Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• The surgeon general's role explained
  The office of U.S. Surgeon General has been in the spotlight this past week, with former officeholders accusing the Bush administration of exerting political pressure on their activities. We asked our regular medical analyst to explain the role of the nation's surgeon general.4:50 p.m.
• Pawlenty welcomes Guard members back home
  The return home from Iraq for members of the Minnesota Army National Guard's 1st Brigade Combat Team is winding down. A planeload of Guardsmen and women got a homecoming welcome back Tuesday morning from the Secretary of the Army and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.5:20 p.m.
• Former U of M scientist awarded Congressional Gold Medal
  Norman Borlaug's work on high-yield, disease-resistant varieties of wheat is credited with starting the "Green Revolution," and alleviating starvation in India and Pakistan in the 1960s.5:25 p.m.
• Long-stalled mental health parity bill will see Congressional action Wednesday
  A mental health bill named for the late Minnesota U.S. Sen. Paul Wellstone will get its first vote in 11 years Wednesday, in the U.S. House of Representatives.5:50 p.m.
• Governor proposes new state park
  Minnesota may soon create its 73rd state park and recreation area. Gov. Pawlenty announced Tuesday that the state is negotiating to buy land on Lake Vermilion in northeastern Minnesota.5:56 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Senate Panel Probes Border Shooting Case
  The Senate Judiciary Committee has a hearing to investigate the prosecution of two border guards convicted of shooting Mexican Osvaldo Aldrete Davila as he crossed the border. The two are now in jail, where friends say they have been abused. The story has been popular on talk radio.
• Brutal Gangs Terrorize Slum Residents in Kenya
  Over the past few months, human heads and other body parts have been turning up all over Nairobi. Authorities believe it's the work of the Mungiki, a mysterious, vaguely militaristic organization of mostly young Kenyan men.
• Quarterback Vick Indicted on Dog-Fighting Charges
  NFL quarterback Michael Vick was indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury in Virginia on charges related to illegal dog-fighting. The indictment alleges that Vick and three co-defendants began an operation in early 2001 in which dogs fought to the death — or close. It said losing dogs were sometimes killed by electrocution, drowning, hanging or gunshots. If convicted, Vick faces at least six years in jail and hundreds of thousands of dollars in fines.
• Britain's Ouster of Russians Angers Moscow
  Russia has reacted angrily to the expulsion of four of its diplomats from Britain. Moscow says there will be an "adequate and appropriate" response to Monday's decision by the British government. The expulsions follow Russia's refusal to extradite a man the British authorities consider a key suspect in the murder of Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned with radioactive polonium in London last November.
• Spotlight Falls on Energy in Farm Bill Revision
  The farm bill gets renewed every five years, and this year's revision will be the first in which energy plays a prime role as the House Agricultural Committee has its key sessions.
• Sentence Commuted for Nurses, Doctor in HIV Case
  In Libya, the death sentence has been commuted to life in prison for five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor accused of infecting hundreds of Libyan children with HIV. Families of the children each received $1 million in compensation.
• Store Bans 1930s Kids Book for Racist Illustrations
  Tintin in the Congo won't be in Borders bookstores' children's sections when the book is re-issued in the United States this fall. The installment of the popular series by the Belgian cartoonist Herge contains controversial depictions of Africans.
• Veterinary Official: Applicant Pool is Transforming
  Dr. Gregory Hammer, the newly elected president of the American Veterinary Medical Association, says there is an increasingly shallow pool of applicants to colleges of veterinary medicine, where the shortage is felt most acutely among large-animal programs involved in food production. Hammer, who takes office Tuesday, says the demographics among prospective veterinarians are changing: more women are graduating from veterinary schools, and potential applicants are being raised farther from the farm and know less about large animals than in years past.
• Nepali Goddess, 10, Gets Reprieve After Firing
  Sajani Shakya was the first goddess to visit the United States when she arrived last month – a visit that cost the 10-year-old her title. But she has gotten a reprieve.
• Amendment Calls for Troop Drawdown in 4 Months
  Majority Leader Harry Reid is calling for an all-nighter Tuesday in the Senate, during which debate will focus on an amendment proposed by Carl Levin and Jack Reed that would require that a drawdown of U.S. troops in Iraq begin in four months.
• Iraq Pullout Date to Test Republicans
  The Senate returns to debating Iraq with an all-nighter stretching ahead of them. Majority Democrats are trying to force Republicans' hands, but the GOP has threatened to filibuster a plan to require troop withdrawals within four months.
• Solar Compactors Make Mincemeat of Trash
  The Chicago Park District is trying out new solar-powered trash compactors on some beaches this summer. The effort might solve three growing problems at once: unsightly garbage, seagull droppings and high gasoline prices.
• Senators Stage All-Nighter on Iraq Pullout
  On Capitol Hill on Tuesday, the Senate began a round-the-clock marathon session debating whether the United States should begin a substantial pullout of Iraq by next spring. What would a pullout mean logistically and strategically?
• Pakistan Attacks Renew Debate on Musharraf's Rule
  A bombing Tuesday in Pakistan's borderlands is the latest in a string of attacks by militants after the siege of Islamabad's Red Mosque. The scale of the violence has renewed debate about the threat of Islamist extremists to President Pervez Musharraf.
• Al-Qaida a Persistent Risk to U.S., Report Says
  A new National Intelligence Estimate concludes that al-Qaida and the home-grown cells that claim allegiance to it pose a greater threat to the United States than they have in several years.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor