Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• The challenge of speaking Spanish in America
  If you listen to a group of native Spanish-speakers, you might think their fast-paced conversation means easy communication with one another. But within the Spanish-speaking population, there's a very clear divide -- a linguistic "us" and "them."5:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bedbugs Make a Comeback in the Big Apple
  Bedbugs have reappeared across the country, and they're making a dramatic comeback in New York City, where residents reported five times as many infestations this year as last year. The City Council wants to ban reconditioned mattresses, but parasite experts say that won't work.
• Sen. Allen Faces New Charges of Racial Comment
  Michele Norris talks with Jeff Shapiro, political reporter and columnist for Virginia's Richmond Times Dispatch, about the latest in the re-election campaign of Sen. George Allen. Last night, political commentator Larry Sabato indicated to Chris Matthews that he may have heard Allen making racist comments when the two were in school together at the University of Virginia.
• Large Dairies Forsake Growth Hormones in Milk
  A move is under way in New England that some say may soon end the use of artificial growth hormones in dairy cows. Two of the area's biggest dairies say that as of October, they will only buy milk from hormone-free farms. The move comes despite Food and Drug Administration assurances that growth hormones are safe.
• University Sets Diversity at a Premium
  The University of Wisconsin at LaCrosse is proposing an increase in tuition to fund greater racial and economic diversity among students. The proposal has set off a protest from parents and legislators, who are concerned that it would price many students out of a higher education.
• Enron's Fastow Seeks -- and Receives -- Leniency
  Enron's former finance chief, Andrew Fastow, is sentenced to six years with an additional two years under supervised release. Fastow had worked out a plea deal with prosecutors back in 2004 under which he agreed to a prison term of up to 10 years. However, Fastow asked Federal Court Judge Kenneth Hoyt for a shorter sentence.
• Terrorism Summary Makes Broad Points on Iraq
  Tuesday afternoon, the Department of National Intelligence released a four-page summary of the main findings of a report by U.S. intelligence agencies on the vulnerability of America to terrorist attack -- and how the war in Iraq affects the effort to fight terrorism.
• German Opera Shelved Due to Religious Content
  A leading opera house in Germany has cancelled a production because a scene that might offend Muslims could create a security threat. The production of Idomeneo features a scene in which a character presents the severed heads of religious leaders -- including Jesus, the Buddha and Muhammad.
• Philadelphia House Race Turns on Money Issues
  In a suburban Philadelphia House race, incumbent Republican Rep. Jim Gerlach faces an aggressive challenge from Democrat Lois Murphy, who narrowly lost to Gerlach two years ago. Fueled by rising interest rates, falling homes prices and stagnant wages, economic anxiety tops the issue list for both candidates.
• White House Releases Intel Report on Terrorism
  President Bush orders the public release of a summary of a classified report by U.S. intelligence agencies on America's vulnerability to terrorist attack -- and how the war in Iraq affects the effort to fight terrorism. Descriptions of the National Intelligence Estimate surfaced in newspapers over the weekend.
• E. Coli Shouldn't Dampen Appetite for Vegetables
  It's too early to say exactly what caused the ongoing E. Coli spinach contamination, but consumers shouldn't shy away from spinach grown in places other than the Salinas Valley, says a food-safety expert. Michele Norris talks with Carl Winter, Director of the FoodSafe Program.
• House Elections Heating Up in Close Races
  Melissa Block talks with Amy Walter, senior editor of the Cook Political Report, about what to expect in the upcoming House elections. Walter says that most of them are really just starting to get fully engaged, and although Republicans have gained some ground, there remains potential for Democratic gain.
• A Student's Collateral: His Gold Teeth
  Commentator Annmarie Kelly Harbaugh teaches ninth-grade English at Cooperative Arts Magnet High School in New Haven, Conn. When her students forget to bring a book to class, she loans them one -- and takes car keys for collateral. Recently, though, one student offered his gold teeth. Annmarie Kelly Harbaugh is a Masters candidate in Urban Education Studies at Yale University.
• Conversion: Political, Not Religious
  Commentator Caroline Langston grew up as a conservative Christian, and while her faith hasn't changed, her political party has.
• Researchers Hope to Give Dolphin Prosthetic Tail
  A baby bottlenose dolphin who lost her tail might get a new, prosthetic one. The dolphin got tangled in the line of a crab trap in Florida last year. Melissa Block talks with Dana Zucker, Chief Operating Officer at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, where the dolphin is living.
• Newly Found WWI Veteran Reburied, with Honors
  World War I soldier Francis Lupo of Cincinnati was buried with full honors Tuesday at Arlington National Cemetery. It's first time the Pentagon group that looks for the remains of missing servicemen has found and identified someone from World War I. Private Lupo died July 21, 1918, in France in the Second Battle of the Marne. His niece, Rachel Kleisinger, attended the ceremony.

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