Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pulitzer prize-winning 'Fences' opens tonight in St. Paul
  Tonight is opening night for Penumbra Theatre's latest production, "Fences" by August Wilson. The Pulitzer prize-winning play is part of Wilson's "20th Century cycle".4:49 p.m.
• Duluth tries to trim budget hole with civic yard sale
  The City of Duluth, which is facing a large budget crisis, is considering selling part of its cultural and natural heritage to settle the budget gap.5:19 p.m.
• Candidates for Minnesota's 3rd district hold first debate
  The three major party candidates hoping to succeed retiring Republican Rep. Jim Ramstad appeared on stage together for the first time Thursday.5:23 p.m.
• Huge surge seen in methadone prescriptions nationwide
  Doctors are prescribing the drug methadone for pain more and more often. Methadone is a narcotic that has been used for years to wean drug addicts off heroin. Methadone a powerful and effective drug, but is itself highly addictive and in some cases it's deadly.5:50 p.m.
• Minnesota State Fair: What's that sound?
  The Minnesota State Fair has been going since last Thursday and it's always a feast for the senses. You might even say, sensory overload. Great people watching and visual distraction everywhere. The smells of the deep fryer, and the swine barn.5:56 p.m.
• Minnesota State Fair by the numbers
  More than 1.5 million people make their way to the Minnesota State Fair each year, which kicked off Thursday. However, those are not the only significant numbers of the Great Minnesota Get-Together.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Letters: Old 97's
  Many listeners responded to the music review in Wednesday's show: Robert Christgau reviewed a new album by the band The Old 97s.
• Anchor-Leg Strength May Be Hurting Relay Handoffs
  The U.S. men's and women's 400-meter relay teams failed to qualify for the Olympic finals because of dropped batons. Terry Long, who coached medal-winning runner Walter Dix, says most Olympic-level athletes who run the relay don't have experience running anything but the anchor leg.
• Appliance Stores Look To Energy Efficiency
  Takoma Park, Md.-based Appliance Distributors Unlimited is one of the largest dealers of home appliances in the metropolitan Washington area. It has taken steps to permanently reduce its energy use. It's moving to energy-efficient lighting, recycling and other steps.
• Seattle's Bag-User Fee Spurs Backlash
  The Seattle City Council has voted to start requiring grocery stores to charge a 20 cent "user fee" for every plastic bag. But many people call the council's actions heavy-handed and the food industry is trying to repeal the measure.
• Condom A Capella Ringtone Fights HIV In India
  The BBC World Service Trust has begun an unusual, new campaign to help prevent the transmission of HIV in India. It's a ringtone — for your cell phone. It features the word "condom" repeated over and over in a catchy, a capella arrangement.
• NFL's Gene Upshaw Dies
  Gene Upshaw, the longtime president of the NFL Players Association, has died. The former all-pro offensive lineman was a member of the Hall of Fame. He led the union into the era of free agency and negotiated one of the most generous contracts in professional sports.
• Future Of Brutalist-Designed Church Not Concrete
  Members of a Christian Science church are suing Washington for declaring their sanctuary a historical landmark, preventing them from tearing it down to build a new one. The city wants to preserve the building as an example of Brutalist architecture.
• Bernard Greenhouse: A Master And His Cello
  Master cellist Bernard Greenhouse, 92, and his 300-year-old Stradivarius cello have been constant companions for the last half century. Greenhouse was a founding member of the legendary Beaux Arts Trio, which plays its final U.S. concert at the Tanglewood Festival in Massachusetts.
• Poll: Slim Backing For Keeping Politics, Religion Apart
  A new poll from the Pew Research Center has found a slim majority that says religious institutions should not speak out on political and social issues. The data are a shift from polls conducted over the past decade. Andrew Kohut, president of the Pew Research Center, says all of the change has been among political conservatives.
• Convention Host Committees Flush With Funds
  More money than ever is flowing into the "host committees" that supposedly support the conventions with funding from proud local businesses. And more than ever, the host committee money is being raised nationally by the presidential campaigns.
• Newspaper Carriers Work With Rivals
  Frank Saracino, a newspaper carrier spends roughly $300 a week on gas. He now mostly delivers on Sundays and evenings to avoid traffic. Nationwide, more than 40 percent of papers collaborate with a competitor on delivery.
• Cruise Line Seeks To Trim Fuel Bill
  In Miami, Royal Caribbean says it's turning off air conditioners, changing lightbulbs, and taking other common-sense steps to reduce its fuel bill. It's also adjusting arrival and departure times to allow ships to reduce sailing speeds and conserve.
• To Cut Fuel Costs, American Switches To 737s
  American Airlines is parking its MD-80 jets in the Texas desert and buying new Boeing 737s. The move is an attempt to cut energy costs amid high energy prices.
• McCain's Homes Are Focus Of Latest Political Flap
  Sen. John McCain told Politico he's not sure how many homes he and his wife own. Sen. Barack Obama seized on that remark, telling an audience there's a fundamental gap of understanding between McCain's world and what Americans are going through.
• U.S., Iraq Near Pact On Troop Withdrawal
  Iraq and the U.S. reached a preliminary agreement including the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi cities by next June if security conditions allow, Iraq's foreign minister said Thursday. The draft document still must be approved by the U.S. and Iraq governments.

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