Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• SE Minnesota declared a disaster area
  The declaration releases the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin registering and helping residents and businesses for disaster relief. The agency will also help with public infrastructure projects like roads and sewers.5:20 p.m.
• How much does it cost when a bridge goes down?
  If you've had to take a detour because of the I-35W bridge collapse, chances are you've been burning extra gas -- and time. The state estimates the cost of those delays and detours adds up to about $400,000 a day.5:24 p.m.
• Filmmakers enter the co-operative world of competitive pumpkin growing
  For some people a visit to the Minnesota State Fair would not be complete without a viewing of the giant pumpkins. The winners nowadays weigh close to 1,000 pounds. You often hear people whisper, "How did they grow that?" Now a new film reveals just that.5:52 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Orioles on Losing End of American League Record
  The Texas Rangers set an American League record for runs scored in a game Wednesday by beating the Baltimore Orioles 30-3 in Baltimore.
• Arts Boards Struggle with Changing Roles
  Recent criticism of Smithsonian mismanagement and corruption has come to haunt its Board of Regents. But ineffective governance by the board of a nonprofit organization is not a problem unique to the Smithsonian.
• Federal Budget's Long-Term Outlook Is Grim
  The quarterly budget outlook from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office says the 2007 annual deficit will be lower than was projected three months ago: $158 billion, or 1.2 percent of GDP. The long-term outlook is grim, however.
• FBI Seeks Men Spotted on Seattle-area Ferry
  An intriguing photo in the Seattle Times on Wednesday showed two men who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin standing on a Puget Sound ferry. The FBI wants to know whether they were up to something nefarious.
• Would a Run by Obama Boost Black Voter Turnout?
  Illinois Sen. Barack Obama recently asserted that he would put red states in play because of the impact he would have in bringing out black voters. Political analyst David Bositis talks with Robert Siegel about the potential impact of a black candidate on black voter turnout in the presidential race.
• Letters: Iraq Comparisons, Rep. Baird, Theme Song
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from e-mail sent by listeners. We hear alternative analogies and observations on war following Wednesday's segment evaluating President Bush's comparison of the situation in Iraq to past conflicts. There's also mixed reaction to Block's interview with U.S. Rep. Brian Baird (D-WA), corrections to two stories, and an update on our theme-song lyrics contest.
• BP Backtracks After Criticism over Lake Pollution
  Oil company BP American says it will not immediately increase the amount of pollution it dumps into Lake Michigan from its refinery in Whiting, Ind., reversing earlier comments. The announcement follows weeks of uproar after the state approved BP's plan to dump 54 percent more ammonia into Lake Michigan.
• Well-Meaning Projects Stir Contempt in Iraq
  The Army touts its programs for establishing good will in Iraqi villages, such as paying villagers to collect trash in their neighborhoods. The experience of one patrol shows how a well-meaning project can engender hostility and mutual contempt between villagers and soldiers.
• Sen. Warner Urges Mini-Drawdown to Kickstart Iraq
  Sen. John Warner of Virginia, the senior Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said Thursday that he thinks President Bush ought to send a signal of frustration to the Iraqi government by beginning the withdrawal of a portion of U.S. forces.
• Library of Congress Adds Audio-Visual Campus
  The new Packard Campus houses the Library of Congress' entire audio-visual collection — more than 6 million items. The facility is equipped with technology to preserve and duplicate film, video and sound recordings, and make them accessible to the public.
• U.S. Intel Produces New Assessment on Iraq
  This week, U.S. intelligence agencies produced a new assessment of the violence in Iraq and the chances for political reconciliation there. The last National Intelligence Estimate in February said the security situation in Iraq was dire and getting worse. The latest report says it could "continue to improve modestly."
• Even Mother Teresa Got the Blues
  It was recently revealed that Mother Teresa had a decades-long struggle with darkness and despair and that she chronicled her spiritual troubles in journal entries. Father James Martin says the news reminded him of his own spiritual toils at a retreat a few weeks ago.
• Does America No Longer Need a 'Miss'?
  Essayist Jennifer Weiner is the author of In Her Shoes, a best-selling book that was made into a movie starring Cameron Diaz. Weiner grew up watching Miss America pageants and covered them as a journalist, and their marginalization on some lame cable TV channel upsets her.
• Election Looms as Musharraf Rival Cleared to Return
  Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled Thursday that President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's main rival, whom he ousted in a coup in 1999, can return to the country. The decision comes two months before the presidential election and could hurt Musharraf's bid.
• Milk Bucket's Jangle Triggers Farm Memories
  Mary Bishop of Roanoke, Va., says the sound of her late father's milking bucket — which he used to carry cream and milk — conjures a scene from her youth on a farm.

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