Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Health and your environment: School
  At Jackson Elementary in St. Paul, Principal Patrick Bryan runs with students to encourage them to develop a health lifestyle. What we learn in school is one of the many factors that affect our health, from genetics to our own personal behaviors.4:50 p.m.
• St. John's Abbey gets Upper Midwest's largest solar farm
  The largest experimental solar farm in the upper Midwest will sit on land that belongs to St. John's Abbey of Collegeville.5:20 p.m.
• Minnesota soldier dies from noncombat injuries in Iraq
  U.S. military authorities are investigating the death of a Minnesota soldier injured in a noncombat related incident in Iraq.5:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Pakistan, U.S. Aid Package Stirs Anger
  An emotional debate is under way in Pakistan over a U.S. plan to provide the country with $1.5 billion in economic aid for each of the next five years. Many Pakistanis view the plan, approved by Congress last week, as U.S. interference in their internal affairs.
• Makers Of Ribosome Map Win Chemistry Nobel
  Americans Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas Steitz, and Israeli Ada Yonath won Wednesday for mapping ribosomes, the protein-producing factories within cells, at the atomic level. Their work has been fundamental to the scientific understanding of life and has helped researchers develop antibiotic cures for various diseases.
• Iraq's Minorities Caught Between Arabs, Kurds
  The U.S. military is pushing a plan to get Arabs and Kurds to cooperate in the country's north. Many of Iraq's other minorities live in the most hotly contested seam between the Kurdish region and the city of Mosul. Adding to their woes, al-Qaida is also targeting the area.
• Soldiers Blame Contractor For Exposure To Chemical
  On Thursday, the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs will examine the claims of hundreds of soldiers who say they were exposed to a dangerous chemical while guarding employees of a private contractor in Iraq. The contractor KBR is accused of hiding the dangers that the soldiers faced.
• Restored 'Araya' Revisits Venezuela's Salt Mines
  The name Araya may not instantly ring of cinema classic, but 50 years ago Margot Benacerraf's experimental documentary set a new standard in cinematic storytelling. Now, after inspiring a generation of Latin American filmmakers, Benacerraf's tale of Venezuelan salt miners is heading back to the big screen.
• Levin Prods Obama On Afghan Troops
  President Obama met Tuesday with a bipartisan group of lawmakers over the U.S. strategy in Afghanistan. Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who was at the meeting, says he told Obama there hadn't been enough energy devoted to getting the Afghan army and police up to speed.
• Conservatives Criticize Obama Safe-Schools Czar
  President Obama's safe-schools czar has become a target for conservative activists who point to his past writings about drug use and homosexuality. But Kevin Jennings' supporters say he is the victim of a right-wing smear campaign.
• Alaska's Challenge Distributing Swine Flu Vaccine
  States like Alaska, with people living in very remote areas, have a unique challenge when it comes to distributing the swine flu vaccine. Laurel Wood, Alaska's Immunization Program manager, says the vaccine arrives in Anchorage, Alaska, from where it is sent to other parts of the state, including those without roads.
• Debate Over Homebuyer Tax Credit Heats Up
  As part of its effort to prop up the housing market, the federal government is offering an $8,000 tax credit to first-time buyers. Nationwide, pending home sales have been on the rise for seven months in a row. But the offer is set to expire at the end of November.
• Weighing Merits Of U.S. Intervention In Housing
  The federal government has always promoted home ownership through tax breaks and other incentives. But the extent to which the government is supporting the beleaguered housing market today is unprecedented.

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