Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• LEED buildings catch on in Minnesota
  Minnesota has only six buildings that have earned the highest standard for environmentally-friendly structures. But that number is expected to grow in the next few years.5:20 p.m.
• Group tries going "green" the platinum way
  Live Green Live Smartplans to meet the strictest possible energy-efficiency standards for his home in order to prove that LEED certifications aren't limited to commercial buildings.5:25 p.m.
• Metro crime trends mirror national picture
  The FBI says violent crime in the U.S. increased slightly between 2005 to 2006, while the number of property crimes went down.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Two Guantanamo Detainees' Cases Thrown Out
  U.S. military judges have thrown out terrorism-related charges against two prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The rulings could jeopardize the Bush administration's efforts to mount war crimes tribunals at the detention camp.
• Bhutto Sees Return to Pakistan Aiding Democracy
  Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is in self-exile outside Pakistan but faces prosecution should she return. Even so, she has vowed to return to Pakistan to lead her party in elections later this year. Bhutto discusses her political prospects and the country's current ruler, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
• New Home Fertility Test Kits for Men, Women
  Fertell, a new, at-home fertility test, includes a male test for sperm motility and a female test for a follicle-stimulating hormone. The results provide just one indication of a couple's ability to reproduce, but one that has primary significance. The test kits are expected to sell for about $100.
• New Hampshire and Smoking: Live Free, Die Less?
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu recently spent a weekend in Portsmouth, N.H. He remarks on the low crime statistics and the local customs and weather. Then, he performs poems to music at a jazz festival.
• Publishers Warm to Google's Book Search
  When Google announced in 2004 that it would digitize every book in the world, responses ranged from skepticism to outrage, as the publishing industry worried that the project would hurt sales. But some publishers say Book Search has turned out to be a boon for them.
• Savor the Season with a Picnic of Good Books
  Summer is the season we can finally tackle the books that have been piling up on our desks and forming small mountains on the floor. Book critic Alan Cheuse offers a selection of some of the best books of late spring and early summer, and some classics that are always present in his literary landscape.
• Was the Huge Hog a Wild Lie? Behind a Boy's Story
  Last week, we reported that a 1,051-pound, 9-foot-4-inch wild boar was shot by an 11-year-old Alabama boy. At the time, it was thought to be a contender for a wild hog record. But Rhonda Blissitt and her husband came forward to say that the hog was actually a domesticated pig raised on their farm.
• Rep. Jefferson Indicted on Fraud, Bribery Counts
  Nine-term Democratic Rep. William Jefferson of Louisiana was indicted Monday on 16 federal counts of bribery, racketeering, fraud and money laundering. The indictment includes charges that he paid off a Nigerian official. Almost two years ago, investigators found $90,000 in cash in Jefferson's freezer.
• Democrats Gather to Watch Candidates' Debate
  Groups of Democrats gathered last night to watch candidates for their party's presidential nomination debate in Manchester, N.H.
• Actor Fred Thompson Explores Candidacy
  Fred Thompson begins his late bid for the Republican presidential nomination Monday by forming an organization to gauge how well he would do. Polls have consistently showed that the actor and former Tennessee senator would be a major factor if he ran. But who is Fred Thompson, and what would he bring to the race?

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