Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• No easing up on tuition hikes, MnSCU board says
  Minnesota State College and Universities trustees on Wednesday resisted pressure by student groups to further reduce tuition increases next year.5:21 p.m.
• Proposed change in bankruptcy law could thwart foreclosures
  Given opposition from as powerful a lobbying group as the American Bankers Association, it's unclear how far the proposed changes to bankruptcy law will advance.5:24 p.m.
• Health commissioner at center of controversy over cancer data
  Iron Range lawmakers are calling for the resignation of Minnesota's health commissioner. They claim Dianne Mandernach has lost public confidence by withholding information about cancer deaths among miners. Gov. Pawlenty is standing by his embattled commissioner.5:51 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Chicago Aims to Stockpile Affordable Rental Housing
  A Chicago group has launched what's being called one of the country's most comprehensive preservation programs. It plans to preserve 75,000 units of affordable rental housing in Cook County between now and 2020.
• U Try Being UTube!
  An Ohio equipment company says it's not easy having the same name as an Internet giant. And after a deluge of angry Web surfers stumbled on tube machinery instead of popular videos, UTube sued YouTube.
• Trash Bin Eyed as Origin of Fatal Charleston Fire
  New details are emerging on the cause of a furniture store fire that killed nine firefighters late Monday night in Charleston, S.C. A trash bin outside was identified as a possible source.
• Weapons Claims Revive Calls for Action Against Iran
  Iran continues to make progress building its uranium enrichment facility as claims spread that the nation is sending conventional weapons to Iraq and Afghanistan that are being used against U.S. troops — sparking calls for military action.
• China Builds a Road to Everest Ahead of Olympics
  China is scheduled to begin building a road up the side of Mount Everest next week, replacing a rough path that climbers have used for years. Chinese officials say the road will help bring visitors to the mountain. It also will be used in the Olympic torch relay in advance of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
• Bloomberg Squashes Talk of Presidential Bid
  New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has changed his party affiliation from Republican to unaffiliated, fueling speculation that he intends to run for president. A third-party candidate would make waves in the presidential pool, but Bloomberg says he isn't jumping in.
• Charleston's Fire Community Coping with Loss
  The Rev. Robert Dewey, who is counseling the families of firefighters in Charleston, S.C., following Monday night's tragedy, talks with Michele Norris. Dewey is founder and senior chaplain of the Coastal Crisis Chaplaincy.
• Report Calls for Leadership Overhaul at Smithsonian
  A report released Wednesday is deeply critical of the Smithsonian Institution's leadership and governance. The report says ex-Secretary Lawrence Small, who resigned in March, had a "secretive" and "imperialistic" management style.
• Support Groups for Soldiers' Families Struggle
  Family readiness groups, or FRGs, as they're known in the military, were created to support the loved ones of soldiers at war. But across the country, those groups are getting mixed reviews at best. Many FRGs have been fractured or destroyed by bickering — and critics say military leaders haven't done enough to cool the tensions and provide adequate financial and moral support. It's a problem that easily spills over onto the battlefield as families at home share their problems with soldiers in Iraq.
• Study Revises Risk Factors for Women on Hormones
  Five years ago, the mammoth Women's Health Initiative startled women and their doctors with the finding that women who take menopausal hormone supplements have a higher risk of heart disease. Now, researchers from the same study say hormone therapy lowers the risk for some women.
• Democrats Tout Iraq Withdrawal at D.C. Forum
  The democratic presidential hopefuls courted their party's liberal base this week at what has become a required stop on the campaign trail — the annual Take Back America conference, where thousands of liberal activists gathered in Washington, D.C.
• Weighing In on America's Mideast Stance
  NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr shares his take on the American position regarding Israel and the Palestinians.
• Lenders Pull Assets as Hedge Funds Near Collapse
  Investors in the bond market are nervously watching developments at Bear Stearns. Two of the firm's hedge funds are experiencing heavy losses as problems in the sub-prime mortgage market worsen. Merrill Lynch has apparently decided to pull the plug on its investments in the two funds, which is forcing Bear Stearns to scramble to find additional financing.
• Environmental Issues Land at Paris Air Show
  Questions about fuel economy and the environmental effects of a predicted huge increase in air travel are being discussed at the Paris Air Show.
• At Camp, Teens Blow Stuff Up, As They're Told
  Teens at explosives camp learn how to use dynamite to obliterate watermelons and blast rocks from the depths of mine shafts. Their leader, a Missouri professor, hopes to recruit high school students for careers in mine engineering by teaching them how to properly use dynamite, TNT and plastic bombs at his weeklong camp.

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