All Things Considered for September 18, 2006 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Monday, September 18, 2006

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Sirens of little use in Rogers tornado
The Saturday tornado was the first F-2 tornado in central and southern Minnesota since 2001 that was not preceded by a tornado warning.5:20 p.m.
Ground-breaking study tracks water quality
Researchers from Bemidji State University are looking into the water quality of a lake that's only recently been developed. They're hoping to use the opportunity to show the long term impacts of residential development on Minnesota lakes.5:23 p.m.
Student veterans wade through bureaucracy to get back to school
Military veterans shed camo and life threatening situations when they return to Minnesota, but they often face hurdles when they head back to school.5:49 p.m.
SCSU President Roy Saigo retires
The president of the state's largest MnSCU campus announced he's retiring. Roy Saigo says he'll leave St. Cloud State University when his contract ends next summer.5:53 p.m.
Mixed signals on energy policy
As U.S. consumers grapple with their dependence on foreign oil, the country is also sorting out its priorities in a national energy policy.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Iraq Deputy Prime Minister on Diversity, Security
Barham Salih, a Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq, talks about security in Iraq, the plans to build a government of "national unity," and the situation in his native region, Kurdistan, in northern Iraq.
Arab Families Find Peace, Security in Kurdistan
As sectarian violence rages across much of Iraq, tens of thousands of Arab families are searching for a safe place to live. Notwithstanding decades of Sunni Arab rule over the Kurdish minority, many Arabs are now finding peace and security in Kurdistan, in northern Iraq.
Climate Change Cited in Siberian Landscape Shift
Environmental experts in Russia say global warming is melting the permafrost and forming new lakes in Siberia's vast frozen tundra. Previously frozen methane gas is being released into the atmosphere, potentially compounding the problem.
Global Warming: One More Thing to Fret About
Commentator Andrew Lam, the author of Perfume Dreams, sees global warming as the result of a consumer society that regularly throws away the old and is never satisfied with the new.
Gabriela Montero: Classic Improvisations
Improvisation came easily — and early — to Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero. She received a two-octave toy piano when she was 7 months old. By age 3, she was improvising on themes from songs her mother sang her.
California Church Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status
All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, Calif., is deciding whether to fight an IRS summons for the church's e-mails, meeting minutes and letters. The liberal church is under investigation for allegedly making political statements leading up to the November 2004 presidential election. At stake are its tax-exempt status and possibly some heavy fines.
Organic Company Disputes Tainted Spinach Claim
The California produce company that's been linked to a widening nationwide E. coli outbreak is at odds with the FDA over what's causing the illness. Natural Selection Foods says its organic spinach has been cleared as the source of the outbreak. But government health inspectors say nothing has been ruled out yet.
Doctor Offers Primer on E. Coli Bacteria
E. coli O157 — the kind that has affected spinach this week — is a very virulent strain. There are typically a few hundred cases of E. coli-caused illnesses a year, but only 25 or so represent cases where there are multiple victims from a single source. Dr. Patricia M. Griffin, acting chief of the Enteric Diseases Epidemiology Branch of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, offers a primer on E. Coli.
Researchers Announce Creation of Laser Chips
Researchers at Intel and the University of California at Santa Barbara say they have created a new kind of silicon-based chip that can produce flashes of laser light. Such optical chips could eventually lead to faster computers and telecommunications networks.
Hunt for Taliban Has Intensified, Commander Says
Maj. Gen. Robert Durbin is commander of the Combined Security Transition Command in Afghanistan. He says that intensified fighting in the south of the country is the result of combined forces — including Afghan fighters and police — taking the fight to the remote areas where the Taliban have been entrenched.