Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Taco John's tries to minimize fallout from E. coli contamination
  The head of Taco John's sought to assure the public Tuesday that the food served in its restaurants are safe after E. coli contamination sickend dozens of people. We take a look at how well the company is handling the situation.4:49 p.m.
• E. coli in mammals not always toxic
  E. coli is in the news now and then, but it's actually in our bodies every day. Escherichia coli is a type of bacteria, or "gut flora" that live in the lower intestines of mammals, usually without complication. But when E. coli travels to a body cavitie where it is not normally found, such as the bladder, or when it produces toxins that attack the body, it makes us sick.4:53 p.m.
• Swift Boat financier was primary source behind anti-Hatch ads
  An independent group that ran ads criticizing Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mike Hatch was funded mainly by a Houston homebuilder who helped finance the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth against John Kerry in 2004.5:19 p.m.
• Former Minneapolis council member sentenced in bribery case
  A federal judge on Tuesday sentenced former Minneapolis City Councilman Dean Zimmermann to two and a half years in prison for taking three bribes totaling $7,200.5:23 p.m.
• South Dakota senator at the center of attention
  U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson has made it through the first 72 hours since emergency brain surgery last week. Those who know him best say Johnson will approach his recovery the same way he does most everything -- deliberately and without fanfare.5:50 p.m.
• UnitedHealth: Problem options could cut $660M from past earnings
  UnitedHealth Group Inc. said it might have to lop as much as $660 million off its historical earnings to fix the accounting for its stock option problems.5:54 p.m.
• Radke retires
  One of the best pitchers in Minnesota Twins history said goodbye to the baseball team today. Brad Radke confirmed that he is retiring after 12 years as one of the Twins' steadiest pitchers. Radke was Minnesota's Opening Day starter for nine straight years and never pitched for another big league team.5:56 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Are U.S. Voters Ready to Elect a Woman President?
  Is America ready to elect a woman president? A majority of voters say yes. But for a woman, a presidential campaign could be filled with minefields. Michele Norris hears about those challenges from former Rep. Pat Schroeder, who considered a run for the White House in 1988.
• Libya: Foreign Aid Workers Condemned to Die
  Five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor blamed for deliberately infecting 400 children with HIV in Libya are merely scapegoats, says Susanna Sirkin, deputy director of Physicians for Human Rights. Sirkin blames unsanitary hospital practices for the infections. The foreign health workers have been sentenced to death. Melissa Block talks with Sirkin.
• British Report Blames Blair for Loyalty to Bush, U.S.
  Prime Minister Tony Blair's foreign policy has failed -- and it's largely the fault of his inability to influence the Bush administration, according to a leading British think-tank. The Chatham House report has reignited a debate over Britain's relationship with the United States.
• Guard Units Embed Counselors to Ease Trauma
  In California, the National Guard is taking an innovative approach to dealing with post-traumatic stress disorder. To head off PTSD problems during and after combat tours in Iraq, the Guard is embedding counselors with its troops.
• New York Places Column for Freedom Tower
  The first steel column for the new Freedom Tower is being installed today at Ground Zero in New York City.
• Arizona's Sept. 11 Memorial Called Offensive
  In Phoenix, a memorial to the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has kicked up a political dust storm. The cement and steel monument on the state's capital mall was meant to be a somber and respectful tribute to victims of the terrorist attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania. Instead, the memorial became something that is considered by many to be offensive.
• More Pot Busts Taking Place in Suburban Areas
  Federal agents in California recently busted a series of pot farms they say have all the markings of organized crime. The farms were found in unexpected places, many of them at suburban homes near Sacramento. Law enforcement officials say it's not an isolated problem. Seizures of indoor marijuana plants in the state were up 81 percent this year.
• Musicians Sue Over Sales Tied to Rock Collection
  Several years ago, a wealthy businessman named Bill Sagan bought up a lifetime's worth of rock 'n roll memorabilia. It was the collection of late concert promoter Bill Graham. Sagan has sold photographs, posters and other items on a Web site. But now, some of the musicians whose images are being sold are suing in federal court.
• White House Downplays Possible Rift with Pentagon
  The White House denies that military leaders at the Pentagon and civilian leaders at the White House are at loggerheads over the possibility of a troop surge in Iraq. White House spokesman Tony Snow said a temporary increase in troop strength was among the ideas being explored. But he said there is no conflict between the White House and the Joint Chiefs of Staff over the matter.
• Measuring Complexity of Violence in Iraq
  The Pentagon's quarterly report to Congress on Iraq documents deteriorating conditions, particularly in Baghdad and Anbar province. While it calls ethnic and sectarian violence the "greatest security threat," the document stops short of terming the violence "civil war." The report says instead that the situation is more complex than the term "civil war" implies.

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