Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• NTSB notes break along corrosion in I-35W gussets
  Nearly a year after the I-35W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River, the National Transportation Safety Board says its investigation has found that cracks occurred along corroded gusset plates on the failed span.5:20 p.m.
• Duluth explores options for combining police and fire
  Duluth's police officers are feeling the squeeze from the city's tight budget. The city's police department is working short-staffed at a time when crime seems to be on the rise.5:24 p.m.
• Jury seated in Olga Franco trial
  Franco is accused of killing four students by driving a minivan into a school bus last February near Cottonwood.5:51 p.m.
• St. Paul in the Spotlight
  Priceless publicity. That's what the city St. Paul hopes to get when it hosts the Republican National Convention this September. Some 15,000 journalists are expected in town to cover the convention. And St. Paul hopes their reports will raise the profile of the city across the country and around the world.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Justice Official: Hiring Issues 'Serious,' Not Criminal
  The Justice Department's inspector general testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that politicized hiring at the department was not just a case of a few bad apples. But he doubts anyone can be prosecuted for their actions.
• For Artists, Craigslist Is Both Medium And Message
  Los Angeles-based collaborators went to the online bulletin board for inspiration — then took to the streets to ask Angelenos what Craigslist has done for them.
• In New Orleans, A Fried Chicken Institution Revived
  You wouldn't know it from outside, but Willie Mae's Scotch House may be America's best fried chicken joint. A year after it re-opened, 92-year-old Willie Mae Seaton's corner restaurant has become a hot culinary destination.
• Rice Meets With Israeli, Palestinian Officials
  U.S. Secretary of State Rice meets with visiting Israeli and Palestinian officials in a bid to revive flagging hopes of a peace settlement. With Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert saying he will resign in September, a deal this year looks unlikely.
• Turkey Ruling Party Escapes Ban
  Turkey's highest court says the country's Islam-oriented ruling party will not be banned. Instead, the Constitutional Court ruled, the Justice and Development Party won't get state funds. The ruling came after three days of deliberations.
• Global Trade Talks Collapse
  Negotiators at global trade talks in Geneva have failed to strike a deal to cut agricultural subsidies in Europe and the U.S. in exchange for a reduction of trade barriers in the developing world. Despite no deal, however, global trade has been expanding.
• Letters: Resurgent Libraries
  Many listeners responded to the interview with Boyd County, Ky., Library Director Debbie Cosper about how the troubled economy is making libraries more popular.
• Auntie Mame's Secret: The 'Loco' In Her Parentis
  An eccentric, a free spirit and an unflaggingly open-minded heroine, Mame Dennis taught more than one protege — including NPR's Bob Mondello — how to open new windows without worrying about the view.
• Karadzic Taken To The Hague
  Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic has been flown from Serbia to The Hague where he faces charges of genocide and crimes against humanity. He is to make his first appearance before the international war crimes tribunal Thursday.
• Economy Starts To Sink Florida Boating Industry
  With high fuel prices and expensive boat payments, many Floridians are finding it harder to use, sell — and keep — their boats. Traffic on the water is light, and sales and charters are down. But boat repossession firms are awash in new business.

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