Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• St. Paul writer tells tales of running a Welsh pub
  Ask St. Paul writer Daniel Gabriel where he got the inspiration for his collection of stories about a pub in Wales, and he'll tell you he lived the life.4:49 p.m.
• Bio-science incubator falters
  A plan to make the Twin Cities a center for the emerging bio-science industry is faltering.5:20 p.m.
• S.D. soldier killed in Iraq
  A soldier from South Dakota was killed this week in Iraq. The Department of Defense says Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy Vrooman, 28, died Tuesday from injuries suffered when an explosive device went off while on a combat mission.5:25 p.m.
• Physicians question giving cholesterol drugs to children
  Some doctors are still skeptical of news headlines that recommend some children be given cholesterol drugs.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Probe Finds Abuses In Illinois Jail
  A federal investigation has found several abuses at the nation's largest single-site county jail. The investigation found inmates in Illinois' Cook County Jail were not protected from being harmed by other inmates and staff.
• 'Dark Knight' Director Invests Years In Batman Film
  Christopher Nolan brought the Batman franchise back to life in 2005 with Batman Begins. Now the young director returns with The Dark Knight. He talks about making the movie and how he and the late Heath Ledger worked to create the frighteningly menacing Joker.
• Letters: Guantanamo Video, Foil Balloons, Bon Jovi
  Listeners sound off on the interrogation video of Guantanamo Bay detainee Omar Khadr. They also share suggestions for how to keep foil balloons from trouble in California. And one listener has a bone to pick over Bon Jovi.
• Media Coverage Of Obama Irks Some
  When Barack Obama's campaign made plans for him to visit Europe and the Middle East, three broadcast TV networks made plans to send their news anchors along. Conservatives accused the media of acting like groupies following a rock star on a world tour.
• AKA Sorority Presents Colorful Picture
  This week thousands of African-American women dressed in pink and green are in Washington to celebrate the centenary of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the nation's oldest black sorority. The group is known for its commitment to community service.
• Veteran Compares Iraq, Afghan Wars
  Sen. John McCain wants the strategy used in Iraq to be applied in Afghanistan. Nathaniel C. Fick, a fellow at the Center for a New American Security, has served with the Marines in both countries. He says lessons from Iraq cannot be applied blindly in Afghanistan.
• Ruling Allows First Guantanamo Trial To Proceed
  A federal judge has denied a motion to delay next week's first military war crimes trial for a Guantanamo detainee. Salim Hamdan, who worked as a driver for Osama bin Laden, had asked the judge to block the start of the trial while he challenged the structure of the commission system.
• Obama's Fundraising Could Re-Draw Election Map
  Barack Obama raised $52 million in June, making it his second-best fundraising month ever. The figure is more than twice as much as John McCain raised for the month. With this record fundraising, new states may come into play in the fall election.
• Basic Cable Shows Get Emmy Nods
  This year's Emmy nominations for Best Series include for the first time two shows on basic cable: AMC's Mad Men and Damages on FX. Matt Weiner, creator and executive producer of Mad Men, says basic cable's relatively small audience allows some "really cool shows to get made."
• IndyMac Collapse Fuels Fears About WaMu
  Following IndyMac's collapse, questions have been raised about Washington Mutual, one of the largest savings and loans. This week, WaMu issued a statement to show it was financially sound. But the company's own projections estimate losses of up to $19 billion.
• Piano Prodigy's Mantra: Practice Makes Perfect
  Marc Yu, a 9-year-old musical prodigy, began learning the piano at age 2 and was playing Beethoven by 3. He says he practices up to eight hours a day. "You don't want a Beethoven piece to sound like somebody else," he says. "That's disrespectful to the composer."
• Ashcroft Defends Actions On Torture Memos
  Former Attorney General John Ashcroft says he approved legal memos that narrowly defined torture. He also tells a House panel he approved a memo that withdrew the earlier ones because the legal reasoning behind them was flawed and needed to be corrected.
• Salmonella Warning On Tomatoes Lifted
  The U.S. government says it is safe to eat tomatoes again. It lifted its salmonella warning after its investigation of what caused the outbreak found no evidence of the bacteria. Investigators are now taking their search to a packing facility in Mexico.
• Senator's Warning May Have Doomed IndyMac
  Sen. Chuck Schumer's warning about a withdrawal of deposits from IndyMac may have led to the run on the California bank that brought about its failure last week, banking analysts say.
• Netherlands' Health Care Reflects National Values
  The Dutch like their health care system, even when things don't go exactly as they want. This is in no small part because the system reflects national values such as pragmatism and stoicism — something especially apparent when it comes to matters of birth and death.

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