world.
• The Chavez Revolution Reshapes Venezuela
  Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez is trying to bring what he calls a social revolution to his country. One of the most far-reaching experiments toward Chavez's goal is the creation of community councils, which could reshape the way government operates in Venezuela.
• Former Tour Winner Admits to Doping in 1996 Win
  A Danish Tour de France champion acknowledged Friday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the prestigious cycling title in 1996. The admission by Bjarne Riis is the latest blow to the elite levels of bicycle racing.
• FAA Hopes New Software Can Ease Flight Delays
  In an effort to minimize flight delays, air-traffic controllers will soon offer pilots a choice of delaying departure or detouring around small areas of bad weather. The Federal Aviation Administration's plan relies on software that identifies bad weather.
• Russia Gets a Look at Putin's Potential Successor
  At the moment, the most-discussed question in Russia is: Who will succeed President Vladimir Putin when his two-term limit expires in March? It is all but certain that whoever Putin names as his favored successor will become the country's new leader.
• Lack of Short-Term Memory Doesn't Stop New Grad
  Andrew Engel just graduated from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, with a bachelor's degree in health administration — despite having no short-term memory. Engel learned he had a brain tumor in 1995, when he was starting his freshman year in college. Treatment left him with no short-term memory.
• Protest Puts Smithsonian Images on Flickr Site
  Public.resource.org has taken more than 6,200 low-resolution photographs posted on the Smithsonian Web site and posted them on flickr.com as an act of protest over what public.resource head Carl Malamud calls the Smithsonian's unnecessary restrictions on use of the images and dubious claims of its ownership of them.
• Riding the Bulls: Ready for the Big Time?
  Bull riding is the new NASCAR. The sport has changed in recent years: more money, meaner bulls, more ESPN, more hype and a growing fan base. On TV, it now follows the World Wrestling Federation, an "extreme sport" that's very telegenic. But bull riding is still extraordinarily dangerous.
• U.S. Spy Agencies Warned of Iraqi Sects, Panel Says
  Forecasts by U.S. spy agencies about what to expect in post-war Iraq were mostly accurate, according to a new Senate Intelligence Committee report. But several Republican senators have warned against misinterpreting the pre-war intelligence. They are also concerned about a list of people who were sent the 2003 report.
• Teenagers and Driving: A Deadly Equation
  Car crashes are the leading cause of death for U.S. teenagers, killing more than 5,000 each year. The problem confounds parents, teachers and researchers, who haven't found effective methods to improve the grim statistics.
• Al Gore: 'The Assault on Reason' in America
  In a new book, Al Gore takes a harsh look at the media's fascination with flash over substance and a lack of courage among politicians of both parties.
• Sadr Attempts to Instill Order Among Followers
  After staying out of sight for six months, Iraqi cleric Moqtada al-Sadr finally re-appeared in public Friday in an attempt to rein in his followers and instill order to an organization in turmoil.

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