Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dakota County attorney is man of many sides
  Dakota County Attorney Jim Backstrom has gained a reputation as a tough prosecutor. But Backstrom also has a side that belies his law-and-order persona.4:50 p.m.
• Rich contract awarded for I-35W bridge replacement
  Flatiron/Manson won despite submitting the high bid - $233.7 million - and proposing the longest timetable for the work, 437 days.5:20 p.m.
• Ridder made impression at Star Tribune
  Newspaperman Par Ridder has earned the rare distinction of becoming the former-publisher of both of Minnesota's largest newspapers within the same year.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Unpaid Patrols to Hit Philadelphia Streets
  In the face of rising homicide rates, Philadelphia's police chief has plans to recruit 10,000 volunteers to patrol city streets and be on the lookout for criminal activity. They would be unpaid and unarmed.
• Alan Greenspan Reflects on Economy's Past, Future
  In an NPR interview, former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan weighs in on the Fed's recent move to cut interest rates by half a point and about President Bush's economic and tax policies.
• Full Impact of Fed Move Will Take Time
  The stock market extends a rally that began Tuesday after a bigger-than-expected cut in interest rates by the Fed. The move is seen as likely to boost consumer spending. But it may be some time before the rate cut affects the credit markets.
• Pennsylvania Boarding School Gets Huge Gift
  The George School, a Quaker boarding school in Pennsylvania, has received a $128 million donation from Barbara Dodd Anderson. Anderson is the daughter of David Dodd, a business professor at Columbia University equally well known as billionaire Warren Buffett's teacher, mentor and business partner.
• Lifeguards to Recreate 70-Year-Old Stunt at Sea
  San Diego lifeguard Darrell Esparza and four colleagues are set to retrace a 1934 stunt where two lifeguards rowed from San Diego to Santa Catalina Island, then sailed back with improvised sails.
• White House Hopefuls Hold Fundraisers Abroad
  Rudolph Giuliani is raising campaign cash in London. Only U.S. citizens and green-card holders can legally give to U.S. campaigns. But Giuliani, Barack Obama and Bill Clinton are all holding events for Americans living in the British Isles.
• Who Really Caused the Health-Care Debacle of '93?
  Hillary Clinton's much-publicized failure to lead an overhaul of the U.S. health-care system in 1993, while she was first lady, has been an albatross around her neck. It is usually not acknowledged that President Bill Clinton was largely responsible for the plan.
• Japan Set to Pick New Prime Minister
  On Sunday, Japan's Liberal Democratic Party will select a successor to Shinzo Abe, who resigned. Moderate Yasuo Fukuda is vying with Taro Aso, a conservative former foreign minister. The man chosen will be prime minister.
• Israel Gives Gaza 'Enemy' Status
  Israel's security cabinet declares Gaza an "enemy entity," paving the way for cuts in gas supplies into the already isolated coastal strip. These and other punitive measures are a bid to isolate Hamas in response to rocket fire aimed at southern Israel.
• Adoptions of Guatemalan Babies Prompt Closer Look
  About 4,000 children from Guatemala are adopted by American families each year. Now, the U.N., the U.S. government and Guatemalan officials are worried that babies have become such big business.
• Firms Abandon Online Subscription Plans
  The New York Times has cancelled its online subscription service "Times Select." Rupert Murdoch says The Wall Street Journal may follow suit. And a music download service now allows users to get music for free after they watch an ad. The message many companies are learning? People expect the Web to be free.
• Mystery Surrounds Israeli Strike in Syria
  Israeli jets bombed a target in Syria in a night raid on Sept. 6. Unnamed Israeli and U.S. intelligence sources tell journalists the attack was prompted by possible nuclear cooperation between North Korea and Syria. Experts familiar with Syria's nuclear activities have their doubts.
• The Sound of Vanishing Languages
  A study based supported by the National Geographic Society and the Living Tongues Institute for Endangered Languages identifies regions around the world where languages are dying. We hear some words from these disappearing languages.
• Does Arkansas Have a Heart for Huckabee?
  Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has charmed voters around the country in a bid for the Republican presidential nomination. But what's the verdict back home on his 10 years as the state's chief executive?
• Rather Sues CBS for $70 Million
  Dan Rather, the former CBS Evening News anchor, names the network, parent company Viacom Inc. and three of his former bosses in a $70 million suit. Rather, 75, says the network made him a "scapegoat" for a discredited story about President Bush's National Guard service in Texas.

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