Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Officials tour damage; Gov. says special session possible
  As residents were beginning to survey the damage to their homes, officials were touring the wreckage from Sunday's tornado in Hugo. Gov. Pawlenty held open the possibility of a special session, if it was needed to secure emergency funds.5:20 p.m.
• Residents, officials begin assessing damage, determining next steps
  Today, Hugo residents tried to understand the extent of the damage of a tornado that swept through their community leaving a 2-year-old boy dead and 17 people hospitalized. Late this afternoon Gov. Tim Pawlenty declared the area a disaster zone.5:24 p.m.
• Legislature sets targets for energy use
  Experts at the University of Minnesota will set progressively stringent targets for reduced energy use in new and substantially-remodeled buildings.5:55 p.m.
• Remembering our region's most recently departed soldiers
  Since Memorial Day 2007, 11 members of the U.S. military with strong ties to our region have died in the line of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan. On this Memorial Day 2008, All Things Considered presents a tiny glimpse of who they were.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• An Infantryman's View of the Army's Stop-Loss
  The call to sustain high troop levels in Iraq is raising new concerns about the effects of recurring deployments on military personnel. The toll is particularly acute for soldiers serving back-to-back tours with little time in-between to decompress at home.
• Film Director Sydney Pollack Dies of Cancer
  Filmmaker Sydney Pollack has died of cancer. A family representative said Pollack passed away at his home in Los Angeles; he was 73. Having started out as an actor, Pollack is best known for his directing; he won an Academy Award for directing Out of Africa in 1985. Pollack also directed the comedy Tootsie in 1982.
• Phoenix Sends Color Photos of Mars to NASA
  The first detailed color pictures from the Mars Phoenix Lander have arrived on Earth, giving NASA its first close views of Mars' north pole. Guy Raz talks to NPR's Joe Palca at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena about what scientists say they are seeing.
• Invasive Snails Take a Toll on Native Ducks
  The number of lesser scaup ducks is dwindling, and it could be an invasive species that does them in. Invasive snails and parasites are attacking these and other ducks on the Upper Mississippi. The snails and their parasites are killing off a duck population already at risk.
• Iraqi Army Wins an Uneasy Peace in Basra
  The Iraqi Army and police are in control of Basra, after a major operation that initially saw the Iraqi security forces at a disadvantage. The Mehdi Army laid down its weapons, but the southern oil city is essentially under martial law.
• Student Jazz Singers of Howard University
  Nine music majors at Washington, D.C.'s Howard University are also part of the schools vocal jazz ensemble AfroBlue. Michele Norris talks with the group's director, Connaitre Miller, and listens as the students demonstrate "crunchy" harmonies on a familiar tune, as well as some smooth chords on a cappella versions of "Surrey with a Fringe on Top" and "Sometimes I'm Happy."
• China Quake Spotlights an Ethnic Minority
  Western Sichuan province sits at the intersection of diverse ethnic cultures. One people particularly hard hit by the earthquake is the ancient Qiang minority, in the mountains of Beichuan. They practice an animist religion; many speak a Tibetan-Burmese language.
• Midwest Suffers Hits from Deadly Tornadoes
  The damage assessment continues from tornadoes that hit the upper Midwest. At least eight people died in Iowa and Minnesota - the small town of Parkersburg, Iowa, about 80 miles northeast of Des Moines, was the hardest hit. A high school and numerous homes are no longer standing.
• Housing Pros Seen Working Foreclosure Scams
  As homeowners fall behind on their mortgage payments and face the prospect of foreclosure, con artists are also taking advantage of the mortgage crisis. The FBI's New York office and an advocacy group see people losing their homes in the latest wave of scams.
• Mosquito War: New Chemicals May Beat DEET
  A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has found several chemicals that may be more effective mosquito repellents than DEET. The gold standard for discouraging mosquitoes, it wasn't known until recently how DEET affects the insects.
• On Memorial Day, a Trek to the Capital
  We offer some of the sounds of the holiday, from Arlington National Cemetery, where President Bush laid a wreath today, and from the National Mall. Host Guy Raz speaks with people there about who they're thinking of on this Memorial Day.
• An American Veteran of the First World War
  At the age of 107, Frank Buckles is the last living veteran to serve overseas during World War I. Host Guy Raz checks in with Buckles this Memorial Day to hear about some of his memories of service for the United States.
• Ma Jian's 'Beijing Coma'
  Author Ma Jian is one of China's major fiction writers. And in his latest novel, Beijing Coma, translated by Flora Drew, he takes up the story of the Tiananmen Square massacre.
• Vocal Impressions: Brando, Channing, Lieberman
  In the last installment of our monthly contest, listeners said Marlon Brando sounds scratchy, Carol Channing sounds like a smoker and cougher, and Joe Lieberman sounds squeaky and boring.
• Three Books About Sand and Sun
  What makes the perfect beach book if you're the kind of person who gravitates toward the literary? The answer is simple: Books literally about the beach, featuring miles of shoreline.

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