All Things Considered for September 1, 2009 | Minnesota Public Radio News

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Minnesota Public Radio Stories

North Shore residents explore alternative energy options
People who live on the North Shore of Lake Superior have always been a pioneering, hardy bunch and now they're trying to figure out how to produce their own energy.4:50 p.m.
Duluth officials hope public can help restore icon
Duluth's landmark Enger Tower is showing its age, but the city doesn't have the money to restore it.4:54 p.m.
Minneapolis schools present new overhaul plan
The Minneapolis school district has finished updating a wide-ranging overhaul plan that will close several schools and change the way students are transported.5:14 p.m.
State Fair mystery sounds: Day 4
Each weekday during the Minnesota State Fair, All Things Considered will indulge your ears and bring you some mystery sounds from the Great Minnesota Get-Together.5:40 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

Some Regions Better Prepared For High-Speed Rail
The Obama administration will soon announce the recipients of grants from an $8 billion high-speed-rail fund, and it is likely to favor projects that are furthest along in planning. NPR looks at where the key regions of Florida, the Northwest and the South stand.
Neighbors Describe Alleged Kidnapper As 'Creepy'
Many who lived on his street in Antioch, Calif., are asking what took police so long to investigate Phillip Garrido, who is accused of kidnapping a little girl and holding her captive for 18 years. He was convicted of kidnapping and raping a woman in 1976 but served only 11 years of a 50-year sentence.
U.S. Relationship To Test Japan's New Ruling Party
The incoming Democratic Party of Japan has traditionally taken a more assertive stance toward the United States. Now, as it forms the new government and a new U.S. ambassador arrives in Tokyo, it's unclear how — or if — the party will take a new tack.
Imogen Heap: Even The Kitchen Sink
When Heap composes a song, you never know what she might decide is an instrument. For Ellipse, she used every piece of her elliptical-shaped house as a sound. Her fans followed along online as she wrote the album.
Midwest Factory Has Workers Paint, Garden And Sell
One factory in a small Midwestern town hasn't laid off its workers during the recession. Instead, it put its employees to work on tasks that it used to farm out, including painting, gardening and selling produce at a local farmers market.
Edgy, Violent Thrillers For The Teen-Age Set
In her trilogy-in-progress — first The Hunger Games and now Catching Fire — Suzanne Collins blends elements of reality TV with themes from Greek mythology. The resulting books can be shocking — and enthralling.
Doctorow's Fictional Take On Real-Life Eccentricity
Homer & Langley, the new novel by E.L. Doctorow, re-imagines the lives of the eccentric Collyer brothers, two collectors who died amid tons of rubbish in their Fifth Avenue mansion.
Gains Made Against California Fire
Firefighters made gains Tuesday on a blaze near Los Angeles. They set backfires and removed brush in an attempt to contain a 190-square-mile wildfire that has destroyed more than 50 homes.
Blaze Threatens Historic Observatory
The California wildfires are threatening the Mount Wilson Observatory, which houses two giant telescopes and several multimillion-dollar university programs. Hal McAlister, the director of the observatory and a professor of astronomy at Georgia State University, says Mount Wilson is a superb site for astronomy because of its proximity to the Pacific Ocean, which helps produce steady star images.
First-Term N.Y. Lawmakers Attend State Fair
First-term New York Democrats Rep. Dan Maffei and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand made their rounds at the New York State Fair. Freshmen lawmakers have been feeling the heat this summer, as they try to sell their health care ideas to constituents.