Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Bachmann challenger Jim Graves: 'We can win this thing'
  Political newcomer Jim Graves says he is confident he can defeat Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann in the 6th Congressional District.4:48 p.m.
• Smaller runs but smelt tradition alive and well in Duluth
  Forty years ago, Duluth was nuts over smelt. Hordes of people flocked to Lake Superior streams and beaches every spring to net the the small silver fish. The smelt population crashed in the 1980s, but diehard smelters are still keeping the tradition alive.4:53 p.m.
• AG: Fairview debt collector illegally used patient data
  Attorney General Lori Swanson on Tuesday released the results of her office's investigation into Fairview Health Services' relationship with a debt collection company she has accused of violating federal and state patient privacy and debt collection laws. Swanson said the results provide further evidence that Accretive Health engaged in illegal activity.5:15 p.m.
• Senate committee approves stadium plan
  The Minnesota Senate Jobs and Economic Growth Committee topped off a day of wheeling and dealing on a new Vikings stadium by approving the plan Tuesday afternoon.5:19 p.m.
• Pollution board approves BWCA, Voyageurs haze rules
  A state agency approved a plan Tuesday to reduce haze in Voyageurs National Park and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness.5:43 p.m.
• Witnesses testify in Senser trial
  Witnesses testified that they saw the victim's body lying face down on the Interstate 94 off ramp to Riverside Avenue.5:55 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Obama Takes Multistate Trip To Woo College Voters
  President Obama kicked off a three university tour on Tuesday at UNC-Chapel Hill. Student debt now surpasses credit card debt in the U.S., and Obama is pressing Congress to pass an act that would keep interest rates on those loans from doubling this summer. Robert Siegel talks to Scott Horsley.
• Student Loan Debt Exceeds One Trillion Dollars
  President Obama wants Congress to extend the 2007 College Cost Reduction and Access Act, which would freeze interest rates on subsidized Stafford student loans for one year. Melissa Block speaks with Mark Kantrowitz, a student loan expert and publisher of FinAid.org for a primer on student loans and repayments.
• Cardboard Prom Dress Is Just The Right Fit For This Young Woman
  Missouri teen Maura Pozek has gotten a reputation for the unusual dresses she makes. Her first material was Doritos bags. Then it was soda can tabs. This year, she says, "I had to top myself somehow."
• Senate Democrats Blast Arizona Immigration Law
  On the eve of oral arguments in an important immigration case before the U.S. Supreme Court, the issue came to Capitol Hill. On Tuesday, Democratic Senator Charles Schumer convened a Senate hearing on the controversial Arizona law.
• Study: Mexican Immigration To U.S. Drops Sharply
  Mexican immigration to the United States has dropped sharply in recent years, according to a recently released study from the Pew Hispanic Center. Robert Siegel talks with Rafael Fernandez de Castro, a political analyst in Mexico City who specializes in U.S.-Mexico relations, about the reasons behind the drop off.
• Both Community And Garden Grow In 'Seedfolks'
  An inner-city Cleveland community is drawn closer together as it works to transform a dirty vacant lot into a lush communal garden in Seedfolks. Author Paul Fleischman says the title came from an old word meaning "ancestors."
• A Bug's Life: Store Caters To Collectors Of Crawly Pets
  Ken "The Bug Guy" MacNeil, host of the Science Channel's Bugging Out, has opened a pet shop devoted to insects in Tucson, Ariz. His inventory of about 10,000 includes tarantulas, scorpions and hissing cockroaches from Madagascar, all for sale as pets.
• Through Debt And Derision, Gingrich Keeps Running
  Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich is more than $4 million in debt, but he keeps campaigning, despite having no chance of seizing the GOP nomination from Mitt Romney. Some critics say Gingrich's dogged refusal to leave the race could seriously damage his political brand.
• With Romney In Lead, GOP Primaries Quiet
  Tuesday is primary day in five states. But with the nomination all but sewn up for Mitt Romney, finding people actually interested in voting can be tough.
• First Criminal Charges Filed In BP Gulf Oil Spill
  The first criminal charges were filed on Tuesday in the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster. An engineer for BP was charged with obstruction of justice for deleting hundreds of text messages after the spill. Carrie Johnson talks to Robert Siegel.

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