Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Southern Minnesota residents cleaning up after storms
  Cleanup operations were in full swing Friday in parts of southern Minnesota, where a deadly tornado cut a path of destruction 20 miles long.5:19 p.m.
• HMO enrollment decline signals shift by employers
  The number of Minnesotans with HMO insurance coverage dropped last year to fewer than one million people, its lowest point in 20 years.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Freecycle: A Web of Free, Unwanted Things
  The Freecycle Network began as a pretty simple idea: Folks could post lists on the Web of things they no longer want -- but don't want to merely throw away. Now the freecycle.org network has spread internationally. NPR's Ted Robbins introduces us to the man who knew that one person's trash was someone else's treasure.
• U.N. Force for Lebanon Has Half Its Soldiers
  European nations agree to contribute enough new troops to reach about half the United Nations' goal of 15,000 international troops for a peacekeeping mission in Lebanon. Some are expected to be on the ground within a week. France says it will send 2,000 soldiers; Italy has indicated it would provide up to 3,000.
• Indie Music Is Retail: Peter Mulvey on Tour
  Like most independent musicians, singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey relies on the Internet to share and sell his music. But ultimately, he makes a living the old-fashioned way: performing in bars and coffeehouses from Anchorage to Dublin, and building a career one fan at a time. Reporter Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers recently hitched a ride with Mulvey on tour.
• Penny-Stock Spam Yields Profits -- for Some
  A new study suggests that spam e-mails advertising penny stocks can have a real effect on the stock market. And someone is making good money as a result -- though it's not usually the recipients of the spam. When people respond to the e-mail by buying the advertised stock, it can bump up the price of the stock.
• Chertoff on Hurricane Preparedness
  Next week marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's ravaging of New Orleans and surrounding areas. Thousands of people who had not evacuated were stranded in the city for days. At the time, we spoke with Secretary of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, who joins us once again.
• Army Says It Will Review More Combat Deaths
  The U.S. Army is reviewing the way it notifies families that a relative has been killed in Iraq or Afghanistan. The changes follow complaints from families who say they haven't always been told the whole story -- and in some cases, were given a false version of events.
• Oral Histories Show Generosity in Evacuees
  In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, hundreds of thousands of people evacuated to Houston. And each person came with a story of loss and survival. Some of their stories have been captured in a project that trained survivors to interview and record stories of their fellow evacuees. Johna Reiss brings us the stories about the kindness of strangers.
• India Pits Affirmative Action Against Castes
  As India's economy grows and its society modernizes, the government faces a crucial question: How do you make a vast and diverse society more inclusive, so that the fruits of progress can be enjoyed by all? How do you raise up the two-thirds of the 1.1 billion members of the population who are lower-caste?
• Ralph Schoenstein, Purveyor of Wry Humor
  Ralph Schoenstein, a longtime All Things Considered commentator, died Thursday in Philadelphia at 73. Over the past decade, Schoenstein's commentaries explored topics ranging from incessant worrying to cigarette smoke and from aging to the state of New Jersey.
• A Christian Village in Lebanon
  The tiny hilltop village of Qawza is home to a small Christian community. In the first days of August the Israeli army moved into Qawza and occupied buildings, homes, and the local church. Many of the occupied buildings, including the church were vandalized. We speak to a couple of residents who stayed in the village while the Israelis were there.
• Real Idlewild History: Top Music in Michigan
  Dr. Ronald Stephens is the author of Idlewild: The Black Eden of Michigan. Idlewild, an African-American resort in Michigan, was created during the time of Jim Crow segregation. Stephens says it was known for both its peace and quiet -- and its all-night parties featuring the latest jazz, blues or soul.
• Summer Proves Costly but Productive for Hezbollah
  The fighting in Southern Lebanon is over, but NPR Senior News Analyst Ted Koppel says Hezbollah remains a major force -- thanks in part to the slow response from the United Nations.
• NFL 2006: New Wrinkles On and Off the Gridiron
  Two weeks before the start of the National Football League season, sportswriter Stefan Fatsis sizes up the status of the sport. He tells Robert Siegel about changes in Monday Night Football broadcasts; the difficulties with the development of an NFL cable network; a changing of the guard at the NFL's front office; and big news about kickers.
• Northwest Seeks to Forestall Attendants' Strike
  A federal today hears an application by Northwest Airlines to stop its flight attendants union from going on strike. The flight attendants could walk off the job as early as 10.01 p.m. ET. But any strike action is illegal, the company says -- and could force it into liquidation. Robert Siegel talks to Minnesota Public Radio reporter Jeff Horwich.
• Gadgets and the Back-to-School Set
  Commentator Laura Lorson talks about the huge amount of stuff -- and mind-boggling number of cell phone minutes -- that the average student seems to need as part of the annual back-to-school shopping spree.

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