Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Long-time Minneapolis school board member will step down
  Judy Farmer, who has served on the Minneapolis school board since 1980, will not seek reelection this year. She told Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Crann about the challenges and successes of a quarter-century on the board.4:45 p.m.
• DM&E gets final approval
  After five years of controversy, the DM&E is ready to lay track. The federal Surface Transportation Board gave the Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern Railroad final approval to extend its line into Wyoming and upgrade existing track.5:15 p.m.
• Teflon chemical, once made by 3M, called a 'likely carcinogen'
  A chemical developed by 3M and formerly made in the Twin Cities may be declared a "likely carcinogen," based on the recommendation of a government advisory panel. The chemical is PFOA, which was used to make Scotchgard and Teflon. It's no longer made by 3M in Minnesota.5:19 p.m.
• U of M women's basketball team still in the hunt in Big Ten
  The University of Minnesota women's basketball team continues its chase for the Big Ten title, but the team faces some challenges.5:45 p.m.
• Witnessing the life of Sojourner Truth
  For the past 17 years, the Twin Cities choral group VocalEssence has marked Black History Month with its annual Witness concert. This year, VocalEssence is staging an unusual choral ballet that tells the story of Sojourner Truth, a former slave and activist.5:49 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• What's Behind Bird Flu: The Chicken or the Duck?
  Health officials say migratory waterfowl like ducks and geese are spreading the H5N1 bird flu virus from Asia to Europe and Africa. Bird experts aren't so sure; they point to an illegal trade in infected poultry.
• New Orleans Hospital Staff Discussed Mercy Killings
  Hospital administrators at New Orleans' Memorial Medical Center saw a doctor filling syringes with painkillers and heard plans to give lethal doses to patients unable to evacuate after Hurricane Katrina hit. The eyewitness testimony is documented in court documents not yet made public.
• Article Proposes Open Market for Human Kidneys
  An article in the journal Kidney International proposes the legalization and regulation of the sale of human kidneys. One of the authors, Dr. Amy Friedman of Yale University Medical Center, explains to Robert Siegel the rationale behind this growing opinion.
• Did Keeping His Silence Damage Cheney's Image?
  Vice President Dick Cheney already was facing declining popularity when he accidentally shot his hunting buddy. Senior news analyst Daniel Schorr says that Cheney would have fared better had he gone public immediately after the shooting rather than spending four days figuring out how to handle it.
• Haiti Declares Preval Winner of Election
  Haiti's interim government announces it is declaring frontrunner Rene Preval winner of the presidential election. The announcement comes after four days of massive demonstrations, allegations of fraud, and the mysterious appearance of thousands of ballots on a dump heap outside the capital.
• Abu Ghraib Photos Spread; U.N. Targets Guantanamo
  Salon.com publishes previously unreleased photos of abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in 2003. Separately, a U.N. report urges the United States to close its military detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
• Letters: Graffiti Games, Web Engines
  Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read this week's letters. Listeners fume about a graffiti-oriented video game, question the timing of a profile about Kansas Senator Sam Brownback and give thanks for a comparison of Web engines in China and the United States.
• Study: Big Decisions Best Made With Less Thought
  You're likely to make a better decision if you don't overanalyze it, according to new research. A study published in Science magazine finds that people make better decisions if they stop thinking about the pros and cons and let the unconscious mind do some of the work.
• Proposed Mississippi State Poem Questioned
  Michele Norris talks with Allan Mitchell, an adjunct instructor at the University of Mississippi, about efforts to stop the state legislature from making the lyrics to the song "I Am Mississippi" the official state poem. Mitchell and other critics say the song is full of cliches.
• Attacks Spike in Iraq, U.S. General Says
  An American general in Baghdad says insurgency assaults against Iraqi troops and civilians are on the rise. Maj. Gen. Rick Lynch says attacks have increased on a daily and weekly basis. Military officials say the spike in attacks is an effort to derail the new Iraqi government.

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