Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Alex Jackson sworn in as new Minneapolis fire chief
  Jackson becomes the first black fire chief in the city's history.5:20 p.m.
• American Indian charter school faces closure
  An investigation into alleged financial fraud is threatening to close a school that's been a fixture in Minnesota's American Indian community for decades.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Remembering Hollywood's Hays Code, 40 Years On
  For more than three decades, the code applied rigid moral scrutiny to films, banning everything from interracial dating to "lustful kissing." It died officially in 1968 — but in practice, it was always taking hits.
• Heirloom Tomato Farmer Finds Beauty In The Ugly
  Tim Stark was a management consultant when he stumbled into heirloom tomato farming, as he describes in Heirloom: Notes from an Accidental Farmer. (Tip: The ugliest tend to be tastiest.) Now his tomatoes are served in the finest New York restaurants.
• South Ossetia Crisis Explained
  Georgia's offensive to retake South Ossetia has spurred a strong Russian military response. Lincoln Mitchell, assistant professor in the Practice of International Politics at Columbia University, says a war may have started, and it remains to be seen if it can be stopped.
• McDonald's Sales Up
  McDonald's says strong demand for breakfast items helped lift global same-store sales 8 percent in July. The fast-food giant appears to be turning itself around, possibly helped by the recent demise of Bennigan's and similar restaurants.
• Letters: Camp Inquiry
  Many listeners wrote in response to Barbara Bradley Hagerty's story on Thursday about Camp Inquiry, a summer retreat for young religious skeptics.
• Edwards Admits To Affair, But Denies Fathering Child
  Former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards today admitted to an extramarital affair while his wife's cancer was in remission. But the former U.S. senator from North Carolina denied to ABC News that he was the father of the woman's child.
• Court Rules On American Indian Trust Fund
  A federal judge ruled that American Indians plaintiffs are entitled to $455 million in a 12-year-long trust case. A lawsuit claimed the Interior Department swindled plaintiffs out of billions in royalties since 1887. The plaintiffs had sought $47 billion.
• In N.H. Rematch, Polls Favor Democrat
  In New Hampshire, Democrat Jeanne Shaheen and Republican John Sununu are in a rematch of their 2002 race. Sununu won then, but so far this year's polls suggest the tide has turned. Josh Rogers, of New Hampshire Public Radio, says that since 2002, the state's GOP has imploded.
• Loan Crisis Hits College
  The credit crunch has dried up the market for private loans. Students at selective schools are finding they can still get enough money to attend schools, but low-income students at lesser-known schools are having a harder time.
• Mexico Tackles AIDS Discrimination
  Mexico has one of the lowest rates of HIV infections in Latin America: 0.3 percent. It has taken root among people who live on the margins of society and are often discriminated against. The government is launching a campaign to reduce discrimination.
• Oil Falls; Stocks Spike
  The stock market has rallied as oil prices moved lower. The price of crude oil fell more than $3 and is now down more than 20 percent from its peak of $147 a few weeks ago. Stocks were up sharply. The Dow closed up more than 300 points.
• Why Olympic Results Are Known Before Broadcast
  When the Olympics are in far-off locations, some listeners get mad at the airing of results of events before they've aired on TV in the United States. Anticipating the blowback, here is an explanation for why this is done.
• In Giant TVs Across Beijing, Chinese View Games
  Students and nearby residents crowded around a giant screen TV at the Beijing Institute of Technology to watch the Olympics Opening Ceremony. The giant screen is one of 26 set up around the city so local people can watch the games.
• Najaf Aims To Be The 'Capital' Of Iraq's South
  The opening of the new airport in the Iraqi city of Najaf highlights plans to turn this holy city into the "Baghdad of the south" for Shiites. What does the economic boom mean for a country that is trying not to split up along ethnic and religious lines?
• Beijing Olympics Open
  Beijing officially launched its Summer Olympics with a four-hour opening ceremony that combined high-tech pyrotechnics, a celebration of China's heritage and some glittery show business. The event appeared to go off without a hitch.

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