Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Senate candidates push gas prices to front of campaign
  The two major party candidates for U.S. Senate were talking up their energy proposals on the campaign trail today, now that gas prices have hit record highs.5:20 p.m.
• UnitedHealth settles suit, cuts jobs and earnings outlook
  Minnetonka-based UnitedHealth Group went on a news spree Wednesday. The company announced a settlement in a high-profile class action lawsuit. It also lowered earnings estimates and announced 4,000 job cuts, and other reorganization moves.5:24 p.m.
• New Ulm woman makes Olympic wrestling team
  The road to the Olympics for one Minnesota wrestler began in New Ulm, veered north to Canada, and will head west to Beijing next month for the games.5:50 p.m.
• Inventing summer
  School may be out, but education isn't. Thousands of kids are learning off the beaten path this summer.5:54 p.m.
• New Voyageurs superintendent will focus on community connections
  The new superintendent of Voyageurs National Park has spent the last 16 years at Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site in St. Louis. Michael Ward says he'll keep building bridges between Minnesota's only national park and the people who live near it.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• McCain Aide Sees Expanded Role
  A top aide to Senator John McCain is taking on extra duties in the presidential campaign. Steve Schmidt will oversee day-to-day political, strategy, coalitions, scheduling and communications operations. He will report to Campaign Manager Rick Davis.
• Hostages Rescued In Colombia
  Colombia says it rescued three Americans and a French-Colombian politician from leftist FARC rebels who held them for years. John Otis, South America bureau chief for the Houston Chronicle, says all the former hostages are in reasonably good health.
• 'Thurgood' Plays To Standing Ovations On Broadway
  Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall is perhaps best known for Brown v. the Board of Education. Now, actor Laurence Fishburne is playing him on Broadway in Thurgood, which is playing to sold-out audiences and standing ovations on Broadway.
• New Orleans Park Has Ear For Jazz
  Many national parks have myths, legends and tall tales. At the New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park, the true legends are the musicians. Drummer Benny Jones, leader of the Treme Brass Band, and park ranger Bruce Barnes tell the story of the music.
• Scientists Make Herpes Breakthrough
  Those infected with a herpes virus are infected for life. That's because the virus goes "latent." Sometimes, it awakes from its slumber, producing painful illnesses. Now, scientists say they know how the virus becomes latent and why it wakes up.
• U.S. Plans For Iran Examined
  This week's New Yorker magazine reports on increased covert operations against Iran. The U.S. says no talks with Iran are possible before Tehran suspends its nuclear program. That is unlikely to happen, leaving Washington's plans open to question.
• Starbucks To Close 600 Stores
  Starbucks Corp. says it will close hundreds of stores it opened over the past three years. The company did not say where the stores were located, but all together, 600 underperforming stores will close and 12,000 full- and part-time positions be cut.
• Presidential Candidates Differ On Free Trade
  John McCain and Barack Obama both have trade on their agenda. John Bussey, Washington bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal, says Obama raises questions about trade accords while McCain sees them as an effective way to extend U.S. foreign policy.
• Fireworks With Patriotic Names Popular
  Ahead of this Fourth of July, fireworks are costlier and their supply short because of warehouse fires in China. Scott DeGross, general manager of Victory Fireworks in Ellsworth, Wis., says this year fireworks with patriotic names are popular.
• 'Kite Runner' Star's Family Feels Exploited By Studio
  The child star of The Kite Runner faced harassment in his home country of Afghanistan before the film was even released. Paramount Pictures tried to relocate the boy for his safety, but his family believes the studio has not done enough to help.
• Bleak Car Sales Data Still Produce Winners
  New car purchases are at the lowest levels in 10 years. Nearly all major carmakers reported steep sales declines for June. Derek Mattsson, head of Vehix.com, says consumers are still favoring cars like the Honda Civic at the expense of U.S. vehicles.
• Environmental Educator Eyes Yosemite Roadkill
  Moose Mutlow, a quirky environmental education instructor in Yosemite National Park, has been tracking the roadkill there to figure out what gets killed and why. He's armed with a clipboard, a baseball bat to kill suffering animals who don't seem likely to survive encounters with cars, and a shovel to pry flattened victims from the blacktop. For one study, he spent nearly a year surveying 30 miles of highway twice daily, and found endangered great gray owls and bears. He's worked with park rangers to create "Red Bear, Dead Bear" signs for park visitors to urge them to slow down. From KQED, Sasha Khohka reports.
• No More German Paper For Zimbabwe Money
  A German company has announced it will no longer supply Zimbabwe with paper to print its currency. Giesecke and Devrient's decision came following a request from the German government, and in response to U.N. and EU calls for international sanctions.
• McCain, Obama View Public Service Differently
  John McCain and Barack Obama can sound similar when they talk about inspiring people to serve a cause greater than their own self-interest. But Obama sees government as an instrument of service, while McCain talks about military and community service.
• Calif. Fights Extreme Heat
  Climate scientists say extreme heat in California will worsen in the coming decades as a result of climate change. Heat waves that once lasted days could instead last for months. That adds up to dangerous conditions, especially for the elderly. In Stanislaus County, emergency responders are already working on how to help safeguard residents against temperatures that could make life not just uncomfortable, but downright dangerous. Sarah Varney reports from member station KQED.

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