Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Of microbes, patterns and the urban condition
  "The Ghost Map" is a chronicle of the 1854 cholera outbreak that ravaged London's Soho neighborhood, the two men who determined its source, and how it all changed epidemiology, mapping and the way cities work.4:50 p.m.
• South Dakota lawmakers learn from national scandal
  South Dakota's lawmakers will be called into a first-of-its-kind special session in late November to investigate allegations that a state senator acted inappropriately with a legislative page.5:20 p.m.
• Buffett buy shows confidance in Target Corp.
  The stock price of Minneapolis-based Target Corporation rose as much as 2 and a half percent the morning after billionaire Warren Buffett's investment company disclosed it had acquired five and a half million shares in the discount retailer. Minnesota Public Radio's Steven John talked to Phil Dow, Managing Director of Equity Strategy at RBC Dain Rauscher in Minneapolis, about how Target fits into Buffett's famous investment strategy.5:25 p.m.
• The cost of Minnesota timber
  The high price of timber was creating a crisis in Minnesota's forest products industry. Then the price crashed, making things worse.5:50 p.m.
• Mesaba reaches tentative agreement with mechanics
  Bankrupt Mesaba Airlines and the union representing its mechanics have reached a tentative agreement on a contract that would cut the mechanics' pay and benefits. With today's announcement, the mechanics join the pilots and flight attendants unions, which also have tentative agreements awaiting member votes.5:55 p.m.
• SCSU poll gives DFLers edge in top races
  With only a week to go before Election Day, a new poll from St. Cloud State University gives DFLer Mike Hatch a 10 point lead over Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty. The same poll shows DFLer Amy Klobuchar leading Republican Mark Kennedy by a wide margin.6:22 p.m.
• They're altogether ooky
  The origin of Halloween extends back more than 2,000 years to the Celtic festival celebrating the end of the harvest. Now we spend this day paying homage to all things spooky and creepy. MPR's Tom Crann talks with Dr. John Hallberg about some ancient and creepy medical practices that are still in use today.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Iraqi Security Collapses in Shiite Area; Troops Return
  Hoping to stem the tide of sectarian violence, U.S. troops return to Saab al-Bur, a small Shiite town in a largely Sunni region. Last month, U.S. troops handed control of the area to Iraqi security forces. Within days, Saab al-Bur was engulfed in warfare and 90 percent of the residents fled.
• The Pink Flamingo Era Ends in Massachusetts
  In Leominster, Mass., the Union Products company has been making plastic pink flamingos for nearly 50 years. The plant is closing tomorrow, after stopping production earlier this year. Robert Siegel talks with the man who created the first pink plastic flamingo as a Union Products employee back in the 1950s.
• October 31: Deadly Month Is Finally Over in Iraq
  More than 100 members of the U.S. forces in Iraq were killed in October, making it the deadliest month for U.S. forces there since January 2005. Sectarian violence raged throughout the monthlong Ramadan, despite a beefed-up U.S. presence. This month, Vice President Cheney and others have objected to media coverage of the casualties.
• High Court Reviews High-Dollar Cigarette Judgment
  The U.S. Supreme Court hears arguments in a case to determine how high punitive damages can go when a state court finds extreme corporate misconduct. In a suit against Phillip Morris, the company was ordered to pay $79.5 million for a smoker's death.
• Campaigns Gear Up for a Push to Finish in Elections
  Midterm elections are one week away, and campaigns are making their final strategic moves to vie for a good showing at the polls. Robert Siegel talks with two campaign consultants who are in the thick of things: Democratic media stragegist David Axelrod, and Republican consultant Bill Greener.
• Ohio Election Rules in Limbo a Week Before Vote
  In Ohio, a federal judge is set to hear arguments over key parts of that state's new election-reform law -- which was meant to solve the voting problems that came up during the 2004 presidential election. The Wednesday hearing will determine whether voter identification will still be required on Election Day, Nov. 7.
• India's Plan to Kill Muslim Heightens Tension
  India plans to hang Kashmiri Muslim Mohammed Afzal, who was convicted of indirect involvement in the attack on India's parliament in 2001 in a trial that was riddled with shortcomings. Much hinges on India's president, a Muslim, who is handling a plea for clemency.
• Halloween in Missouri: The Devil's Promenade
  For more than a century, the people in southwest Missouri at the Oklahoma border, not far from Kansas, have seen an odd hovering light on a road called West 50. The phenomenon occurs in the southwest of the state, where the Ozark Mountains give way to flat land -- in an area called the Devil's Promenade.
• Former South African President Botha Dead at 90
  P.W. Botha, who served as South Africa's last hard-line white president, has died at 90. Nicknamed "The Big Crocodile" for his belligerence and temper, Botha was the face of racist South Africa at the height of its anti-apartheid struggle.
• Elephants Have a Concept of Self, Study Suggests
  A study titled "Self-Recognition in an Asian Elephant" has found that elephants, like humans, chimpanzees, and dolphins, recognize themselves in mirrors. Robert Siegel talks with Joshua Plotnik, a gradate student in psychology at Emory University's Yerkes National Primate Research Center, who co-authored the study.
• North Korea Will Return to Talks, China Says
  China says North Korea has agreed to return to the "Six-Party Talks" aimed at ending its nuclear-weapons program.
• Pakistanis Protest Attack on Muslim Academy
  Thousands of Pakistani tribesmen protest an attack on a Muslim religious academy in Pakistan's Bajur district in Khar, where about 80 people were killed. The Pakistani military describes the attack as a strike on an al-Qaida hideout. Robert Siegel talks with David Montero, correspondent for The Christian Science Monitor.
• Friends and Family Pay Respects to Auerbach
  Family and friends gathered today in Northern Virginia to bury Arnold "Red" Auerbach, the legendary coach of the Boston Celtics. Auerbach died Saturday at 89. His funeral drew friends from Auerbach's college days, and players from his powerhouse teams.
• Miss Virginia, and the Need for Friends
  When she was a child, commentator Laura Lorson made friends with an older woman who worked in an antique store. Laura learned a lot about old things, and how to appraise antiques. She also learned that older people could need friends just as much as children do.
• Astronauts Will Fix Hubble Telescope
  NASA chief Michael Griffin announces plans for a special space shuttle mission to Hubble, so astronauts can replace batteries, gyroscopes and install two new instruments. The decision officially reverses the policy of Griffin's predecessor, who felt such a mission was too risky.

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