Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• On the hunt for rare species
  Researchers have found several rare species of plants and animals in Minnesota in the last several years. A hardy band of explorers is out scouring different parts of the state every year, looking for plants and animals we didn't know were there.5:19 p.m.
• New numbers raise prospects for southwest light rail
  New ridership projections for a proposed light rail line in the southwestern Twin Cities remain strong. However, the numbers released today raise concerns about the cost of the line.5:25 p.m.
• Wolves pick Kurt Rambis as new head coach
  The Minnesota Timberwolves say they've reached a deal to hire longtime LA Lakers assistant Kurt Rambis as their new head coach.5:49 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Italy Cracks Down On Raiders Of Lost Art
  The gripping tale of the theft and ultimate return of a magnificent ancient Greek vase has helped to cripple the illicit international art trade. A new book traces the looted vase's journey from Italy to America and back again through the labyrinthine world of smugglers and shady dealers.
• A Green Makeover For Historic Boston Home
  A very old house in Boston's Roxbury neighborhood is getting an extreme green makeover. The house uses super-insulating materials so that it won't need a furnace in the winter.
• As Films Leave, Behind-The-Scenes Hollywood Fades
  California's film industry has been hit hard as other states lure production crews with enticing tax credits. Hollywood's biggest prop house went out of business last week. Now the studio where Citizen Kane was filmed is up for lease.
• The Health Care Debate Is Making Me Sick
  Satirist Brian Unger says the fight going on over health care in the U.S. reveals how sick and twisted the nation is. Coming together on a health care plan might not just give us better access to doctors, he says — it might make us better people.
• North American Leaders Vow Cooperation At Summit
  After a short, two-day meeting of President Obama and the leaders of Mexico and Canada, there were no big breakthroughs. But the leaders agreed to continue cooperating to battle the recession, violent drug traffickers and the spread of swine flu.
• Riot Latest In A String Of Problems For Calif. Prisons
  A riot consumed a Southern California prison this weekend, injuring more than 175 people. It's just the latest in a myriad of problems facing the state's prison system. Soaring costs, prison populations, crumbling facilities and a $10 billion dollar price tag, to name a few. Madeleine Brand talks to NPR's Laura Sullivan.
• 'Greening' The Housing Industry
  Melissa Block speaks to Omar Gallaga of the Austin American-Statesman about how the "green" movement is affecting the housing industry. The two also discuss inexpensive and easy strategies for adding energy efficient and eco-friendly technology to our own homes.
• Hospital For Hollywood's Elderly Set To Close
  The actors, secretaries and other workers who make up Hollywood's middle class have long relied on the industry-funded retirement home in Woodland Hills, Calif., to care for them in their golden years. But rising medical costs seem set to undo that promise.
• Iowa County Launches 911 Service Via Text Message
  A 911 call center in Black Hawk County, Iowa, is now accepting emergency text messages — the first in the nation to offer such a service. Melissa Block speaks with Thomas Jennings, police chief in the county seat of Waterloo, Iowa.
• Who Needs A Fancy Cruise If You've Got Inner Tubes?
  Taking the family on an Alaskan cruise would cost NPR's Tom Goldman almost $4,000. So, instead of riding on the water, he opts for riding in the water. He takes the kids tubing on Oregon's Clackamas River for $12.50 a pop.

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