Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Walking with dinosaurs
  A new touring show featuring life-size dinosaur models is on display this week in St. Paul. MPR's Tom Crann attends the Walking With Dinosaurs show, and does some fact-checking with a real-life paleontologist.4:49 p.m.
• Three weeks after the storm: A day in the life of Jane Deppert
  Three weeks after the Hugo tornado, Jane Deppert and her two sons are trying to get back to normal.5:19 p.m.
• New play explores the intersection of online, news and media
  New production at the Playwrights' Center in Minneapolis is trying to bring the experience of being online to the stage.5:23 p.m.
• Zeitgeist turns 30
  Zeitgeist, Minnesota's premier contemporary music ensemble, is celebrating its 30th anniversary.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Corn Crops Damaged by Midwestern Rain
  Rains drenching the upper Midwest for the past two months are driving up the price of a commodity used in everything from cold cereal to soft drinks, livestock feed and gasoline. Unless the region dries up quickly, nearly everyone is going to pay the price.
• Europe and the U.S. to Sweeten Offer to Iran
  The U.S. and Europe, with the support of Russia and China, will offer a sweetened package of economic incentives to Iran this weekend in the latest attempt to persuade Tehran to stop enriching uranium. But Iranian leaders seem in no mood to stop any of their nuclear activities. The nations are also threatening new economic sanctions.
• In France, Bush Says Rift Is Not Permanent
  In Paris today, President Bush delivered what amounted to a valedictory speech, looking back at U.S. and European relations over his time in the White House. He laid out the challenges ahead, including the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Bush is on what he says will be his final trip to Europe as president; earlier Friday, he met with Pope Benedict XVI.
• A Good Sports Weekend for Dads on Tap
  This Father's Day is a TV sports marathon: The fourth round of the U.S. Open may be positioned to get its highest TV ratings ever, and the Boston Celtics play the L.A. Lakers in game 5 of the NBA playoffs, following the Celtics' record come-from-behind victory Thursday. Michele Norris talks to Wall Street Journal sports writer Stefan Fatsis.
• Protests, Counter-Protests Spread in South Korea
  Today in Seoul, right-wing veterans of the Korean War staged a counter-demonstration, claiming that the tens of thousands of Koreans who have been protesting plans to import U.S. beef are being used by North Korea's communists. Meanwhile, protesters observed the sixth anniversary today of the deaths of two South Korean girls who were run over by a U.S. military vehicle.
• Swollen Cedar River Floods Iowa Cities
  In Iowa, much of the state is under a disaster declaration. Flooding, approaching and topping historic levels in some areas, sweeps through the state. More than 400 city blocks are under water in Cedar Rapids. And as the swollen Cedar River continues to overflow its banks, more than 3,000 homes and a downtown hospital have been evacuated.
• Architects of McCain's and Obama's Economic Plans
  Both presidential candidates, Barack Obama and John McCain, are acknowledging that Americans are suffering through this economy — and both have different theories on how to bring it back together, as a talk with the candidate's top economic advisers showed.
• Voigt Returns to Opera Role at Center of Firing
  Opera singer Deborah Voigt will be reprising the title role in "Ariadne auf Naxos" at London's Royal Opera House next week. The role is one from which she was fired in 2004 because of her weight.
• Jasper, Texas: 10 Years After a Racist Murder
  Ten years have passed since the horrific murder of James Byrd by three white men in Jasper, Texas. Michele Norris talks to Jasper ministers Father Ronald Foshage of St. Michael's Catholic Church and Pastor Kenneth Lyons of Greater New Bethel Baptist Church. They reflect on the healing process that took place between blacks and whites in the town and race relations in Jasper today.
• Letters: The FAA, Obama, McCain and a Judge
  From our coverage of the presidential campaign, to FAA whistleblower, to the case of a high-profile judge and risque photos — listeners write in to tell us what they think about those stories. Melissa Block and Michelle Norris read from your comments about the show.
• Losing a Unique View of the News: Tim Russert
  Melissa Block and Michele Norris remember longtime journalist Tim Russert, who died today of an apparent heart attack. The longtime host of NBC's Meet the Press was 58.
• Pakistan's Reformers Urge Reseating Judges
  In Pakistan, lawyers and reformers have revived their campaign to reinstate the independent-minded judges that President Pervez Musharraf fired last year. The two main parties in the new legislative coalition do not agree on reinstating the judges. The two main parties in that coalition do not agree on reinstating the judges.
• Find Your Inner Broadway, and Let It Out
  The Tony Awards are coming up this Sunday night which always gets commentator and singer Marc Acito very excited because while he loves theater, he especially loves musicals. He thinks more people should break out into song in regular life. And he explains how you can spontaneously erupt into song in this essay.
• Tim Russert, 'Meet the Press' Host, Dead at 58
  NBC newsman Tim Russert died suddenly today of an apparent heart attack. Russert, who was 58, had hosted Meet the Press since 1991. He was known as a dogged interviewer and a well-sourced Washington insider. Under his leadership, the show became an essential stop for politicians and officials at the highest levels.
• Basketball Beef Spills Over into Rap World
  The NBA finals are a rematch of one of the great basketball rivalries: the Celtics vs. the Lakers. But for Youth Radio's Brandon McFarland, the great rivalry of this season isn't in the finals, it's the dust-up between DeShawn Stevenson and LeBron James — and their rap proxies, Soulja Boy and Jay-Z.

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