Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Art Hounds: Puppets in Bemidji, Osmo on clarinet, Music and Movies
  This week's Art Hounds welcome In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre to Bemidji, celebrate the Walker's Summer Music and Movies, and talk up Osmo Vanska's lunchtime clarinet concert.4:44 p.m.
• Buzz Aldrin recalls his mission to the moon
  Forty years ago today, NASA's Apollo 11 spacecraft launched, beginning Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin's historic mission to the moon. MPR's Tom Crann talked with Aldrin about his most vivid memories of going to the moon.4:50 p.m.
• Studies show women of color struggle to rise in law firms
  If confirmed, Sonia Sotomayor would be the first woman of color to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. However, two studies found women of color have little chance of rising to the most powerful ranks in law firms.4:54 p.m.
• State loses 16,700 jobs in June
  Minnesota's job losses spiked dramatically in June, compared to the previous month, with employers cutting 16,700 jobs around the state.5:20 p.m.
• Traffic deaths drop to historic low
  Traffic deaths on state roads dropped by 11 percent last year, and the state highways were safer than they have been in 64 years, according to state officials.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• At 100, NAACP Shifts Focus From Rights To Justice
  President Obama's speech to the NAACP on the group's 100th anniversary comes at a pivotal time for the organization. Kai Wright, a senior writer for the online magazine The Root, says that under its new chairman, Benjamin Jealous, the civil rights group is turning the conversation to criminal justice reform.
• An Industry Icon's Quest For The Signature Cigar
  Cigar icon Ernesto Perez-Carrillo is back in business at age 57, hoping to pass on his family's cigar-making tradition. Among a new wave of independent cigar makers, Perez-Carrillo is starting a new company in Miami with his son and daughter.
• Emmy Nominations Feel Like More Of Same
  The Emmy nominations Thursday prompted expectation that the list of actors and shows wouldn't be the usual suspects because of a new rule that expanded the field of nominees from five to six in some key categories. Nevertheless, the resulting mix of nominees still feels like more of the same.
• Ex-SEC Chief Opposes Plan To Boost Fed Powers
  The Obama administration wants to expand the powers of the Federal Reserve as part of its efforts to overhaul the financial regulatory system. Former Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman William Donaldson, who opposes that plan, says the Fed should focus on monetary policy.
• Letters: Brown, Michigan
  Listeners responded to the interview with Willie Brown and the conversation with Michigan state Rep. Michael Lahti. Madeleine Brand and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails.
• Most Big Credit Card Firms Raising Rates, Fees
  Credit card interest rates and fees are increasing ahead of federal legislation, which go into effect in February 2010, that limits those fees. John Ulzheimer, of Credit.com, says many most of the top 10 credit card issuers are changing the terms of many accounts to be more favorable to banks and less favorable to consumers.
• 'Harry And Louise' Now Back Health Care Overhaul
  Harry and Louise, the couple who appeared in the ad that helped sink President Clinton's heath care ambitions, are back with a new ad — supporting President Obama's industry overhaul. The actors joined several Democratic senators on Capitol Hill Thursday to mark the passage of a health bill from the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.
• One Small Town's Big Role In The Apollo Missions
  More than 40 years ago, NASA sent the Apollo 11 astronauts to the small town of Flagstaff, Ariz., to prepare for their mission. The desert terrain and a meteor crater just east of town were much like what they would encounter on the moon.
• Md. County Health Program Highlights Challenges
  Howard County, Md., Health Commissioner Dr. Peter Beilenson says more people have enrolled in Healthy Howard, the county's program for the uninsured. But, he says, as many as 10 percent of those enrolled are in danger of being dropped because they cannot afford the program.
• Being A Jockey Isn't Just Horsing Around
  It's not just new age breeding and training methods that are making racehorses faster each year. Jockeys are actually utilizing the laws of physics to maximize the speed of their horses.
• Mass. Cuts Health Benefits For Some Immigrants
  Massachusetts is backtracking on a plan to see that virtually all its residents have health insurance. Some 30,000 legal immigrants are being cut from a state program that provides subsidized insurance.
• Former Treasury Secretary Paulson Defends Record
  Former Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson told lawmakers Thursday he acted appropriately when he encouraged Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis to stay with plans to acquire Merrill Lynch last year. Paulson acknowledged telling Lewis that he and his board could be removed if they backed away from the deal.
• Sears Tower Gets New Name
  Chicago's iconic Sears Tower has a new name. The tallest building in the U.S. was renamed the Willis Tower. Locals say it will take some getting used to.
• Lawmakers End Questioning Of Sotomayor
  The Senate Judiciary Committee wrapped up Thursday its questioning of Supreme Court nominee Judge Sonia Sotomayor. Republican senators asked Sotomayor again whether she would rule on cases based on her beliefs, and she assured them she would apply the law and court precedent.
• CIT Group Heads Toward Bankruptcy
  Analysts say CIT Group could file for bankruptcy as early as Friday after the failure of talks between the company and government officials. CIT, a major lender to small and mid-sized businesses, needs at least $2 billion to solve an immediate liquidity crisis.

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