Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Red River crest pushed back to Sunday; residents ready
  The National Weather Service has pushed back the expected crest of the Red River in the Fargo-Moorhead area from Saturday to Sunday.4:49 p.m.
• Estelle Parsons delves into 'August, Osage County'
  Over the years Estelle Parsons has excelled at many different kinds of acting: she won an Oscar for her role in "Bonnie and Clyde." On TV she had regular roles in both "All in the Family" and on "Roseanne" as Roseanne Barr's acerbic mother. Now she's in St Paul where she is playing Violet Weston, the wasp-tongued, pill-popping matriarch of a dysfunctional family in the awardwinning play "August, Osage County."4:54 p.m.
• Veterans programs dodge budget-balancing ax
  Lawmakers are considering deep spending cuts to erase a nearly $1 billion budget deficit, but so far, veterans programs have been off limits from cuts.5:20 p.m.
• Red River crest pushed back to Sunday; residents ready
  The National Weather Service has pushed back the expected crest of the Red River in the Fargo-Moorhead area from Saturday to Sunday.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Arrest Brings New Chill In U.S.-Cuba Relations
  In Cuba, a U.S. government contractor has been jailed since December on suspicions of being a spy. U.S. officials say he was doing development work. The incident has soured the Obama's administration's cautious outreach to Cuba and left a trail of questions about the man and his work.
• Elmore Leonard, At Home In Detroit
  The crime writer has more than 40 books to his name and dozens of films made from that source material. Leonard gives NPR's Noah Adams a tour of his hometown, with stops at some of the places that taught the writer about the language of crime, and at his writing desk at home.
• Learn An Opera In Two Days? No Problem
  One opera singer's illness is another's opportunity. Marlis Petersen jumped in at the last minute to take on a leading role at the Met, in New York, when the star soprano pulled out. The only catch was that she had to learn and rehearse the rarely performed opera in just 48 hours.
• FDIC Chief: Banking Challenges Remain
  The chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. says challenges remain in the banking sector, but the number of banks affected is a small portion of institutions overall. Sheila Bair also says that smaller banks are doing a better job of lending than larger ones.
• Tea Party Activists Rally Against Health Care Bill
  Tea Party activists had a rally Tuesday on Capitol Hill to kill the health care measure that House Democrats hope to pass this week. They called their rally Code Red for Health Care, and hoped their voices would help stall the bill.
• U.S. Youth Likely To Face Greater Health Issues
  Anti-smoking campaigns have had success reducing smoking, and since the 1990s smoking among youth has also declined. However, public health messages about exercise and healthy eating don't seem to be having an effect yet. Kids are developing adult diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.
• Vatican Rejects Pope Role In Sex Abuse Cover-Up
  The Vatican is responding strongly to accusations that Pope Benedict XVI tried to cover up the sexual abuse of children by priests. The charges stem from abuse cases in Germany when the pope was the archbishop of Munich. John Allen, senior correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter, says prior to these revelations, the pope had been credited with his handling of sex-abuse claims in the Catholic Church.
• Sony, Michael Jackson Estate Sign Music Deal
  Sony Music has signed a historic $250 million deal with pop singer Michael Jackson's estate for previously unreleased music and the late singer's catalog. Ethan Smith, the music industry reporter for The Wall Street Journal, says it's hard to say what's in the archives, but there could be two albums worth of songs.
• Broken Bells: Danger Mouse Meets James Mercer
  What happens you blend the sounds of The Shins' frontman James Mercer and producer Danger Mouse? You get Broken Bells. Melissa Block tries to uncover the source of the duo's tweaked sounds in an interview.
• Democrats Weigh Obscure Tactic To Pass Health Care
  Democrats are exploring a tricky procedure called "deeming" to speed up passage of health care legislation. The move would allow the House to pass the Senate health bill without a separate and distinct vote on it.

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