Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• 'Boys Don't Cry' director goes to war
  This weekend a new film called "Stop-Loss" opens around the country. The movie is about what happens when a Texas veteran, who is expecting to get out of the military after his second tour in Iraq, is ordered back to Baghdad. Stop-Loss is written and directed by Kimberly Pierce, Oscar-winning director of "Boys Don't Cry."4:49 p.m.
• Chlorine not the cause of Rocori illnesses
  Officials in Cold Spring say they are at a loss to explain why 38 people became sick at the Rocori High School pool Wednesday.5:20 p.m.
• Gorilla pad poised for extreme makeover
  Como Zoo is asking the state for $11 million to modernize its gorilla and polar bear exhibits. But will roomier confines lessen your chances of getting close to the animals?5:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Iraqis on Slow Road to Building Judicial System
  From the rubble of a dictatorship, Iraqis and Americans are working together to create a functioning judicial system in Iraq. But teaching judges to be judges and introducing basic legal concepts have proved complicated and difficult.
• Sound Recording Predates Edison Phonograph
  Thomas Edison wasn't the first person to record sound. A French man named Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville actually did it earlier. He recorded someone singing in 1860 and now a group of researchers have figured out how to play it. They are presenting it publicly for the first time on Friday at Stanford University.
• Machiavelli, Not Such a Bad Guy?
  Machiavellian. Decades before The Prince was translated into English, the author's name entered the lexicon as a synonym for political scheming. But was Machiavelli a schemer — or a satirist?
• Fighting Between Iraqi Forces, Militias Continues
  Despite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's warning Wednesday to Shiite gunmen, they continue to battle Iraqi forces in Basra and other southern cities Thursday. The Baghdad neighborhood of Sadr City is also the scene of sporadic fighting.
• Poll: Obama Unscathed by Pastor's Remarks
  Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) hasn't been hurt by the controversy over his former pastor's statements, according to a Pew Research Center poll. Robert Siegel talks with Pew Director Andrew Kohut about Obama, the economy and some good news for Sen. John McCain (R-AZ).
• Massive Calif. Deficit Sets Up Budget Battle
  California is facing a massive $16-billion budget deficit. To fix the problem, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed across-the-board budget cuts. But Democrats in the state Legislature are unlikely to go along with his plan.
• Kentucky's Options to Make Up Shortfall Unpopular
  As Kentucky lawmakers consider what to do about a projected $900-million budget shortfall over the next two years, most residents don't like the solutions they're hearing. Among them: steep cuts to higher education, a big hike in cigarette taxes and casino gambling.
• Calls for More Spending Compound Ill. Budget Woes
  Illinois is facing a huge budget deficit this year, and with officials loath to raise taxes, options are severely limited. Compounding the problem, at budget hearings across the state, legislators are hearing requests for increased spending on education and human services programs.
• Justice Probes S.C. for Civil Rights Violations
  The Justice Department has begun a civil rights investigation of the South Carolina Highway Patrol. In recent weeks, a series of videos has surfaced showing highway patrol officers using racial slurs and striking African-American suspects with their patrol cars.
• Olympics Provide Backdrop for Games of State
  Although there has been global condemnation of Olympics host nation China for its recent crackdown in Tibet and neighboring provinces, Washington is signaling that it will not use the Games to take China to task for human rights violations. The primary reason: China's newfound economic power.

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