Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• South Dakota prepares again, for execution
  Officials in South Dakota are preparing for the state's first execution in 60 years; an execution that was delayed at the last minute, last summer.3:00 p.m.
• Minnesota appears likely to move up '08 party caucuses
  With the nation's political calendar shifting forward, party leaders said moving the caucuses from March to February would be vital in giving state voters a say in the nominating contests.5:20 p.m.
• Iowa pushes organic farming to fill demand gap
  Farmers in the Sioux City, Iowa area are being encouraged to switch to organic crop production. If it works, the new producers will join a growing industry.5:25 p.m.
• Iwo Jima flag raiser dies in Minn.
  Charles W. Lindberg, one of the U.S. Marines who raised the first American flag over Iwo Jima during World War II, has died. He was 86.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Comparing Secrecy
  What role has secrecy played in the tenure of Vice President Dick Cheney? How do his actions compare with those of past leaders, such as President Nixon?
• Internet the Last Straw for N.Y. Polka Shop
  Almost 60 years ago, Virginia Ruda and her husband founded Ruda's Records and Polish Gifts in the Buffalo suburb of Cheektowaga, N.Y. Ruda says people in and around Buffalo are still crazy for Polka music, but mostly they get it on the Internet now.
• Alaskan Villages Suffer with Postage Rate Increase
  A discounted mail program in Alaska ensures that basic supplies arrive regularly in villages that can't be reached by road. But a recent 13 percent increase in postage rates is having a substantial effect on life in Alaska's remote villages.
• Olmert to Release Prisoners in Show of Support
  Leaders of Egypt, Jordan and Israel met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas to offer support during his battle with rival Palestinians in the Hamas organization. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said he will release 250 Fatah members from Israeli prisons.
• Supreme Court Rules on Free-Speech Cases
  The Supreme Court ruled Monday on three cases related to the First Amendment. It struck down limits on some campaign ads, restricted when taxpayers may sue over government aid to faith groups, and ruled against a teen and his "Bong Hits for Jesus" banner.
• Scientists Study Changing Seas on Australian Island
  On Heron Island, off the coast of Australia, weird moans of mutton birds surround scientists who have come to this outpost to study how global warming is changing life in surrounding seas.
• GM Launches Hybrids Amid Brisk Prius Sales
  General Motors is launching four new hybrids this year and next as it gets serious about closing the "green gap" with rival Toyota. Meanwhile, though, Toyota is cashing in on the popularity of the Prius, and GM struggles to find a good response.
• Court Allows Transfer of EPA Authority to States
  The Supreme Court sided with the Bush Administration and developers Monday, ruling that the Environmental Protection Agency may transfer authority for issuing water-pollution permits to states when states show they can adequately enforce the Clean Water Act.
• Labor Deal Cuts Delphi Workers' Pay
  Details of the deal between auto parts maker Delphi and the UAW were leaked, revealing a difficult decision facing workers: Vote "yes" and accept a pay cut of 40 percent; vote "no" and take their chances with bankruptcy court.
• Needs of Disabled Veterans Outpace Housing Grant
  Homes for Our Troops helps injured veterans adapt their homes to their disabilities. But criteria for the government's Specially Adapted Housing grant exclude many severely disabled veterans, and the grant amount has not kept pace with home prices.
• At Corning, Art That Imitates Life — Astonishingly
  19th-century Harvard students needed botanical models. They turned to a pair of glass artists who specialized in invertebrate zoology. The results, on display at the Corning Museum of Glass this summer, are so lifelike that they've inspired poets and novelists.
• Suicide Bomber Attacks U.S.-Allied Sheiks
  In another day of scattered violence in Iraq, a suicide bomber breached tight security around a Baghdad hotel and blew himself up where Sunni sheiks allied with the U.S. in the fight against al-Qaida were meeting. At least 12 people were killed.
• 'Consider the Oyster' — a Peerless Summer Delicacy
  Author Kate Christensen says the book "packs a wallop in a small amount of space, satisfies without satiating, and goes down easily, pithy and nutritious and sweetly briny."
• Reclaiming the Past, One Cylinder at a Time
  Richard Martin and his wife Meagan Hennessey grew tired of their favorite rock 'n' roll records. Now they scour flea markets and antique stores for old cylinders and 78s on their Archeophone label.
• Iraqis in Jordan Dogged by Medical Costs
  Violence in Iraq has brought the health care system there close to a collapse, according to aid agencies. Neighboring Jordan is one of the few places where Iraqis can get advanced medical treatment. But the system there is expensive.

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