Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• PUC puts brakes on fixed-rate natural gas programs
  The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission has ordered two major utilities to temporarily suspend programs that resulted in about 50,000 households paying above-market prices for natural gas.5:20 p.m.
• Two babies dumped in river likely share same mother
  Authorities say they've known for some time that the first two babies, a boy and a girl, probably were born to the same woman. They said they kept the information to themselves to aid the investigation. They're releasing it now in hopes of advancing the investigation.5:23 p.m.
• Survival in the Serengeti
  Midmorning host Kerri Miller and American RadioWorks producer Sasha Aslanian are traveling in Tanzania, gathering information for a documentary on the relationship between conservation and humanitarian organizations. Go behind the scenes and learn what they learn each day.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Hamas Frees Captive BBC Journalist
  Alan Johnston, the BBC reporter held hostage by Islamist militants since March, has been freed. At the time of his capture, Johnston was the only Western journalist working full-time in Gaza. The Hamas movement seized full control of Gaza three weeks ago.
• San Francisco Launches Universal Health Plan
  San Francisco becomes the first city in the nation to roll out a local universal health care program for its residents. The program began Monday, serving a few hundred patients in the city's Chinatown district.
• Bush Ignores Justice Department on Libby Decision
  President Bush bypassed the usual process in commuting I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby's 30-month prison sentence. Pardons have caused a lot of controversy when presidents haven't sought Justice Department advice before granting clemency.
• Child Goddess Fired After U.S. Visit Taints Purity
  Nepali goddess Sajani Shakya has been stripped of her title — apparently because of her visit to the U.S. to promote a documentary in which she was featured. Elders in Nepal have said the trip tainted her purity.
• Surveillance Cameras Vital to U.K. Investigation
  Surveillance cameras have been vital in the investigation into the attempted bombings in Britain. The huge network of surveillance cameras along Britain's roadways has helped authorities track down suspects.
• 'Unchained Melody' Lyricist Dies at 99
  Lyricist Hy Zaret, who wrote the haunting words to "Unchained Melody," one of the most frequently recorded songs of the 20th century, has died at age 99.
• Colombia Steers Away from U.S. Plan to Kill Coca
  The Colombian government reportedly has had it with the Bush administration's coca fumigation program. Coca hasn't been cut back, and cocaine trafficking continues unabated. The punitive approach also has driven poor farmers to grow more coca and to help the guerrillas. The state says manual eradication is far less venomous, and it is moving in that direction, quietly.
• Maine Offers Loan Help to Keep Students in State
  Maine is trying a new tactic to keep its college graduates from leaving the state. Students who graduate from a state college and take a job in the state will get some help paying their student loans.
• Massachusetts Outreach Targets Healthy Uninsured
  Starting this month, Massachusetts residents are obliged to have health insurance, either through an employer-provided plan or by purchasing it themselves. The state is targeting healthy, younger workers who might think they don't need insurance.
• Presidential Hopefuls from Both Parties Tour Iowa
  Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, spent Monday and Tuesday touring Iowa. Meanwhile, Republican contender Mitt Romney is on a state tour of his own.
• Atlanta Lawyer's Tuberculosis Was Misidentified
  Andrew Speaker, the globe-trotting American lawyer who caused an international health scare by traveling while infected with tuberculosis, has a less severe form of the disease than previously diagnosed, a Denver hospital official said Tuesday.
• Buena Vista Social Club Singer's Last Album
  Veteran Cuban singer and member of the Buena Vista Social Club, Ibrahim Ferrer, finished recording a solo album just before he died.
• Retelling the Case that Implicated Libby
  A recounting of the case of the leaked identity of CIA analyst Valerie Plame over the past 3 1/2 years, through some of the voices of the key players.
• Columnists Dissect Libby Case
  Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne says it's all about the Bush administration making a case for war and its willingness to discredit opponents in the process; New York Times columnist David Brooks calls the whole case a farce.
• White House Defends Libby Commutation
  President Bush on Tuesday said he would not rule out issuing a full pardon to former top aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby. The White House defended the president's decision to wipe out Libby's 30-month prison sentence.

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