Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Short-selling mortgages increasingly popular alternative to foreclosure
  As more and more homeowners become unable to pay their mortgages, lenders and realtors say the option of selling a home for whatever the market will bare and writing off the difference between that amount and what's owed on the property can be an alternative to foreclosure.5:15 p.m.
• Cage fighting gets cornered
  A new law passed by the Legislature means the Minnesota Boxing Commission will now oversee "ultimate fighting." That worries some who say the new rules could put a stranglehold on one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.5:46 p.m.
• Storms rake sections of Minnesota
  A tornado touched down near this small town in western Minnesota as thunderstorms swept across Otter Tail County on Thursday, officials said.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bipartisan Immigration Bill Stalls in Senate
  The sweeping bill aimed at revamping the country's immigration laws has apparently stalled in the Senate, where lawmakers have refused to limit debate on the compromise bill that was reached by a bipartisan group of senators and the White House.
• Paris Hilton's Jail Time Cut After Three Days
  Paris Hilton has been transferred from a Los Angeles County jail after serving just three days of her more than three-week sentence for violating probation in an alcohol-related reckless driving case. The L.A. County sheriff's office says the decision was made after consultation with medical personnel.
• New Bacteria Named After Brazilian Scientist
  A new species of bacteria has been discovered, thanks to an American tourist who caught it while traveling in Peru. Dr. Jane Koehler, an infectious-disease specialist who led the team that found the species, named it Bartonella Rochalimae, after a long-dead Brazilian scientist.
• 'War Czar': Iraq Surge Has Mixed Results
  The three-star general who was nominated by President Bush to be his war czar told a Senate panel Thursday that results from the so-called "surge" so far are mixed. Lt. Gen. Douglas Lute said at his confirmation hearing that he doubts the Iraqis' capacity to quickly calm violence and govern effectively.
• G-8 Leaders Reach Accord on Approach to Climate
  The leaders of the world's richest nations have agreed that global greenhouse gas emissions that are warming the planet must be cut substantially. The leaders, meeting at G-8 sessions in Germany, agreed that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions must be reversed.
• 'Chickenbutt' and Other Lessons from Grandma
  Laura Lorson spent a lot of her childhood being babysat by her grandmother and great aunt — who loved to bicker and curse at each other all the time. Lorson recalls the time her mother walked in on the women during one of their more intense moments.
• Miami Fund Invests for Cuba's Post-Castro Era
  If trade with Cuba were to open up after the embargo ends, which companies would likely benefit? The Miami-based Herzfeld Caribbean Basin investment fund targets firms that might do well in the post-embargo era. Robert Siegel talks to Cecilia Gondor, executive vice president of Thomas J. Herzfeld & Co.
• Rights Groups Allege 'Ghost Detainees' Held by U.S.
  At least 39 terrorism suspects are being secretly held by U.S. authorities, according to a coalition of human rights groups that includes Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
• Pakistan's Musharraf Suspends Media Crackdown
  Pakistan's military ruler, Pervez Musharraf, has made his first significant concession to his critics since the start of the political crisis now threatening his rule. Government officials say an emergency ordinance tightening control over Pakistan's electronic media, issued earlier this week, has been suspended pending a review.
• A Quota System for Immigration Won't Work
  Like many economists, professor Russell Roberts believes in free markets and capitalism. He doesn't believe in quota systems, and he's not a big fan of the immigration bill that's working its way through Congress. To him, it looks suspiciously like a micro-managed quota system in disguise.
• Kiwi Comedian Brings 'Smash Hit' Projects to U.S.
  Jemaine Clement, one half of New Zealand's fourthmost popular folk-parody duo, has a lot on his plate this summer: Eagle Vs. Shark, a new indie comedy to rival Napoleon Dynamite; a comedy sketch show on HBO launching June 16; and, later this summer, a digi-folk-parody comedy CD, "Flight of the Conchords," from Sub Pop records. Clement is a smash hit in New Zealand and hopes to succeed in the U.S. as well.
• FBI Airport Arrests Prompt Questions of Entrapment
  The use of confidential informants and sting operations has always been controversial, as critics worry that authorities might resort to entrapment — the concept of creating a crime instead of preventing one. The FBI says it crafts investigations like that into a recent alleged JFK airport plot to avoid such mistakes.
• Teddy Afro, the New Reggae God of Ethiopia
  Though the late Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was considered a god by Rastafarians, in Bob Marley's day, reggae music wasn't popular in Ethiopia. Now, though, reggae is huge in the East African nation, and there's no bigger star than Teddy Afro.
• Guest Workers Vote Stalls Immigration Bill
  Early Thursday morning, the Senate voted on an amendment that would end the U.S. guest worker program after five years. Businesses counting on more stability through a guest worker system say the five-year limit undercuts the plan's effectiveness.
• Letters: Fertility Tests, Kabul Girls, 'Sound Clips'
  Robert Siegel and Rebecca Roberts read from e-mails submitted by listeners in the past week. Listeners responded to an interview about a new "his and her" home fertility test, and showed concern for the girls featured in a report about the best-selling book, "Kabul Beauty School." Listeners' reactions to the Sound Clips anniversary montage were mixed.

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