Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Former Timberwolves player Eddie Griffin dead in SUV-train crash
  Investigators used dental records to identify Griffin, 25, who began his tumultuous pro career with the Houston Rockets in 2001. He was waived by the Timberwolves in March.4:50 p.m.
• Film opens a window on Minneapolis rock history
  Twenty years ago Twin/Tone Records, a label credited with launching a host of Minneapolis bands, videotaped a weeks worth of concerts at the Seventh Street Entry at the First Avenue night club. Now the tapes have resurfaced and are providing a unique opportunity to experience some Minnesota rock history.4:55 p.m.
• The town of Elba mucks out
  The Red Cross estimates that last weekend's flash flood in southeast Minnesota damaged more than 4,000 homes. Of that number, 700 suffered major damage or are total losses. That means a lot more cleanup ahead. In the town of Elba, two-thirds of the homes were damaged.5:20 p.m.
• Mayor talks about Hwy. 11 bridge closing
  Minnesota and North Dakota transportation officials have closed a bridge over the Red River. The Robbin/Drayton bridge carries Minnesota Hwy. 11 into North Dakota north of Grand Forks. It will be closed for at least a week.5:24 p.m.
• Special session likely for dual disasters
  Gov. Pawlenty said he and top legislators reached a "general understanding" Wednesday on the need for a special session to provide flood relief for southern Minnesota and funding to respond to the Minneapolis bridge collapse.5:45 p.m.
• Mission complete for Navy divers
  With the recovery of the last body from the I-35W bridge collapse site, the mission of a team of U.S. Navy divers is complete. Some of those divers spoke about their experience working at the bridge site.5:50 p.m.
• Minnesota GreenStar gives homeowners a guide to a green home
  Minnesota homeowners can reduce their demand on the environment by building "green." That designation is now easier to attain than ever.5:55 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• World's Oldest Hominid Now World's Oldest Tourist
  One of the world's treasures, the fossilized hominid known as "Lucy," goes on public display in Texas on Aug. 31. But controversies are swirling around the exhibition at the Houston Museum of Natural Science — the only confirmed stop so far on what the Ethiopian government hopes will be a lucrative tour.
• Scanning History for Analogies to Iraq War
  To find out which historical analogy best suits the U.S. situation in Iraq, Robert Siegel talks with several scholars: Professor Francis Fukuyama of the School of International Studies at Johns Hopkins University; Harvard professor Joseph Nye; Max Boot of the Council on Foreign Relations and Professor Ronald Steel of the University of Southern California.
• South Florida's Wetlands Serve Many Purposes
  More than 1,000 miles of canals snake through South Florida — from the Everglades to the Keys. And love them or hate them, the area can't do without them. They're crucial for flood control and serve as, among other things, habitat for alligators and a dump for stolen cars.
• Mature Love Trades Passion for Other Good Stuff
  Commentator Julie Zickefoose talks about what it's like to be in a long-term relationship. She says the passion cools, but in its place, other just-as-fulfilling emotions appear.
• Americans Call for a Primary Makeover
  More people are declaring that the system of nominating a U.S. presidential candidate is broken. Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson talks with Melissa Block about the idea of rotating regional primaries for presidential elections. And Rob Richie of Fairvote talks with Block about an idea known as the American Plan.
• Democratic Hopefuls Adjust Iraq Rhetoric
  Congress expects top U.S. officials in Iraq to report military success and political disappointment in that country when they deliver a key assessment in three weeks. Democratic hopefuls for president are adjusting their statements and positions accordingly.
• Medicare to Cut Payments for Avoidable Errors
  Starting in October, Medicare will stop paying hospitals for the costs of complications arising from avoidable errors. Experts say the new rules could push the medical industrial complex to fix problems that kill and injure tens of thousands of patients each year.
• Chicago Restaurants Duck a Foie Gras Ban
  Chicago's foie gras ban is one year old, but in spite of the law, restaurants are still serving it. Some get around the ban by "giving it away for free" (with an $18 salad). It's among a series of laws in Chicago that seek to change behavior but are rarely enforced.
• Hollywood's Dog Days, Less Shaggy Than Ever
  The dog days of summer have traditionally been a movie wasteland, a time when Hollywood tends to release relatively few pictures. Not so this year; August is no longer a movie graveyard, but a month with plenty of competition at the multiplex.
• Vote Keeps Public Nudity Legal in Vermont Town
  In Brattleboro, Vt., the town council voted 3-2 to allow public nudity to remain legal there. This lifts a temporary ban on public nudity in the town instituted in July. We talk with Mark Nunziata, the manager of Mocha Joe's Roasting Co., a coffee shop in downtown Brattleboro.
• Bush Calls on Veterans to Back Iraq Surge
  President Bush addressed a veterans convention Wednesday in Kansas City, Mo., urging the group to support his troop build-up in Iraq. Mr. Bush also re-affirmed his support for Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki — saying the Iraqi leader is a "good man with a difficult job."
• Cambodia's Tenor a Symbol of Its Re-Emergence
  Since the fall of the murderous Khmer Rouge regime in Cambodia, the tiny Southeast Asian country has struggled to get back on its feet economically, politically and culturally. Tucked away in the capital city is Sethisak Khoun, a Western-trained tenor who exemplifies the nation's slow re-emergence.
• Testing the Waters: Time Up for GOP's Thompson?
  Fred Thompson has ostensibly been "testing the waters" for his presidential candidacy: spending money, traveling, hiring staff. But how long, legally, can this go on? Some say he is violating federal election laws. The Thompson campaign insists it is following the rules.
• Study Finds Many Older Americans Sexually Active
  It is often thought that people lose interest in sex as they get older, but a new study finds that assumption is untrue. A survey of Americans ages 57 to 85 found that a majority are sexually active and value intimacy, although nearly half report sexual problems.
• Gangs Find New Source of Revenue: Mortgage Fraud
  The housing boom of recent years has turned mortgage fraud into a big business — so big that some of the nation's largest gangs are getting into the act. They are searching for new ways to launder drug-dealing and gun-selling money.

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