Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dawn Upshaw sings a new song with the SPCO
  Soprano Dawn Upshaw is joining the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra as the group's next artistic partner. The international classical-music celebrity says she's excited about this upcoming collaboration.3:58 p.m.
• Pawlenty downplays transportation funding questions
  Gov. Pawlenty says the dustup over transportation funding in the wake of the 35W bridge collapse is nothing more than a misunderstanding.5:20 p.m.
• Coleman, Franken in dispute over MoveOn.org ad
  Republican Sen. Norm Coleman has taken out a full-page ad in the Star Tribune newspaper, criticizing Democrat Al Franken. Franken says the ad is intended to distract voters from Coleman's support for the war in Iraq.5:24 p.m.
• Northwest gets tentative approval for route to China
  Northwest has been trying for more than a year to win federal approval to offer service on the route. Now, it's poised to start flying between Shanghai and Detroit in 2009.5:50 p.m.
• MPR's parent buys radio station in Miami
  American Public Media Group has purchased WMCU, a Christian station that broadcasts in Miami-Dade and Broward counties in Florida. The new station will broadcast classical music.5:54 p.m.
• MIA hires new director
  The Minneapolis Institute of Arts has named Kaywin Feldman as its new director and president. She has been head of the Brooks Museum of Art in Memphis for the past eight years.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Winners Welcome MacArthur 'Genius Grants'
  The MacArthur Foundation announces 24 "Genius Grants" of $500,000 each. Some of the honorees include spider-silk biologist Cheryl Hayashi; neurorobotics expert Yoky Matsuoka; Lisa Cooper, who studied how race, ethnicity and gender influence the doctor/patient relationship; and classically trained vocalist Dawn Upshaw.
• GM, UAW Look for Solution to $50 Billion Health Bill
  Negotiations between General Motors and the United Auto Workers may include the creation of a Voluntary Employees Beneficiary Association, or VEBA. The move could allow GM to clear its books of some $50 billion in unfunded retiree heath care liabilities, says consultant Lance Wallach.
• UAW Strike on GM Hinges on Preserving Jobs
  The walkout against General Motors by the United Auto Workers is very much about trying to limit the relentless loss of union jobs at the company. GM has been shutting plants, laying off workers and moving some operations overseas as it tries to become more efficient in the global economy. The union says it wants assurances new jobs will go to Americans.
• Bishops Move to Ease Concerns on Homosexuality
  Bishops in the Episcopal Church have crafted a document they hope will ease conservatives' concerns in the United States and abroad. In Africa and South America, which have the most active members in the worldwide Anglican Communion, bishops wanted a statement from the Americans about the direction of the church — and specifically on its views on homosexuality.
• Artists of Battlefield Deception: Soldiers of the 23rd
  The soldiers of the secret 23rd Special Forces played a unique role in World War II: to deceive the enemy and draw their attention away from real combat troops. The unit was made up of artists, designers, architects and sound engineers.
• California Poisons Lake, Targeting Invasive Pike
  California's Department of Fish and Game has begun poisoning Lake Davis, near the small Sierra Nevada community of Portola. The move targets the northern pike, an invasive species — but the gallons of poison will kill many other fish, as well.
• U.S. DOT May Cap Air Traffic for JFK, Newark
  The federal government may put a cap on the number of flights in and out of two of the nation's busiest airports: John F. Kennedy in New York and Newark, in New Jersey. The idea is to relieve the gridlock that often starts there, and ripples across the country.
• Black Men and Dogs: Don't Believe Vick
  Despite the problems surrounding NFL quarterback Michael Vick and dog fighting, black men don't hate dogs. Commentator Kevin Blackistone says the Michael Vick dog-fighting story might have put some black men in a bad light.
• U.S. Test Results Show Growth in Math, Not Reading
  The Education Department's highly anticipated national test scores for 4th- and 8th-graders show modest improvements in math, but flat scores in reading. Many educators have said the 2007 results would, for the first time, show whether No Child Left Behind is having an impact.
• Bhutto: Talks Continue on Pakistan Election
  Pakistan's former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was in Washington, D.C., today to discuss upcoming elections in Pakistan. Bhutto, who leads the opposition Pakistan People's Party, plans to return in mid-October, ending eight years of self-imposed exile. She said she is hoping to run for office again, but she indicated today that talks on her return have not gone well.
• Media in Pakistan Emboldened Against Leader
  Pakistan's President Gen. Pervez Musharraf faces many challenges in his bid to retain power, but the country's Supreme Court has yet to decide if it's legal for him run for a new term. The court seems to have become genuinely independent — as, possibly, has another institution, the Pakistani media.
• The Day Big Steps Were Taken at Little Rock
  Today marks the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of Little Rock, Arkansas' Central High School. Confronted by hostile crowds, nine African-American students were ushered through the doors of the high school, forever challenging the nation's commitment to equal rights. Today, the students who made up the Little Rock Nine spoke to a sold-out crowd at Central High School.
• Jeffs Found Guilty on Accomplice to Rape Charges
  A jury has found polygamous sect leader Warren Jeffs guilty of two felony counts of being an accomplice to rape for performing a wedding between a young man and a 14-year-old girl. Jeffs, who leads the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, will be sentenced at a later date.
• Myanmar Regime Begins All-Night Curfews
  The military government in Myanmar, formerly Burma, has imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the nation's two largest cities and once again warned of harsh punishment for protesters. The move came as pro-democracy demonstrations continued, with thousands of Buddhist monks and their supporters marched through the streets of Yangon, defying government orders. orders.
• Gays in Iran? Disputing Ahmadenijad
  Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad said Monday that there are no homosexuals in Iran. Melissa Block talks with Arsham Parsi, executive director for the IQO, or Iranian Queer Organization. Parsi, who fled Iran in 2005, currently lives in Canada.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor