Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Steve Wiebe's struggle to become 'The King of Kong'
  A new movie shows what it takes to be the best in the world at.... Donkey Kong?4:45 p.m.
• FDA to review multi-symptom drugs for kids
  If you have a cold or cough, the choices at the drug store medicine aisle seem endless. Cough treatment, cold and cough treatments, cold and sinus and cough treatments, runny nose, itching, pain relief and cold treatments. You get the point4:52 p.m.
• FEMA declares 3 more counties eligible for assistance
  Federal Emergency Management Agency officials hit the ground Friday talking with people affected by the flash floods in southeastern Minnesota. Winona, Fillmore and Houston counties got declared federal disaster areas late Thursday. Gov. Pawlenty says FEMA has now declared Olmsted, Steele and Wabasha counties eligible for additional federal assistance. FEMA officials say that could be expanded to a full disaster declaration later.5:19 p.m.
• Design-build construction process has its critics
  Will the process used to rebuild the I-35W bridge be as cost-effective and as scrutinized as it should be?5:24 p.m.
• 911 tapes tell unfolding horror of bridge collapse
  Seconds after a major Minneapolis freeway bridge fell into the Mississippi River during rush hour on Aug. 1, frantic callers reached 911 and struggled to describe what they had just seen.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• U.S. Weapons from Iraq Making Their Way to Turkey
  Turkish police say there is a growing black-market trade in the country of U.S.-issued weapons from neighboring Iraq. The Turkish government has said it has found high numbers of weapons that appear to be from the United States in the hands of captured Kurdish separatists.
• Great Lakes Fluctuations Sometimes Extreme
  Forecasters warned this week about the possibility of seiches on Lake Michigan. Seiches — oscillations that shift the water level, usually minutely — are common occurrences on the Great Lakes. But in extreme cases, they can cause a huge water level drop-off.
• Behind the Edwards Campaign: Native Iowan Tully
  Rob Tully grew up in Dubuque, Iowa, and was a longtime adviser to Iowa political mogul Tom Harkin. Now the 52-year-old lawyer — who opened a private cigar club in response to a smoking ban in Des Moines — has been tapped by Democrat John Edwards to run his Iowa operation.
• Gaza's Economy on Verge of Collapse
  It's been just over two months since the militants of Hamas seized control of the Gaza Strip from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Israeli troops have maintained a tight blockade of Gaza, and U.N. officials warn that its economy is on the verge of collapse.
• Pro Golf's Inaugural Playoffs Under Way
  The first ever playoffs in professional golf are under way. There's a $10 million annuity for the winner of the FedEx Cup series, which has four tournaments. Most of golf's big names are there, but not the biggest name: Tiger Woods is sitting out.
• Fringe Fest 'Jihad' Musical Touches Explosive Topics
  While audiences at the Edingburgh Arts Festival praise the politically incorrect plot and lyrics of 'Jihad: The Musical,' some Muslims fear that the play undermines their attempts to disconnect from the terrorist stereotype.
• Ex-Dictator Noriega in Limbo as Release Looms
  A federal judge in Miami ruled Friday that former Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega can be extradited to France to serve time there on money laundering charges. Noriega is scheduled to be released from federal prison Sept. 9, after serving 17 years on drug trafficking and racketeering charges.
• Vick Pleads to Funding Dogfights; NFL Suspends Him
  NFL star Michael Vick pled guilty to a dogfighting conspiracy charge, and the NFL suspended him indefinitely Friday. In his plea agreement, the Atlanta Falcons quarterback says he helped to kill pit-bull terriers. The guilty plea will likely result in a prison sentence.
• Virginia Lays to Rest a Soldier-Poet Killed in Iraq
  Scott Kirkpatrick loved poetry, and he loved performing his work for others. But after the Sept. 11 attacks, he went from poet to soldier. Kirkpatrick joined the military because he wanted to make a difference in the war on terrorism. The 26-year-old Army sergeant from Virginia died earlier this month in Iraq when a bomb blew up as he searched a house. He was buried Thursday.
• The Purr of a Hummingbird
  Jim Culp says the purr of a hummingbird's wings sounds like a mix of the didgeridoo — an Australian instrument — and a helicopter.
• Hawaii Post Loses 10 Soldiers in Copter Crash
  Ten of the 14 soldiers killed Wednesday in a helicopter crash in Iraq were based at Schofield Barracks in Honolulu. The unit's commander says the entire community is grieving.
• Rights Group: Sudan Still Sends Weapons to Darfur
  Amnesty International says Sudan's government continues to send weapons to Darfur in violation of a peace treaty and a U.N. arms embargo. The human rights group urged the United Nations to give its planned peacekeeping force for the region the authority to confiscate weapons from combatants.
• Ethan Hawke's 'Hottest State' Is No Vanity Project
  Ethan Hawke's film, based on his own semi- autobiographical novel, centers on a young actor and a beautiful singer; when they break up, he flees to his Texas homeland.
• New Appeals Court Mulls 'Enemy Combatant' Labels
  The new U.S. Court of Military Commission Appeals heard its first case Friday. The Defense Department panel will consider whether detainees must be found to be "unlawful" enemy combatants to have criminal charges against them heard by military commissions.
• Hibachi Etiquette: Strangers and Flying, Hot Food
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu stops into a family-style Japanese steak house in Springfield, Mo., and worries as the cook juggles hot items in the air. He points out the absurdities of the conversations among the group of people who would not normally dine together. It's a little exercise in the surrealism of everyday manners in the 21st century.

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