Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Students immersed in Chinese language and culture
  The first day of the new school year was also the first day of operation for the state's only Chinese immersion school. The Yinghua Academy charter school in St. Paul opened its doors to kindergarten through third grade students.4:49 p.m.
• Pawlenty wants schools to spend 70 percent of their money in classrooms
  The proposal failed to pass the Legislature, and Pawlenty's political rivals say that's because it's a gimmick.5:19 p.m.
• Insurer floats universal coverage proposal
  The state's largest health plan released a policy white paper Tuesday calling for mandated universal health care coverage in the state. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota says the state's low uninsured rate, at 7.4 percent, puts universal coverage within reach. The insurer estimates the plan could cost Minnesota up to $900 million a year. But Blue Cross says the state would save more than half of those costs by having a healthier population and more productive workers.5:24 p.m.
• Whose recovery is it...now?
  In September 2004, with the economy reported to be on an upswing, Minnesota Public Radio asked a question: "Whose recovery is it?" We took a journey across the economic recovery, with stops ranging from a money manager for millionaires to the panhandler at a freeway off-ramp. Now two years later, we've gone back to four of these people to find out how their lives have changed.5:48 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Pied Piper of Saipan' Dies at 80
  As an 18-year-old Marine, Guy Gabaldon used cigarettes, candy and a little bit of Japanese to persuade more than 1,000 enemy soldiers to surrender at the World War II battle for Saipan. Gabaldon died recently of a heart attack.
• The Anti-Terrorism Campaign and the Fall Race
  The White House releases new documents highlighting the rhetoric of terrorists and Congress returns to Capitol Hill in mid-campaign. Which issues stand out? Robert Siegel asks columnists E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times.
• Troops Focus on Baghdad's Meanest Streets
  The Adhamyah neighborhood is probably the most dangerous in Iraq's turbulent capital. It's now the focus of a house-to-house arms search by U.S. and Iraqi troops. But what happens when the troops leave?
• Boeing Executive Will Replace Ford at Ford Motor Co.
  Bill Ford Jr. will step down as CEO of the Ford Motor Company, and will be replaced by Boeing Co. executive Alan Mulally. Ford Jr. will still be executive chair. Dave Cole, chairman of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Michigan says it's a good move for the troubled automaker.
• White House Freshens Anti-Terrorism Strategy
  The White House releases an updated version of its strategy for fighting terrorists around the world, and President Bush gives a speech highlighting the words and deeds of anti-American radicals in the Muslim world.
• Book Explores Latest Jihadi Thinking
  Several lesser-known thinkers whose work is widely read on the Internet are more influential than Osama bin Laden in shaping the views and actions of Islamic radicals. That's the view of New Yorker writer Lawrence Wright, author of the book The Looming Tower.
• Tribunal: Calderon Is Mexico's Next President
  A seven-judge tribunal in Mexico unanimously declares Felipe Calderon the winner of the contested July 2 presidential vote. Leftist candidate Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador says the ruling won't stop protests that have paralyzed Mexico City.
• Winding Down After an Adventure Aloft
  Robin Taviner of Macon, Ga., flies small planes. He loves to listen to the aircraft gyros wind down after a flight. The reassuring sound reminds him of what a great time he just had in the air.
• Chevron, Partners, Hail Oil Find in Gulf
  Chevron and its partners say an oil well five miles beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico is doing well in initial production tests. Over time, the oil from one of the deepest wells on Earth could boost U.S. reserves.
• Studies: Rules Don't Yield Rest for Medical Interns
  Rules intended to limit the work hours of doctors in training are being routinely violated, according to one study. Another says young doctors working long hours are at increased risk of injuring themselves with needles or scalpels.
• Iran's Former Leader Jabs at Bush on U.S. Tour
  Iran's former president is on a two-week tour of the United States. Mohammad Khatami's theme is improved relations between Islamic and Western nations. But he is criticizing President Bush's foreign policy.
• Detroit Teachers Picket as Classes Resume
  Teachers in Michigan's largest school district are walking picket lines. Quinn Klinefelter of member station WDET reports that school will go on despite a week-old strike by the 9,500-member Detroit Federation of Teachers.
• War, Campaign Loom over Returning Lawmakers
  Members of the House and Senate return to the Capitol after a four-week break. Whether they traveled the world or met with constituents at home, it's likely they return with a new respect for the impact of the war in Iraq on the fall campaign.
• The (Wacky) World According to John Hodgman
  Writer John Hodgman expounds on a variety of fascinating and sublimely ridiculous subjects -- historical, literary and hobo -- in his book The Areas of My Expertise.
• A Chess Classic: 'The Immortal Game'
  In 1851, two chess masters sat down for a practice game in London. What should have been a throwaway game intensified and was quickly dubbed "the immortal game." David Shenk, author of a new history of chess called The Immortal Game, describes the historic match.

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