Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Three women create musical memoirs in "Songstories"
  As bestseller lists will attest, the memoir is an extremely popular way for writers to delve into their personal lives and create an interesting read at the same time. Three Twin Cities writers are taking the form in a more audible direction by bringing it off the pages and into the studio. Their new CD, "Songstories," consists of what they call "audio memoirs" accompanied by songs sung by the women themselves.4:38 p.m.
• No takers on Crosstown highway reconstruction
  There's another delay in relieving congestion on Minnesota's biggest traffic bottleneck. Minnesota Department of Transportation officials said Friday construction on the Crosstown interchange in south Minneapolis and Richfield, scheduled to start this summer, has been put off indefinitely.5:07 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Upscale Grocery Chain Passes on Live Lobsters
  Whole Foods has decided to stop selling live lobsters and crabs, and instead sell only frozen ones. Michele Norris talks with Margaret Wittenberg, the chain's vice president of quality standards. She also speaks with Bob Vosburgh, Whole Health Editor at Supermarket News. And we hear from lobstermen in Portland, Me.
• Ancient Fossils Suggest Birds Began on Water
  Fossils found in northern China show that some of the first birds on Earth lived on the water. The exquisitely preserved fossils, resembling modern ducks or loons, lived 110 million years ago, when many forms of today' animals started to take shape.
• House Rancor Leads to No Timetable on Iraq
  An emotional House debate on the war in Iraq concludes with passage of a Republican-drafted resolution. In a 256-153 vote, 42 Democrats crossed party lines to approve a document that rejects a set date for withdrawing U.S. troops from the conflict.
• Cook County Chief in Seclusion Since March
  The chief executive of Cook County, Ill., has been neither seen nor heard from publicly since he suffered a severe stroke back in March. John Stroger's family and political allies aren't saying much about the 77-year-old's condition, or if he'll be able to resume his duties and stand for re-election this fall.
• House Removes Jefferson from Influential Panel
  The House, following a recommendation from the Democratic Caucus, voted to remove Rep. William Jefferson from the Ways and Means Committee today. Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, has not been officially charged with anything. But the FBI says it has video of him taking bribes.
• World Cup's First Week: No World Parity
  One week into the month-long World Cup tournament, extremes of soccer are on display: The United States had an abysmal performance against the Czech Republic, while Spain, Argentina, and Ecuador have shown excellence.
• Report: Multiple Failures to Report Haditha Deaths
  Three groups of U.S. military personnel who visited the scene of a U.S. Marine engagement that left 24 Iraqi civilians dead failed to report the incident up the chain of command, according to an Army general's new report.
• British Outrage over Pedophilia Sentencing
  In Britain, there is growing outrage at the lenient punishment often given to people convicted of sexual crimes against children. Monday, a judge told a man convicted of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a three-year-old girl that even though he had been sentenced to life in prison, he could receive parole in five years.
• Homeland Security Details Gaps in Preparation
  Most American cities and states are not ready for a major disaster, a new report to Congress says. Nearly five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks -- and 10 months after Hurricane Katrina -- the Department of Homeland Security found major shortcomings in emergency planning.
• Singing of the World Cup, Off-Key and Off-Kilter
  The World Cup finals feature soccer that is elegant, powerful and artistic. But the quadrennial tourney holds no guarantees for providing music that matches the magic conducted on the pitch. In fact, some of it could only be filed under "A" for awful.
• Keeping Chickens in the Yard
  Commentator Susan Straight talks about the chickens she keeps in her backyard. Taking care of them links her to women all over the globe and all through time who have raised chickens. Susan Straight lives in Riverside, Calif. Her new novel is A Million Nightingales.
• Hamas, Fatah, Jockey in Gaza and West Bank
  Tension is mounting between Hamas and Fatah in the West Bank and Gaza. Palestinians fear there is no way to stop the slide toward civil war.
• The Life of an 'American Taliban' in a U.S. Jail
  Michele Norris talks with Tom Junod, whose article about John Walker Lindh appears in the July issue of Esquire magazine. Junod focuses on what Lindh's life is like in prison, where he is serving a 20-year sentence.
• Judge Weighs Return of Rep. Jefferson's Papers
  A federal judge is considering a request by House leaders to return documents taken during a search of Representative William Jefferson's Capitol Hill office. The House leaders objected to the search as a violation of the separation of powers, and made their argument in court.
• Gumshoes Cite More Cases, Hassles Post-Katrina
  Natalie Biondolillo has been a private detective in New Orleans for the past 22 years. She says Hurricane Katrina churned up plenty of new business: investigating insurance fraud, tracking people who don't want to be found. But it also created a whole new world of headaches.

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