Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Judge rules Mesaba can throw out labor contracts
  Eagan-based Mesaba Airlines has won the right to impose a cost-cutting contract on its 1,300 union workers in a bid to address its bankruptcy. Despite its court victory, some observers say Mesaba's survival seems as precarious as ever.5:18 p.m.
• It's not the heat...well, it is the heat
  From County Fairs, an international soccer festival and neighborhood festivals, there's a lot going on around the region this weekend. And the hot weather ahead is going to be a challenge to some of those events around the state. We talked to some of the organizers of outdoor events coming up this weekend to ask them how to cope with the sultry weather.5:22 p.m.
• Kathie Couric in Minneapolis on "listening tour"
  Katie Couric's "Eye on America" tour made a stop in Minneapolis this week. The new anchor of the CBS Evening news made a whistle stop trip to six U.S cities, to talk to viewers about what they think about network news. The invitation-only stop at the Minneapolis Public Library made headlines this week when Twin Cities blogger Matt Bartel was asked to surrender his notebook and not take notes. Instead WCCO, the CBS owned station, confiscated his pen. In this age of journalistic transparency, we asked David Brauer, our regular media analyst what he thought of the publicity stop.5:49 p.m.
• Girl power on a global level
  Dozens of girls from around the world have been in St. Paul all this week, attending the International Girls Summit at Macalester College. They're here working on projects that call attention to global issues facing women and girls, such as health, education, human rights and violence.5:54 p.m.
• Hindu temple rises from a Minnesota cornfield
  It's not what you expect to find in the middle of a cornfield outside Maple Grove. But here in the ex-urban fringe, at the end of a dead end road, a huge Hindu temple rises over the fields. The Hindu Mandir of Minnesota is the new home base for the Twin Cities Hindu population.6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Nation's Capital Cites Crime Emergency
  A surge in violent crime has hit the nation's capital at the height of the tourist season. The overall murder rate is no worse than last year. But as Lisa Nurnberger of member station WAMU reports, a rash of robberies and assaults, plus 14 killings in July, prompt police to declare a crime emergency.
• Policy on Guantanamo Detainees Still Unclear
  Many are puzzled by a White House shift in policy toward detainees captured in the war on terror. Do the Geneva Conventions apply to some detainees, or all? Has a real policy shift occurred, or just a rhetorical flourish?
• Kite-Tube Recall Follows Rash of Accidents
  The Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying to put an end to kite tubing, a sport in which a person soars aloft while tethered to a boat. The agency has issued a recall of kite tubes, saying too many people have been hurt or killed in falls.
• Racial Conflicts at Center of L.A. Gang Trial
  Members of the Avenues gang are accused of hate crimes, conspiring to rid the city's Highland Park neighborhood of African Americans. Los Angeles Times reporter Sam Quinones fills Michele Norris in on the trial.
• U.N. Meets in Emergency Session on Lebanon
  The U.N. Security Council holds an emergency meeting over Israel's attack on Lebanon. There are concerns that a narrow window available for diplomacy in the conflict will rapidly close.
• Federal Judges Get More Home Security
  Most U.S. federal judges are getting home-security systems. Last year's killings of the husband and mother of U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow, in her Chicago home, prompted action.
• U.S. Envoy Warns Against Early Exit from Iraq
  U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Zalmay Khalilzad tells Melissa Block that sectarian violence is now the principal problem. He says Iraq's police and several ministries are infiltrated by insurgents and must be reformed. He warns things could get worse if U.S. troops leave too soon.
• Romney Takes Control of 'Big Dig' Probe
  Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney signs an emergency bill giving him broad powers to inspect the huge Boston highway construction project known as the "Big Dig." Safety worries emerged after a fatal tunnel collapse. The tunnel remains closed.
• Mideast Distracts Bush, G-8 Summit Members
  The agenda for the G-8 summit in St. Petersburg has been overtaken by concern over the violence between Israel and Lebanon. President Bush meets Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
• Israeli Bombing Assault Batters Beirut
  Three days of Israeli bombs have made a major impact on Beirut, closing the airport, damaging major roads and destroying the home of Hezbollah's leader. Meanwhile, att least 50 Katyusha rockets hit northern Israel Friday.
• A NASCAR Romance Novel: 'In the Groove'
  Pamela Britton has written the first Harlequin romance novel set in the world of NASCAR racing: In the Groove. She reads a selection from her book.
• Hezbollah Rockets Blanket Israeli Town
  The Israeli town of Nahariya is nearly deserted as at least 25 Hezbollah rockets fall there. While most residents have moved away from the border town to escape danger, some remain in bomb shelters.
• NSA Eavesdropping Deal May Be Taking Shape
  There is talk of a deal between Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA) and President Bush over court review of the National Security Agency's domestic-eavesdropping program. Others in Congress have their own ideas about how to proceed.
• Ex-Envoy Lays Out U.S. Options in Middle East
  So far, the United States is keeping a diplomatic distance from the conflict between Israel and Lebanon. Can the U.S. do anything to defuse the situation? Edward P. Djerejian, a former U.S. ambassador to both Israel and Syria, tells Michele Norris there are options available.
• FAA Seeks to Cut Air Traffic Congestion
  New FAA rules are meant to reduce airport delays caused by bad weather and complete flights that would have been canceled. It's a pressing issue: traffic is back to nearly pre-Sept. 11 levels, but fewer, fuller planes are in the air.

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