Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• The 5th District debate
  The three major-party candidates running for Congress in Minnesota's 5th Congressional District met in their first debate since Tuesday's primary.5:19 p.m.
• Republican tries to make AG race a referendum on Hatch
  Republican attorney general hopeful Jeff Johnson made clear Friday he would try to turn the race into a referendum on outgoing Attorney General Mike Hatch, whose top deputy is the Democratic nominee.5:23 p.m.
• Judge reaffirms ruling against NWA flight attendants strike
  The order will be in effect until the judge overseeing Northwest's bankruptcy takes a second crack at whether the flight attendants can strike.5:45 p.m.
• Ford accelerates restructuring, layoffs, closings
  Ford Motor Company ended some of the uncertainty facing the roughly 1,900 workers at the company's plant in St. Paul. Ford announced it would accelerate its restructuring, shutting more plants and shedding more jobs than originally planned. But the announcement included no accelerated job cuts at the St. Paul plant, which is slated to close in 2008. The announcement left St. Paul workers to sort through a variety of buy-out packages as they decide whether to leave or wait to be laid off. Minnesota Public Radio's Toni Randolph reports.5:50 p.m.
• Minnesota docs endorse mandated health care coverage
  You can add doctors to the growing list of health industry workers who want to require health insurance coverage in the state.5:54 p.m.
• Violinist solos without her violin
  New security limitations in Britain prevent musicians from taking most instruments on board with them. So Viktoria Mullova has another plan with the Minnesota Orchestra this weekend.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Pope's Remarks on Islam, Violence Spur Anger
  Much of the Muslim world is in an uproar over remarks by Pope Benedict, that they say are offensive to Islam. Speaking in Germany Tuesday, the pope quoted from an ancient text that said the early spread of Islam had been accomplished by violence.
• An Anthem for Post-Summer from Hem
  Hem is a Brooklyn, N.Y., band whose ranks occasionally swell from four core members to an 8- or 9-piece ensemble, including pedal steel, glockenspiel and violin. The title of their third studio album, Funnel Cloud, implies dark skies — but it's more of a goodbye kiss to the summer season.
• Need to Find an OG for the Silver Screen?
  When making a movie that involves street gangs, today's filmmakers want their on-screen toughs to have on-the-block credibility. In the hunt for realistic-looking gangsters, many producers turn to Suspect Entertainment.
• A Mobile Propane Salesman in Baghdad
  Listener Jen Banbury takes us back to several years ago when she lived in Baghdad as an independent journalist. She plays a sound that makes her sad: the sound of a roving merchant, who banged a beat on propane tanks to alert customers.
• Rep. Ney Pleads Guilty to Corruption Charges
  Rep. Bob Ney of Ohio has pleaded guilty to two criminal charges of corruption in a case related to the investigation of disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff. Ney, the former chairman of the House Administration Committee, will be sentenced next month.
• Big Games Loom for College Teams Eyeing a Title
  Though it's early in the college football season, several match-ups have post-season implications. Also, there have been two notable suspensions: a back-up punter who stabbed his starting rival in the leg -- and the entire Stanford marching band.
• Ford Targets Thousands of White-Collar, Labor Jobs
  Ford Motor Co. announced it will eliminate an additional 10,000 white-collar jobs as it tries to speed up the restructuring plan it announced earlier this year. The struggling automaker will also offer buyouts to all its 75,000 blue-collar workers as it seeks to shut plants and reduce payroll costs.
• Bush Defends Policy on Detainees, Iraq Strategy
  President Bush defends the rules he wants to use in handling terror suspects in a news conference held in the White House Rose Garden. In addition, the president defended his administration's handling of the war in Iraq. But he also said he would be glad to have this November's mid-term elections decided on the performance of the U.S. economy.
• Violent Week in Iraq Nears an End
  It has been a particularly bloody week in Iraq, with sectarian violence intensifying in Baghdad even as U.S. forces continue a major operation aimed at stabilizing some of the capital's most violence-prone districts. American officers say sectarian militias are engaging in ethnic cleansing in some Baghdad neighborhoods.
• Bush's September of Ups and Downs
  The first two weeks of September marked something of a comeback for President Bush, with terrorism becoming a central national issue again -- and boosting his own political standing. But with the situation still deteriorating and controversy dogging his efforts to hold tribunal-style trials for detainees, the president still has a long political struggle ahead.
• Turning Ant Against Ant: Controlling a Super-Colony
  Ants from Argentina have invaded the United States -- and they're rapidly spreading across the West in one giant, mobile super-colony. Now, scientists say they've come up with a potentially ingenious way of fighting the invaders: They coat them with a chemical that makes ant colonies erupt in civil wars.
• Many Labor Workers Wary of Future with Ford
  Ford's union workers are faced with the choice of leaving the company with a buyout or hanging on in a newly precarious industry. Even if many decide to stay on, Ford's restructuring will diminish the clout of the once-mighty United Auto Workers.
• Ford Cuts Renew Debate on Car Quality, Taste
  Analysts have said that downsizing alone won't solve Ford's problems. The automaker needs to boost sales and revenue by producing a lineup of products that are in step with consumer demand. Michele Norris talks with Csaba Csere, editor in chief of Car and Driver, about what consumers want these days.
• FDA Links Spinach E. Coli Risk to Calif. Company
  The FDA says it has linked the E. coli outbreak from bagged, pre-washed spinach to Earthbound Farms of California, which has decided to voluntarily pull all of its spinach from store shelves. Its products are sold under various names, including Selection Foods, Rave Spinach, Dole, Earthbound Farm, Trader Joe's and Ready Pac.
• Newswoman Sherr Looks in from 'Outside the Box'
  Since the 1970s, Lynn Sherr has been a fixture on network news. Her new memoir is Outside the Box. She has had an intimate and sometimes painful view of changes in the industry -- in both how events are covered and who is covering them.

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