Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Comparing Walden to Woebegon; what kettle lakes mean to America
  Geology Professor Robert Thorson's new book is called "Beyond Walden -- The hidden history of America's Kettle Lakes." Tom Crann met him at one of those lakes, Lake Calhoun in Minneapolis to ask what defines it -- and so many others -- as kettles.4:50 p.m.
• HUD secretary tours federal stimulus at work in Minneapolis
  HUD secretary Shaun Donovan was in Minneapolis Friday to help break ground on a public housing construction project funded by federal stimulus dollars.5:18 p.m.
• Twin Cities housing market showing small signs of improvement
  The Twin Cities housing market showed small signs of improvement last month, according to figures released today Friday by area realtors.5:21 p.m.
• More consumers explore using home-based wind turbines
  U.S. sales of home-based wind turbines increased almost 80 percent last year, to more than 10,000 units. However, the machines don't always work as advertised.5:24 p.m.
• Book by 8th graders follows James gang through Minnesota
  For four years, students at Northfield Middle School wrote a book about a failed bank robbery in 1876 by outlaw Jesse James and his gang.5:50 p.m.
• Goalkeeper remembers game-winning save at '99 World Cup
  Ten years ago today, Minnesota-native Briana Scurry won the 1999 World Cup as the game-saving goalie on the U.S. Women's national team.6:21 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ghanaians Celebrate Obama's Visit
  President Barack Obama arrives in Ghana on Friday for his first visit to sub-Saharan Africa since taking office.
• Women Lose Bid To Ski Jump At Olympics
  A Canadian judge rules that even though excluding female ski jumpers from the 2010 Winter Olympics amounts to discrimination, there is nothing Canadian courts can do about it. In their lawsuit, 15 women had argued that the men-only event violates the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• Back From Iraq ... With A Traumatic Brain Injury
  One in five soldiers reports coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with mild traumatic brain injury, often from roadside bombs and Humvee wrecks. Although symptoms are hard to identify, Army doctors are finding more cases because of baseline testing that began two years ago.
• Family Wants Investigation Into Gay Sailor's Death
  Was last week's shooting death of a sailor at Camp Pendleton in southern California a hate crime? The family of Seaman August Provost III believes the killing may be related to his sexual orientation, and now there are calls for a congressional investigation. From KQED Public Radio in San Francisco, Scott Shafer reports.
• Congress Bickers Over Secret CIA Program
  House Democrats disclosed that they've been told the CIA concealed an unidentified program from Congress for years just as the House takes up a bill to authorize intelligence programs. Democrats want to expand the number of lawmakers briefed on covert operations to 40, up from the current eight. But President Barack Obama has issued a — rare — veto threat against the bill, saying small briefings are adequate if oversight works properly.
• United Passenger Sets Complaint To Music
  Musician Dave Carroll's $3,500 guitar was damaged by United Airlines baggage handlers. He complained to the airline, but got nowhere so he decided to write a song about it. His song, "United Breaks Guitars," went viral on YouTube.
• Report Offers New Details On Bush Spy Program
  Five federal inspectors general have sent a report to Congress on the surveillance measures President Bush put in place after 9/11. The report includes new details on the warrantless wiretaps of domestic communications.
• Obama, Pope Hold Private Talks
  After winding up his visit in Italy for the G-8 summit on today, President Obama met Pope Benedict XVI at the Vatican, with the world economy at the top of their agenda. The pope recently issued a papal encyclical that criticized the drive for profits above everything else and called for a new financial order based on the common good.
• Lynching Victim's Grave In Disrepair
  The desecration of graves at a historical African-American cemetery in Chicago has revealed another tragedy: The grave of Emmett Till, whose death stoked the civil rights movement, has fallen into disrepair. An effort to raise money for a renovated resting place has also turned out to be a scam.
• Week In Politics Reviewed
  E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution and David Brooks of The New York Times discuss President Obama's meeting with Pope Benedict, the latest economic figures, the health care debate and the 500th birthday of John Calvin, the founder of the Calvinist Protestantism.
• Olympics Channel Not Getting Cheerleaders
  Team handball fans, archery fans, equestrian fans rejoice! The United States Olympic Committee wants to start its own television network. Not everyone is happy about it, though. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis joins Robert Siegel to talk about why the International Olympic Committee and NBC aren't celebrating the idea.
• Iraqi Insurgents Turn To Small But Deadly Weapon
  U.S. military officials are hard at work on a strategy to defend against a weapon insurgents have been using with increasing frequency in Iraq. The RKG-3 grenade looks like a tin can on a long stick and can be easily concealed in a crowd.
• AIG Seeks Fed Approval On Executive Bonuses
  American International Group's plan to pay millions in retention bonuses to top executives caused a political firestorm a few months ago. Both the company and federal officials are hoping to avoid another fiasco. AIG has asked the Obama administration's new "compensation czar" to approve the bonuses to shield the company from a public backlash. The Treasury Department says the consultation process is just getting under way.
• Climate Change Bill Postponed By Senate
  Senate Democratic leaders are mothballing a climate change bill until September. The bill faces withering opposition from Republicans, and many deals will have to be made before the measure — which seeks to create a greener economy — is passed.
• Aviva Kempner Says 'Yoo-Hoo' To Unsung Heroine
  Gertrude Berg invented the family sitcom, first on the radio, then on television. She was the creator, writer and star of The Goldbergs and now is the subject of a new documentary film, Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg.

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