Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Day three: What are they judging?
  Judges in this entry are looking for a bouncy texture, a good taste and creativity. What are they judging?3:48 p.m.
• Day three: What are they judging?
  Judges in this entry are looking for a bouncy texture, a good taste and creativity. What are they judging?4:48 p.m.
• Study: Minn.'s immigrant population rising quickly
  A new study shows over the past two decades, Minnesota's immigrant population grew more quickly than the national average.5:19 p.m.
• Elk River incident puts hazing into context
  A total of nine athletes and five coaches have been disciplined after reports of a hazing incident last week involving the Elk River football team. The head of an organization working to prevent hazing says she's pleased the school district is taking the incident seriously.5:23 p.m.
• New oversight law worries charter schools
  Some charter school leaders in Minnesota say a new law has them worried about their futures. The law was meant to strengthen charter school oversight. But some advocates say the new rules are stifling, not encouraging, their work.5:49 p.m.
• Camel on a stick among fair's new fare this year
  A tour of what's new and novel to eat at the Minnesota State Fair this year.5:53 p.m.
• Day three: What are they judging?
  Judges in this entry are looking for a bouncy texture, a good taste and creativity. What are they judging?5:58 p.m.
• Gubernatorial candidates respond to Today's Question
  Each Monday from now until the election, we're asking the gubernatorial candidates our Today's Question. This week: Do you support an expansion of gambling to generate revenue for the state?6:28 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Life Amid The Ruins: Gazans Still Feel Under Siege
  Ruled by the militant Islamists of Hamas, the Gaza Strip is home to almost 2 million Palestinians, most of whom are unable to leave. Recently, Israel has partially eased its economic blockade. But 18 months since Israel's war in Gaza, there has been only limited reconstruction.
• Is Believing In God Evolutionarily Advantageous?
  In the history of the world, every culture in every location at every point in time has developed some supernatural belief system. And believing in God may have been evolutionarily advantageous to humans as it provided a framework for promoting social good.
• Do Youz Knowz What I Meme?
  Ben Huh, CEO of the Cheezburger Network and founder of LolCats, explains the meaning-- and hilarity -- of a meme on the Internet.
• 'L.A. Times' Database Angers Teachers, Union
  The Los Angeles Times has published a controversial database giving ratings for individual teachers in the huge L.A. Unified School District. Teachers and their union are outraged, and claim the ratings are a false measure of classroom performance.
• One School District's Use Of Value-Added Analysis
  NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Donald Martin, superintendent of the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School District in North Carolina, which has been using value-added analysis in evaluating its teachers for the past three years. Martin says the method is only one part of teacher evaluations, and that data collected is for internal use only.
• Parents Push For Diversity In New Orleans' Schools
  In the city's public schools, test scores are climbing, charter schools are opening all the time, and facilities are being upgraded. But the population of the schools is overwhelmingly African-American. The head of one charter school network says it takes a long time to break old patterns.
• Has Celebrity Worship Gone Too Far?
  Two toilets, each previously owned by a celebrity, were on the auction block last week. That got musician David Was wondering if perhaps we've gone a little too far in our worship of celebrities.
• Reggae SumFest Thrives Despite Violence In Jamaica
  The three-night festival, held in Jamaica's Montego Bay this past July, is the world's premier event for reggae music. It attracts thousands of fans each summer and features both big names and up-and-coming performers.
• Following The Reconstruction Money In Iraq
  NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Stuart Bowen, the special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction, about the billions of American dollars wasted on reconstruction projects in Iraq.
• Glenn Beck And Obama's Christianity
  Conservative broadcaster Glenn Beck drew a huge crowd to the National Mall for a rally on Saturday. Attendees expressed alarm over the country's direction and government spending, but politics wasn't the only focus at the rally. Beck used the event as an opportunity to challenge President Obama's religious beliefs, saying Obama "is a guy who understands the world through liberation theology, which is oppressor and victim." NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

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