Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Pawlenty cabinet gets a shake up
  Two key commissioners are leaving and another has asked for a demotion. Pawlenty's commissioners of finance and natural resources are stepping down. The revenue commissioner asked for a demotion and has been replaced.5:19 p.m.
• Three major bus rapid transit projects going nowhere fast
  Bus Rapid Transit plans around the region are stalled for lack of money and other problems.5:23 p.m.
• Tax subsidies lure business to the suburbs
  Tax subsidies for corporations are luring businesses from the Twin Cities' urban core to more distant suburbs. That's according to a new study released today by Good Jobs First. It contends that this practice pits municipalities against one another over economic development.5:48 p.m.
• New attorney general makes lending abuses her first target
  Lori Swanson says possible legislation could include requiring more disclosure from brokers, additional regulation of players in the home loan industry, and stiffer rules to make sure buyers aren't given loans they can't afford.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Republican Brownback Explores White House Bid
  Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) said this week that he will form an exploratory committee to study a run for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. He speaks with Robert Siegel.
• Arizona Town Seeks to Quiet Noisy Bikers
  Motorcycle noise is disturbing many residents in Carefree, Ariz. The bikers are headed toward Cave Creek, a self-styled Wild West town just up the road.
• Baker, Hamilton Find Skepticism on the Hill
  James Baker and Lee Hamilton take the Iraq Study Group's findings before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Some lawmakers -- notably Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) -- disagreed with the report's recommendations.
• Bush, Blair Emphasize Unity on Iraq
  Meeting in Washington, D.C., President Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair present a united front in defending the war in Iraq. The two leaders say they know things are bad and will find new approaches to save their joint mission.
• Learning to Love Sinatra, Vegas-Style
  A son who grew up with Frank Sinatra music playing all the time — compliments of his father, "the hippest black man I've ever known," — finally comes to appreciate Sinatra's Vegas stylings.
• Cleaning Up with Roomba
  Jason Toon and Luke Duff work for the Web site woot.com. Their favorite gadget is something they bought from themselves: a Roomba. It's a small robot that sweeps up dust.
• Can Progressives, Libertarians Achieve a Union?
  Brink Lindsey, director of the CATO Institute's Center for Trade Policy Studies, authored a New Republic article suggesting a potential alliance between progressive liberals and libertarians.
• Military Reality and the ISG Report
  Gen. Jack Keane, former Army vice chief of staff, comments on recommendations for training and support of Iraq's military... and embedding U.S. advisers among Iraqi troops.
• Making Gas from Prairie Grasses
  Scientists at the University of Minnesota say you can make great biofuel from a mix of 16 kinds of prairie grass. And there's a bonus: prairie grasses suck carbon out of the air but don't return it when you burn it.
• Olmert: Don't Link Syria-Israel to Iraq War
  Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert makes clear he opposes any move to link Arab-Israeli peacemaking to efforts to stabilize the situation in Iraq, as recommended in the Baker-Hamilton report.
• A Hand-Fed Printing Press
  Douglas Wilson of Springfield, Mo., lets us listen to the sound of his 1949 Number Four VanderCook Proof Printing Press. The hand-feeding process makes for some rockin' rollers.
• Letters: PTSD, Prairie Dogs, Muppet Voices
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' letters and e-mails. Topics include Daniel Zwerdling's story on soldiers who have experienced post-traumatic stress disorder, concern for prairie dogs, drug names and the difference between Ernie and Kermit.
• Former British Army Chief Blasts Blair on Iraq
  The former head head of the British army has launched a scathing attack on the Blair government, saying the military is overstreteched in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sir Michael Jackson says the government is asking for too much and giving the military too little to work with.
• Iraqi Envoy Reflects on Study Group's Report
  The Iraq Study Group report suggests cooperation with Iraq's neighbors, Syria and Iran. Iraq's ambassador to the United States, Sheik Mahmoud Samir Sumaidaie, offers his thoughts on the subject to Melissa Block.
• American Airlines 'Insources' Maintenance Work
  Worker input has allowed American Airlines to redesign its maintenance efforts, making operations efficient enough that the company is doing work for other airlines, including four from South America.

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