Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• MPR candidacy statement: Amy Klobuchar
  As part of our election coverage, Minnesota Public Radio has offered all of the candidates for U.S. Senate and governor an opportunity to record three-minute statements. Every day this week on All Things Considered, we'll play one of the U.S. Senate candidate statements at this time. Today, we'll hear from DFL candidate Amy Klobuchar.4:45 p.m.
• Voters speak
  Election Day is just five days away. We've been hearing a lot from the candidates in recent weeks--in TV ads, debates, and interviews. But what about the voters? Who are they supporting and why? We spoke with three voters who have each chosen a different candidate in the U.S. Senate race in Minnesota.4:49 p.m.
• Huchinson undaunted by long odds
  Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson faces long odds in his race for Minnesota governor. But the public policy consultant is undaunted, because he says Minnesota voters want a change from politics as usual.5:19 p.m.
• Survey says college students are still binge drinking, but smoking less
  A new survey shows student smoking rates have dropped, but problem drinking has not abated.5:24 p.m.
• Tough times for Minneapolis schools lured candidates into race for board
  The race for Minneapolis school board takes place against the backdrop of recent miss-steps over the hiring, then removal, of a controversial superintendent and the abrupt decision to close more than a dozen schools.5:45 p.m.
• Dutcher caught short on E-85 question
  Democrat Mike Hatch sought to reassure voters of his expertise on ethanol on Thursday, a day after his running mate drew a blank when she was questioned in farm country about E-85.5:49 p.m.
• A faster, cleaner way of turning biomass into fuel
  Lanny Schmidt is Regents Professor of chemical engineering and material science at the University of Minnesota. He leads a team that announced today it has discovered a new, more efficient way to create fuel from biomass.5:53 p.m.
• MPR candidacy statement: Tim Pawlenty
  As part of our election coverage, Minnesota Public Radio has offered the candidates for governor and U.S. Senate an opportunity to record three minute statements about their candidacy. Each day at this time we're playing the statements of candidates in the Governor's race. Today we hear from incumbent Republican Tim Pawlenty6:19 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Sanchez, Former Top Army General, Retires
  Former Army Lt. Gen. Ricardo Sanchez, once the top commander in Iraq, retired Thursday. Lingering questions remain about his role in the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and about some of the early decision-making about how many U.S. troops were needed. Sanchez, a 33-year veteran, blames political partisanship for his ouster.
• NCAA May Face Inquiry over Fees, Tax Status
  A Congressional inquiry may soon examine the NCAA's tax-exempt status. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Bill Thomas (R-CA) has written the college sports association a letter with hard questions about how the organization spends its revenue. Robert Siegel talks with Stefan Fatsis, sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal.
• Week in Politics: Iraq, the Economy and Election Day
  Robert Siegel talks politics with E.J. Dionne, columnist for The Washington Post, and David Brooks, columnist for The New York Times.
• Janus Films, the Face of Art and Foreign Film
  Janus Films is the pre-eminent distributor of classic foreign films in the United States. Fifty years ago, its founders took a chance on distributing a little-known director named Federico Fellini and ushered in the golden age of the art-house cinema.
• U.S. Site Suspended for Posting Nuclear Documents
  Public access to the "Operation Iraqi Freedom Document Portal" was blocked Thursday night following questions about whether the data available contained too much detail about making atomic bombs. Much of the site's pages are in Arabic.
• Fish Stocks at Risk of Collapse, Study Says
  Researchers say the world's fish and seafood populations could collapse by 2048 if current trends continue. In an analysis of scientific data going back to the 1960s, researchers found that marine biodiversity has declined dramatically. But the study has attracted criticism from experts.
• Bush Tries to Bolster Burns Campaign in Montana
  President Bush visited Montana Thursday to help Sen. Conrad Burns' bid for a fourth term. Burns has been trailing his Democratic opponent, Jon Tester, mostly due to fallout from contributions Burns received from convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff. But the race is tightening; many see it as going down to the wire.
• Disgraced Pastor Has Opposed Gay Unions
  Ted Haggard, the former head of the National Association of Evangelicals and pastor of a "mega-church" in Colorado Springs, Colo., is embroiled in a scandal over his hiring a male prostitute and buying drugs. Previously, Haggard has called homosexuality a violation of God's plan.
• Must a 'Democracy' Fight Against Terror?
  In his 2006 State of the Union address, President Bush said, "Democracies replace resentment with hope, respect the rights of their citizens and their neighbors, and join the fight against terror." But do they really? If democracy is the U.S. goal, hasn't it succeeded in bringing about open elections in Iraq and Lebanon, as well as for Palestinians?
• Minnesota House Seat May Depend on War Issues
  In Minnesota's 1st Congressional District, the race pits a once-safe Republican incumbent, Rep. Gil Gutknecht, against a National Guard veteran and high school teacher, Tim Walz. War has been a big issue in the campaign. The race falls in a district of independent-minded voters that has trended Republican in recent elections. But support for the war has been falling.
• Haggard Admits Buying Drugs, Getting Massage
  Colorado pastor Ted Haggard admits that he bought methamphetamine and received a massage from a gay prostitute. But the former leader of the New Life Church, who resigned following the allegations, says he did not have sex with the man.
• In Wheelchair, College Trumpeter Marches Along
  Among the members of this year's University of Louisville marching band is a musician who is blind and doesn't walk. At last night's game against visiting conference rival West Virginia, Patrick Henry Hughes was in the trumpet section, in a wheelchair pushed by his father. The blonde young man, holding his silver trumpet in a white uniform, was spun around the field by his father, who wore a red Louisville jacket. The two attend all practices and halftime performances, even through the most intricate formations.
• Hearing a Panther Up Close, Very Close
  Amy DiFiore recorded a Florida panther with her microphone inches away from its jaws while doing a story for Florida Public Radio. The scary sound is enough to stop your heart.
• Virtual Privacy: A Myth of the 21st Century
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu says that privacy means little in the age of personal computing. Anyone can find out in minutes all they need to know about you, and everyone is ready to broadcast everything anyone might want to know.
• House, Governor Spots at Risk for Republicans
  With midterm elections coming Tuesday, Melissa Block checks in with NPR Political Editor Ron Elving about what were once thought to be Republican "safe seats" in Congress that are now up for grabs. Elving says there are also a number of gubernatorial races which may swing Democrat this year.

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