All Things Considered for June 26, 2006 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Monday, June 26, 2006

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

Democrats eyeball Minneapolis-St. Paul for '08 convention
Minneapolis- St. Paul is one of four finalists under consideration to host the convention. Republicans have also put the Twin Cities on their short list.5:14 p.m.
The tradition of a female lieutenant governor
Ever since Marlene Johnson took her oath of office in 1983, Minnesota has had a female lieutenant governor. This election season, there's a woman on the number two slot of the three endorsed major party tickets. Republican Carol Molnau is Pawlenty's second in command. Yesterday DFLer Mike Hatch picked former auditor Judy Dutcher as his running mate, and Peter Hutchinson has asked Maureen Reed to sign on as his running mate.5:21 p.m.
North Dakota's first capital punishment case in 100 years set to begin in Fargo
For the first time since 1905, a capital punishment is being argued in federal court in Fargo, North Dakota.5:48 p.m.
What's good and bad about the new Guthrie
About 20,000 people toured the new Guthrie Theater Complex over the weekend during it's grand opening celebration. Last week, we talked to several people passing by the theater about their reaction to the building's unconventional architecture. Response there was largely positive. But when we invited you to phone with your thoughts, opinions were much more varied.5:55 p.m.
Joe Carter dead at 57
Acclaimed singer and actor Joe Carter died in St. Paul today after an 18-month battle with leukemia. The Twin Cities-based grandson of slaves worked as a performer and good-will ambassador from Novosibirsk to Nigeria. Carter starred for many years in the Penumbra Theater's gospel musical "Black Nativity." He was an expert on the origins and meaning of the African-American spiritual.6:22 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

High Court Throws Out Vermont Campaign Limits
A divided Supreme Court rules that Vermont's state statute limiting campaign spending and fundraising constitutes a restraint of free speech, in violation of the First Amendment.
Court's Docket: Detainees, Texas Districts
The U.S. Supreme Court has yet to rule on a handful of cases in its current session. One of the cases is the so-called "Hamdan case," which could determine the future of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Also pending is a decision on redistricting in Texas. Michele Norris talks with NPR's Nina Totenberg.
Honda Poised to Choose Factory Site in the Midwest
Several small Midwestern towns are anxiously waiting to find out where Honda plans to build its new manufacturing plant. Honda has chosen five possible sites, all of them in small Midwestern towns. One town in Indiana has pulled out all the stops in order win the competition.
Israel, Abbas Pressure Hamas to Return Soldier
Israeli officials are working to gain the release of a soldier who was seized by Palestinian militants during a guerrilla raid Sunday in southern Israel. Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is warning of a major incursion into the Gaza Strip unless Palestinian authorities hand over the abducted soldier.
Being Unsettled by Flashy Funerals for the Young
The youth violence rate is down, on a national level as well as in Detroit, where commentator Desiree Cooper lives. Still, she's been noticing more and more funerals for young people killed in urban violence, because the funerals are more and more ostentatious. Funeral directors have expressed their dismay at the trend -- and Cooper shares their sentiments.
Autism Movement Seeks Acceptance, Not Cures
Diagnoses of autism are on the rise, and one result has been the start of high-profile campaigns to raise money for research. Another trend has been far less noticed: an increase in self-advocacy groups that aren't pushing for a cure, but acceptance.
Arif Mardin, a Smooth Music Visionary
The legendary music producer Arif Mardin, has died. In a long and varied career, Mardin worked with performers from Aretha Franklin to the Bee Gees, and from Chaka Khan to Norah Jones. We hear an excerpt from an interview with Mardin — and a collection of his best-known productions.
Buffett Gift Sends $31 Billion to Gates Foundation
Warren Buffett, billionaire investor and founder of Berkshire Hathaway, has announced he is donating much of his fortune to charity. Over time, most of Buffett's $44 billion in stock holdings will be given to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Joining with Gates, Buffett Targets World's Ills
Warren Buffett's pledge of $31 billion to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been long in the making, according to friends of the astute investor from Nebraska. Fortune magazine's Carol J. Loomis says Buffett told her months ago about his plan.
Gates Foundation's Work Targets Global Health
Thanks to the pledge of $31 billion in stock from investment guru Warren Buffett, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation will soon have far more resources to use in its work to fight diseases around the world. The foundation, which gave out about $1.35 billion in 2005, has had its greatest successes in global health.