Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Obscure 1960s rockers the Monks make comeback
  An obscure 1960s rock group called the Monks is rehearsing in northern Minnesota this week. It's the latest chapter in one of the stranger tales in rock and roll history.4:53 p.m.
• Switching the suicide protein back on
  Doctors at the Mayo Clinic have found a protein in cells that will likely help fight prostate cancer.5:19 p.m.
• Conference considers catastrophy response
  Scientists from around the world are meeting in Sioux Falls this week to discuss global disasters and ways to deal with catastrophic events. The International Charter on Space and Major Disasters is a joint effort by global space agencies to make resources available for disaster response. The U.S. Geological Survey is hosting the meeting in South Dakota. Tom Crann talked with Barb Ryan, associate director of the U.S. Geological Survey and incoming chair of the International Charter on Space and Natural Disasters.5:23 p.m.
• Cirrus in the spotlight
  Duluth's Cirrus Design Corporation finds itself in the media spotlight - but not under circumstances they would have chosen. It was a Cirrus SR-20 airplane built in Duluth that crashed Wednesday into a New York high rise. Now, Cirrus officials were overwhelmed with the aftermath.5:50 p.m.
• The bear facts
  A small black bear is on the loose in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area. The DNR confirmed the bear's presence through tracks photographed along the shore of McCarthy Lake in Eagan. People living near Patrick Eagan Park are advised not to leave garbage - or feed their pets - outdoors. They should also take their bird feeders in at night. Last year a bear had to be destroyed in St. Paul after it had traveled through at least four metro-area communities. Tom Crann talked with Peggy Callahan, founder and director of the Wildlife Science Center near Forest Lake, a research and education facility that houses, among other creatures, black bears.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• U.S. Submits New U.N. Punishments for N. Korea
  At the United Nations, U.S. Ambassador John Bolton submits the latest copy of a U.S.-drafted resolution meant to punish North Korea for its reported nuclear test. The United States is now trying to get China on board and is hoping for a vote Friday. Ambassador Bolton dismissed North Korean threats that U.N. sanctions would be a declaration of war.
• France Nears Passage of Bill on Turkish Genocide
  The French parliament is expected to pass a bill on Thursday that has strained relations between France and Turkey. The proposed law would make it a crime to deny that Armenians suffered genocide at the hands of Turkey during World War I. Turkey denies that any such genocide took place.
• The World's Smallest Genome Just Got Smaller
  To make living organisms, a bundle of genes are needed. To make a human, for instance, you would need about 23,000. Now, scientists in Japan and the Unites States report new information about the minimum number of genes you need for life. And the number is remarkably small. Scientists used to think the number was around 300, but now researchers have found a bacterium that gets by with only 182 genes. The bacteria live inside tiny insects called psyllids. They posit that the bacterium is in the evolutionary process of becoming a part of the insect.
• German Art Show Pulls 'I Like America' Display
  One of Europe's biggest publishers is donating space for a presentation of contemporary video art -- but it has pulled a commissioned piece by an American, because it was considered anti-American. "I Like America and America Likes Me" includes video of a man writing the title phrase -- and setting them on fire.
• Detainees' Military Lawyer Forced Out of Service
  Lt. Cmdr. Charles Swift, one of the leaders among attorneys representing detainees held in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is being forced to leave the Navy. Swift has been passed up for promotion -- and under Navy policy, he is required to retire. But people who've worked with Swift say the Navy is losing a great litigator.
• Not Just Strong. Army Strong
  The U.S. Army's new recruitment slogan is "Army Strong." Unveiled this week, the motto follows past slogans such as "An Army of One" and the long-running "Be All You Can Be." Michele Norris talks with Gina Cavallaro, staff writer at Army Times.
• Inmates Smuggle In Cell Phones with Ease
  Hundreds, and perhaps even thousands, of inmates inside U.S. prisons have gotten a hold of cell phones. Many spend the evenings chatting away in their cells. Even more troubling: Corrupt correctional officers appear to be behind the phone smuggling.
• Once Resented, Pamuk Takes Solace in Nobel
  For Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk, winning the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature completes a turnaround from his being tried on charges of "insulting Turkishness." The charges against Pamuk, Turkey's most internationally renowned novelist, were eventually dropped.
• Air Force Seeks Momentum in Aerial Tanker Program
  Finding a replacement for the aging KC-135 aerial refueling tanker is the Air Force's top priority for new aircraft, the military branch said Thursday. The tanker program has been dogged by scandal after a senior Air Force official, along with a former top Boeing Corp. executive, were sentenced to prison for improperly steering contracts to the plane maker. Congress also has been investigating the multi-billion dollar program.
• The Welcome Voice of an Unwelcome Change
  Ira Harkey was the owner, publisher and editor of The Chronicle Star in Pascagoula, Miss., during the Civil Rights Era. He made a name for himself by taking the side of equal justice for blacks in the Jim Crow South. Harkey died Sunday at 88. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1963 for his editorials supporting school integration. Michele Norris talks with Harkey's eldest son, Ira Harkey III, who is also a journalist.
• Views of a Potential Collapse on the Korean Peninsula
  China has long opposed tough sanctions on North Korea for fear they would provoke a collapse of the North Korean regime and thereby precipitate a massive refugee crisis on its own border. Some in the U.S. government also argue that this would be a dangerous development, while others say the United States should deliberately work for a regime change. Now that Kim Jong Il's government is apparently armed with a nuclear weapon, the debate over whether a regime collapse would help or harm U.S. interests is heating up again.
• The Value of Talk in the Debate on Nuclear N. Korea
  As the recent North Korean nuclear test ushers us into a new nuclear era, the president's "tough talk" is no longer enough, and new strategies are needed for dealing with North Korea, NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr says.
• Letters: Plane Crash, Liberia, and Almonds
  Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails. There is both praise and criticism for our coverage of the small plane that crashed into a New York City high-rise. And a listener wants to clarify how Liberia was founded. Another listener relays a little-known fact about nefarious uses for almonds.
• Pamuk: The First Mannequins of Turkey
  We hear a reading from a story by the 2006 Nobel Prize for Literature winner Orhan Pamuk. In his The Black Book, Pamuk tells a fictionalized story about a real character, Master Bediiyi. In the waning days of the Ottoman Empire around the turn of the century, Master Bediiyi created Turkey's first mannequins. He created images of Ottoman sailors for the new naval museum.
• Brown's Campaign Plagued by Oakland Crime
  Oakland's soaring crime rate, led by a major rise in gang violence, is making headlines and dogging Mayor Jerry Brown's bid to get elected as California Attorney General.

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