Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• End of Minnesota State Fair is filled with poetic lessons
  Whether you think the Fair is too short or too long, Minneapolis writer Leslie Ball says there are many lessons to take away.5:20 p.m.
• Anarchists prepare to protest RNC
  This week marks exactly one year until the 2008 Republican National Convention comes to St. Paul. One group of activists spent Labor Day weekend planning its protest strategy. But some convention-watchers are not happy with what they see as the group's violent plans.5:24 p.m.
• End of Minnesota State Fair is filled with poetic lessons
  Whether you think the Fair is too short or too long, Minneapolis writer Leslie Ball says there are many lessons to take away.6:27 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Sicko's' Peeno Sees Few Gains in Health Insurance
  Dr. Linda Peeno has spent two decades fighting a health insurance industry she was once a part of. Giants such as Humana say the industry has greatly improved patient care. But Peeno says after Michael Moore's Sicko opened, she was once again swamped with e-mails of insurance horror stories.
• Features for the Fall: Hollywood Sobers Up
  After a summer of pure escapism, Hollywood has decided that this fall, audiences are ready for something real. We look ahead to the autumn box office, with films that range from the war in Iraq, to Jane Austen, to corporate corruption.
• CD Celebrates Music from the Coal Mines
  The coalfields of the Appalachian Mountains have long hidden some of the country's greatest natural resources. For residents of the regions, they've also inspired a uniquely American strain of music. A new two-CD collection presents 48 songs about coal mining.
• Bush, Advisers Visit Iraq's Anbar Province
  During an unannounced visit to Iraq on Monday, President Bush said that he'll make his decision on United States combat force levels in the country based on his commanders' assessments, not on pressure from, in his words, "Washington politicians."
• Citizen Militias Add New Dimension to Iraq War
  The United States military is promoting the formation of neighborhood militia groups in Iraq. They are touted as being a local volunteer reaction against al-Qaida elements in the country. Top U.S. commanders have been coy about how much support is involved.
• Panama Begins Bid to Widen the Canal
  Panama began the monumental task of widening one of the world's most strategic waterways on Monday. Currently the biggest ships that can fit in the canal and locks carry only about 4,000 containers.
• Adventure on the First Day of Kindergarten
  With another school year upon us, we hear the story of a first day at kindergarten that started with trepidation and ended with unexpected excitement.
• Lebanese Army Chases Militants from Camp
  Lebanese troops on Monday hunted the remaining fugitives of Fattah al-Islam — the militant islamist group that battled the country's army for more than 100 days. The Palestinian camp where the militants launched their attacks is under army control.
• 'Extreme' Jobs Force Employees to Make Choices
  Two million professionals are working in "extreme" jobs. A study that looks at these jobs finds that most who have them love them. Still, many workers, particularly women, find the hours impossible.
• Astronomers Fly High for Meteor Shower
  Peter Jenniskens, principal investigator for the Aurigid Meteors Aerial Mission, talks with Melissa Block about the Aurigid shower on Sept. 1. It was a spectacular display for 24 researchers on board a NASA-sponsored aircraft.

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