All Things Considered for June 8, 2010 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Film director says Detroit has a lot to teach
Minnesota has a lot to learn from how Detroit is trying to use mass transit to rebuild itself. That's the argument filmmaker Aaron Woolf will make at a screening of his film "Beyond the Motor City" tonight in Minneapolis.4:45 p.m.
Pawlenty, U.S. Steel sign Lake Vermilion land deal
Officials say the park will provide incredible opportunities for visitors, but it will cost millions more to create.5:20 p.m.
Before strike, nurses dispute hospitals' claims of readiness
Hospital executives said Tuesday that their institutions are ready for the one-day nurse strike, but the nurses disputed that claim.5:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Military Still Failing To Diagnose, Treat Brain Injuries
The military medical system is failing to diagnose tens of thousands of soldiers who suffer brain injuries in Iraq and Afghanistan, an investigation by NPR and ProPublica finds. Brain trauma can cause lasting physical and cognitive damage, but the military continues to overlook the injury, and many soldiers receive little or no treatment.
Primary Voters Head To Polls Coast To Coast
NPR's Mara Liasson talks to Robert Siegel about the primaries taking place around the country on Tuesday. Voters in California, Nevada and Arkansas are choosing candidates for high-profile Senate races, and voters in nine other states are heading to the polls.
Judge Recusals May Hinder Gulf Oil Spill Lawsuits
At least seven federal judges in New Orleans have stepped aside from handling oil spill lawsuits because of conflicts of interest. Experts say if more judge recusals arise in the Gulf, the courts eventually may have to move the cases to another part of the country.
A History Of Early Baseball Draft Picks
Pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg was scheduled to take the mound Tuesday for the Washington Nationals. Strasburg was the prize Washington earned for being baseball's worst team: the first pick in the draft. To discuss the history of early draft picks, Robert Siegel talks to Peter Gammons, an analyst with the MLB Network.
A Head Shop Makeover: Some Pilates With Your Pot?
In California, a few hippie head shops have been replaced with high-end boutiques -- "wellness clinics" where cannabis treatments can be paired with Pilates, massage and acupuncture. Owners are trying to build a brand that's beyond a medical marijuana dispensary -- and positioning themselves to cash in if marijuana is fully legalized in November.
Takes One To Know One: A Masterful Irish Novelist
John McGahern struggled for 10 years to write the novel Amongst Women. Fellow Irish author Colm Toibin says it was worth the wait: The pacing of the novel is masterly, he says, and its rhythms are filled with hidden emotion.
Obama, Democrats Launch Health Care Push
With a speech on Tuesday, President Obama rolls out the first stages of implementing the health care overhaul. The public remains ambivalent about the new law, but polls suggest most are willing to let it play out before judging it. The administration and its Democratic Party allies are launching a campaign to sell it to the American people.
Obama Ups Rhetoric Over Gulf Oil Spill
Some critics of President Obama have said he's not shown enough anger about the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. On Tuesday, the president may have answered those critics by using some strong language while answering a question from the Today Show's Matt Lauer. Robert Siegel talks to Time Magazine columnist Joe Klein about the president's temperament, and how it's playing against the backdrop of an environmental crisis.
Fiery La. Politician Leads Fight To Clean Up Oil
Louisiana's Plaquemines Parish is one of the areas hardest hit by the BP oil spill. But it has a secret weapon: Billy Nungesser. The parish president, a newcomer to politics, isn't afraid to take on BP or the Coast Guard to save his area's livelihood.
The Shortest Possible Monopoly Game
Dan Myers of Notre Dame University talks to Robert Siegel about his claim that he's figured out what theoretically the shortest possible game of Monopoly would be. That is: If everything went just the right way, with just the right sequence of rolls, Chance and Community Chest cards, and so on, what is the quickest way one player could go bankrupt?