Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• St. Paul warns of traffic delays during RNC
  Several blocks surrounding the Xcel Energy Center will be closed to cars and bikes during the week of the Republican National Convention.5:20 p.m.
• Gas prices collide with county fair tradition
  The demolition derby has been a quirky tradition at county fairs across the country for decades. Add to that the truck and tractor pull events, and you've got traditions running face to face into reality. With rising fuel costs, it's getting more and more expensive to be a derby competitor.5:24 p.m.
• Top government climate change scientist visits Minnesota
  NASA's top global warming expert, Dr. James Hansen, is joining Minnesota polar explorer Will Steger at the Science Museum of Minnesota this week to teach teachers and students about climate change. Dr. Hansen will also meet with Minnesota lawmakers to advocate for policy changes to stop global warming and address climate change. Dr. Hansen talked to Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Russian Troops Take Key Georgian Town
  The head of Georgia's national security council has said the town of Gori, just 60 miles from the capital, Tblisi, had fallen to Russian forces. Moscow has denied the claim. The conflict is over Georgia's bid to seize South Ossetia.
• Court Silences MIT Students Over Subway Hacking
  Three students at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology figured out how to hack the fare cards for Boston's subway system and were set to tell a conference how they did it. But a judge silenced the students. Wired.com's Kim Zetter says the ruling is a misuse of the anti-hacking law.
• Lack Of Western Action On Georgia Reflects History
  Western powers have so far failed to support Georgia in its conflict with Russia over the breakaway region of South Ossetia. It is the latest historical example of the failure of great powers to support little countries when the chips are down.
• McCain Calls For Strong Diplomacy On Georgia
  Republican presidential hopeful Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) dominates the campaign trail while his Democratic rival, Barack Obama, is on vacation. McCain continued his tough stance against Russia's actions in Georgia, calling for strong diplomacy to end the crisis.
• Ga. Bookstore Seeks Funds To Stay Open
  The owner of Wordsmiths bookstore in Decatur, Ga., is appealing for donations to help pay his bills. Word of his plight is spreading in the literary world. But some wonder whether it's appropriate for a for-profit enterprise to ask for donations.
• Women's Softball On Olympic Chopping Block
  Events are hardly ever cut from the Olympics, but women's softball is on the chopping block after the Beijing Games. That is an especially hard blow to the U.S. team, which has won the last three Olympic titles and inspired girls to take up the sport.
• Swimming World Records Shattered In Beijing
  Seven world records in swimming have been broken in three days of competition in Beijing. Former Olympian and U.S. swimming champion John Naber says the pool's design and the new swimsuits both make a mockery of the record books.
• Letters: Edwards, Hays Code
  Listeners respond to the coverage of former senator and presidential candidate John Edwards' extramarital affair. And there is one correction to the story on the 40th anniversary of Hollywood's Hays Code.
• Fund Would Aid Those Seized In Workplace Raids
  Organizers have unveiled the National Immigrant Bond Fund, to which immigrants arrested in workplace raids can apply for help in paying bail. A Boston financier is helping launch the fund, saying he was shocked at the treatment of those arrested.
• Russia May Be Trying to Flex Muscles
  Georgia says Russian forces have taken a key town outside the breakaway region of South Ossetia. Robert Kagan, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, says the conflict is part Russian attempts to reassert its dominance.
• Europe Takes Lead In Georgia Diplomacy
  The Bush administration insists it won't let its ally Georgia down. But so far all the tough talk has not slowed Russia's actions. The U.S. seems to have little leverage and it is the Europeans who have been launching a mediation effort.
• Safety In Beijing A Concern For Some, Not All
  In the wake of an American tourist's murder at the Drum Tower in Beijing, some visitors to the Olympics are taking precautionary measures. Others hadn't even heard of the incident. China has deployed 110,000 police in a massive security effort.
• Small Ohio Town Despairs As DHL Cuts Jobs
  The largest employer in Wilmington, Ohio, is planning to close its facility there. As Democrats try to link John McCain to the lost jobs, residents are more worried about their livelihoods.
• Beijing's Other Games: Dancing In The Park
  As the Olympics claim center stage in Beijing, elderly Chinese gather in local parks to dance, play pingpong and exercise. Many say the outdoor activities have improved their health.
• Chaabi: The 'People's Music' Of North Africa
  These days, it's been eclipsed by rai music, rap and Western pop. But long ago, the musical form adapted from Andalusian traditions filled the casbahs of Algeria with poetic melodies, exotic instrumentation and stories of love and loss.

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