Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds: Tennessee Williams, Nora Labiner, Shakespeare in Winona
  This week's Art Hounds hunt down a new Tennesse Williams play at Gremlin Theater, rave about writer Nora Labiner's new novel, and are on the scent of Shakespearean sililoquies in Winona.4:44 p.m.
• New sewage treatment system could help clean Minnesota lakes
  A Minnesota company is testing a new sewage treatment system it says could help protect lakes and wetlands.4:50 p.m.
• Novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafon creates a shifting Gothic world
  Best-selling novelist Carlos Ruiz Zafon says he set out to recreate the storytelling of the great Victorian writers while including modern sensibilities.4:54 p.m.
• Miners learn more about mesothelioma study
  About 70 miners and retired mine workers met in Eveleth with researchers from the U of M, who are studying why there's a high rate of mesothelioma on the Iron Range.5:20 p.m.
• Advocates say budget cuts target most vulnerable
  Homeless advocates say Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan for unallotment will hit their clients particularly hard.5:24 p.m.
• Rep. John Kline talks about the Card Check legislation
  Congressman John Kline is closely identified with military issues, but, now he's assuming a new leading role in Education and Labor issues.5:51 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Michael Jackson: Life Of A Pop Icon
  He was a child star, an international icon, a running late-night talk show joke. But in his prime, his overbearing talent and ambition made him a musical genius. Jackson was 50 years old when he died after going into cardiac arrest.
• Mexico City's Soundtrack A Symphonic Cacophony
  The Mexican capital is a noisy metropolis of more than 20 million people, known for its colonial church bells and relentless traffic. But it's also a place where sounds have meaning. If you listen just right, amid the chaos, a disjointed symphony is waiting to be heard.
• Summer Song Favorites: 'Brandy'
  The song "Brandy" by Looking Glass was No. 1 in 1972. For singer-songwriter Todd Snider, the song is a reminder of happy times. He was 6 years old when he first heard the song, but it left a lasting impression.
• Lobbyists Jockey For Position In Health Care Debate
  As Congress this month began its legislative work to overhaul health care, the hearing room was packed with lobbyists. Billions of dollars are at stake, and interest groups are pouring millions into Capitol Hill to make sure their concerns are represented.
• National Pollinator Week Marked
  Melissa Block talks to Steve Buchmann, the international coordinator of the North American Pollinator Protection Campaign, about National Pollinator Week, which is marked by the federal and most state governments.
• Letters: 'Transformers,' Spelling Rule
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' letters, including one listener who takes issue with a story that called the original Transformers" cartoons of the 1980s "lame" and another who is indignant that the British have decided to stop teaching a golden rule of spelling: "i before e except after c."
• High Court Eases Oversight Of English Program
  The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday that lower courts need to take another look at whether Arizona schools are providing enough English-language programs. The lower courts had said the schools' programs were not meeting federal requirements.
• Holder Urges Congress On New Hate Crimes Bill
  U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder called on senators to expand federal statutes against hate crimes to include protections for gays, women and people with disabilities. The law now provides for federal prosecution and increased penalties for violent crimes motivated by race or religion.
• Bernanke Denies Strong-Arming Bank Of America
  Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke denied Thursday that he strong-armed Bank of America into a costly taxpayer-supported acquisition of Merrill Lynch. The comments before a House panel come weeks after Bank of America CEO Kenneth Lewis said his job was threatened after he expressed reservations about the deal.
• Taxing Imports, One At A Time
  Every time a car or a T-shirt or an apple comes into the U.S., it's taxed. But determining how much is quite complicated. Import specialists, like Bret Ewing in Seattle, use an old, enormous book to figure it out.

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