Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Who pays when a home goes empty?
  What's Minneapolis' responsibility for foreclosed properties? For every empty property, the city can spend thousands on securing the home, boarding windows and doors and maintaining the lot. Who should pay those bills?3:49 p.m.
• Author Manil Suri uses fiction to explore India
  Indian-born author Manil Suri burst onto the literary scene in early 2001 with his novel, "The Death of Vishnu." Now he's completed his second work, "The Age of Shiva."5:44 p.m.
• Authorities question driver's record and background
  The woman driving the van that plowed into a school bus in southwestern Minnesota this week has been arrested on suspicion of criminal vehicular operation. The news came on the same day that the community of Cottonwood gathered to mourn the four children killed in the accident.5:49 p.m.
• Who pays when a home goes empty?
  What's Minneapolis' responsibility for foreclosed properties? For every empty property, the city can spend thousands on securing the home, boarding windows and doors and maintaining the lot. Who should pay those bills?6:17 p.m.
• Transportation bill headed to governor's desk
  Supporters and opponents of a transportation funding bill will be stepping up their lobbying efforts now that the Minnesota House and Senate have both passed it. The Senate passed the bill with enough votes to override a gubernatorial veto. The House came up one vote short.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Rioters Burn Vacant U.S. Embassy in Belgrade
  Protesters in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, broke into the U.S. Embassy on Thursday and set some rooms on fire. The rioters were part of larger protests among Serbian nationalists opposed to the independence of Kosovo. A charred body was later found inside.
• Health Officials Mix Flu Vaccine to Fight Fall Strains
  Federal health officials are changing all three components of the flu vaccine for fall 2008, based on a prediction that U.S. residents will be exposed to flu strains that currently are active in Southern Hemisphere countries. Changing all three of the components almost never happens.
• Study: Stroke Risk Triples for Women Ages 35 to 54
  A new study shows an increase in the risk of stroke for women between the ages of 35 and 54. Using data from two earlier National Health and Nutrition Studies, Dr. Amy Towfighi and her colleagues concluded that the risk of stroke has tripled for this age group. The culprit, they believe, is weight gain.
• Clinton, Obama Debate in Texas
  In the 16 days since Super Tuesday, Hillary Clinton hasn't won a single primary or caucus. With contests in the crucial states of Texas and Ohio less than two weeks away, the Clinton camp has to get back into the race. One opportunity comes Thursday night in a debate with Barack Obama at the University of Texas in Austin.
• McCain Hits Snag in Campaign Finance Plans
  A letter to John McCain from the Federal Election Commission told him he could not opt out of the public financing system for the primaries just by saying he wants out. He needs a vote of the FEC, which has so many vacancies, it can't muster a quorum.
• Pakistani Lawyers Seek to Reinstate Fired Judges
  Chief Judge Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry is one of dozens of independent-minded Pakistani judges sacked late last year by President Pervez Musharraf. On Thursday, several hundred lawyers showed up at his house in Islamabad, demanding that the new government immediately reinstate him and the other judges.
• Dissecting People's 'Predictably Irrational' Behavior
  Behavioral economist Dan Ariely studies the way people make economic decisions. In his book, Predictably Irrational, he explains how the reasoning behind these decisions is often flawed due to invisible forces at work in people's brains.
• Bush Pledges Support for War-Stricken Liberia
  President Bush spent a few hours in Liberia on Thursday, the last stop in a five-nation, six-day Africa tour. While in the city of Monrovia, the president promised to support development in Liberia, which was eviscerated during a brutal 14-year civil war.
• 'No Depression' Music Magazine Folds
  For the past 13 years, No Depression has turned its readers on to music not heard on commercial radio. But this week, the publishers of the magazine announced that the May-June issue will be their last. Grant Alden and Peter Blackstock talk about how their magazine has fallen victim to a vastly different landscape in music retail.
• McCain Denounces 'Times' Story on Lobbyist Ties
  The New York Times reported Thursday that Republican presidential front-runner's John McCain's relations with a lobbyist eight years ago prompted concern with his circle of advisers during the 2000 presidential campaign. McCain denounced the story in a news conference Thursday morning.

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