Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Convention update
  Minnesota Republicans have filled out the top of their November election ballot. After endorsing Congressman Mark Kennedy for the U.S. Senate race last night, delegates at the party's state convention this afternoon endorsed Tim Pawlenty for a second term as Governor. Minnesota Public Radio's Gary Eichten joins us now with the latest from the GOP convention at the Minneapolis Convention Center.5:19 p.m.
• A quiet standoff at Fargo soldier's funeral
  Hundreds of people gathered Friday in Fargo to bury a local man killed last week in Iraq. As the crowd gathered to remember 21-year-old Michael Hermanson, a handful of protesters waved anti-gay, anti- military signs outside the church.5:42 p.m.
• Blowin' in the wind
  Xcel Energy electric customers have paid over $10 million to the company for energy it never received from wind generators. Xcel pays for any electricity that windmill operators produce, even if Xcel doesn't have the capacity to actually accept that electricity.5:46 p.m.
• Pictures of marriage
  Although the U.S. divorce rate remains high, many couples of earlier generations are celebrating many decades of marriage. Photographer Robert Fass featured his parents, who were married 47 years, in a series of portraits, and provided him with the inspriation for a larger project, a book of photos called, "As Long As We Both Shall Live: Long-Married Couples in America."6:21 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ancient Figs May Be First Cultivated Crops
  The discovery of figs in an 11,400-year-old house near the ancient city of Jericho may be evidence that cultivated crops came centuries before the first farmers planted cereal grains.
• Iraqi Leader: Civilian Deaths a 'Horrible Crime'
  Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemns the deaths of two dozen civilians in Haditha last fall as "a horrible crime." In addition, seven U.S. Marines and a sailor could be charged with murder, kidnapping or conspiracy in connection with a single Iraqi death in April.
• How the Primordial Soup Took a Left Turn
  Scientists in England may have cracked a puzzle that lies at the core of all life on Earth. The amino acids that form the building blocks of life come in two forms: a left-hand and a right-hand version. But nearly all living organisms only use the left-handed form. Now there's a plausible chemical explanation.
• Jobs Report Lags Behind Economists' Estimates
  The latest jobs report shows weaker-than-expected activity. Employers in the United States added 75,000 jobs to their payrolls in May, less than half the number that economists had forecast. But even with meager job creation, the unemployment rate fell to 4.6 percent. The report increased concerns that the economy may be slowing.
• Spell-Check: Boy's Catch Saves a Spot in Spelling Bee
  A 12-year-old California boy is responsible for righting an error made in judging the finals of the National Spelling Bee contest. When Lucas Brown, a seventh-grader from Poway, Calif., realized the judges had mistakenly eliminated a contestant in round eight, he spoke up -- and Saryn Hooks returned to the competition.
• 'Snakes on a Plane!': Life Imitates, Well...
  The big buzz for this year's summer movie season is Snakes on a Plane. The action flick, starring Samuel L. Jackson, has a plot that needs no further explaining than the title. But for Monty Coles, an amateur pilot in West Virginia, the title became a reality when a four-and-a-half-foot snake hitched a ride in his small plane.
• Utah Park Officials Fret over Climb of Delicate Arch
  The Delicate Arch, a fixture of Utah's Arches National Park, may have suffered irreparable damage in a recent climb, park officials say. Climber Dean Potter, who admits to climbing the arch, says he is not the first to do so. But park officials -- and Potter's sponsor -- are concerned.
• Prosecutor Meets with Victims of Rural Church Arsons
  As three Alabama college students face trial for burning nine rural Baptist churches, the state's attorney general meets with the affected congregations to hear their views on an appropriate punishment. The accused could face decades in prison if convicted.
• Texas Governor Announces High-Tech Border Measures
  Texas Gov. Rick Perry plans to use more technology to watch the border, hoping to use cameras along the border and the Internet to get as many eyes watching the border as possible. They expect the operation to be in effect in 30 days. Gov. Perry's new program, unveiled Thursday in a speech at the Texas Department of Public Safety, is also part of the keynote speech at the Republican State Convention. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Steve McCraw, director of the Texas Office of Homeland Security.
• CIA Hopes Kappes' Return Helps Settle Agency
  The return of Stephen Kappes to the CIA, where he will soon become the agency's No. 2 official, is likely to help smooth some of the turbulence the spy agency has experienced since the upheaval that followed the departure of George Tenet.
• Before the Search: The Rise of Rep. William Jefferson
  The $90,000 in cash allegedly found in his freezer; the FBI raid of his office; and the conviction of a top aide on bribery charges are just the latest in a long string of stories, scandals and allegations surrounding Rep. William Jefferson.
• Parallels Between My Lai, Haditha Are Few
  Although there are some disturbing parallels, the story that is coming to light about the conduct of U.S. Marines in Haditha, Iraq, is not identical to what happened in My Lai, Vietnam, argues retired Maj. Gen. Robert Scales.
• Chertoff Defends Homeland Cuts to New York City
  Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff defends his decision to cut his agency's grants to New York City and for the Washington, D.C., area by 40 percent, saying New York still receives the most money of any city for security. News of the grant amounts prompted sharp criticism.
• Schools Try to Prepare Against Bird-Flu Threat
  The Bush administration's new preparedness plan for a flu pandemic sets specific goals for public schools, as well as colleges and universities. NPR's Claudio Sanchez reports on the state of readiness.
• Iran Sends Mixed Signals in Its Rejection of U.S. Offer
  Iran's president has rebuffed offers of a dialogue about the country's nuclear program with the United States and five of its allies, according to reports. But the foreign ministry and Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei have offered more moderate responses. Melissa Block talks with Time magazine reporter Azadeh Moaveni about Iran's reaction to the new package of incentives and penalties, as well as Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's offer to engage in talks with Iran, if the country suspends its uranium enrichment program.

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