Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Rollercoaster temperatures
  Cathy Wurzer talks with University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley about the week in weather.6:55 a.m.
• Pawlenty praises McCain in Iowa campaign stop
  Pawlenty is the co-chair of McCain's presidential exploratory committee and says he made the trip to give McCain encouragement. Pawlenty's latest trip increases speculation and criticism over his national ambitions.7:20 a.m.
• New life for the Gluek house
  The John G. and Minnie Gluek house is being sold for only the second time. Its new owners will move into a home that has been virtually untouched since its construction in 1902.7:45 a.m.
• Moorhead orchestra students rock
  Moorhead orchestra students learn to rock and roll.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Subprime Loans: One Woman's Story
  Jennie Haliburton, a 77-year-old widow from Philadelphia, answered an ad offering to "consolidate her debt." She soon found herself with a subprime loan that she can't afford and may cost her the home she refinanced. Her lawyer, Allan White, says Halliburton should never have been granted the loan.
• Pip and the Judge: An Unlikely Friendship
  Judge Joe Pigott served nearly two decades on the bench in Jackson, Miss. But he says no defendant confounded him more than the man nicknamed "Pip." That would be the late Willie Earl Dow, whose exploits often landed him in the courtroom.
• Hill's Moves on Iraq Seem Headed for Stalemate
  The House Appropriations Committee approves a war-funds bill that urges a September 2008 deadline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq. But the Senate fails to pass a resolution calling for a pullout to begin by April of 2008.
• Iraq's Cultural Curators Defy Sectarian Unrest
  Cultural institutions in Iraq have become key targets for insurgent bombs. And while a bombed-out book shop in Baghdad tells a grim side of the tale, the rebuilding of Iraq's National Library offers some hope.
• Some in Big Easy Question Guard's Value
  National Guard troops are still visible on New Orleans streets, providing law enforcement for desolate and crime-ridden areas. But some want the military out, especially after a mentally ill man was shot.
• Cracks Grow in GOP Support for Gonzales
  More GOP lawmakers are joining Democrats in calling for the ouster of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, under fire for the ouster of eight U.S. attorneys. New documents indicate Gonzales had discussed the firings with his chief of staff — and with White House political adviser Karl Rove — earlier than previously revealed.
• Missouri Pioneers Iran Divestment Efforts
  State pension funds are under pressure to stop investing in businesses that have ties to Iran. Missouri has taken action to divest from such companies, as well as those who do business with other nations on the State Department's list of countries that sponsor terrorism. Other states are considering similar action.
• LSU Coach's Story Clouds Women's Tournament
  The women's NCAA Division I basketball tournament begins Saturday, but it's made a bit less joyous by the abrupt resignation of LSU head coach Pokey Chatman. She was accused of an improper relationship with a former player.
• Western Nations Assail Zimbabwe Crackdown
  Many nations are offering fresh criticism of Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe's hard-line tactics. Police recently cracked down on a prayer meeting organized by the opposition, severely beating the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change.
• 'Barley' Explores Angst of IRA's Early Days
  Ken Loach's film The Wind That Shakes the Barley examines the early days of the Irish Republican Army and the radical organization's impact on the Irish people. Some British papers have criticized Loach for making the movie.
• Saddam's Sons Reburied; Former VP Faces Execution
  The bodies of Saddam Hussein's two sons and a grandson have been reburied near the former Iraqi leader's burial site. And an appeals court in Baghdad has upheld a decision to execute a former Iraqi vice president who was tried alongside Saddam Hussein.
• Letters: Plastic Bags, Roman Numerals
  Comments from listeners include response to a story about a proposal to ban plastic bags at San Francisco grocery stores; a call for a recount on the number of construction cranes in Dubai; clarifications about a Utah audit of suspected voter fraud a drug cited in a story on medical marijuana; and some advice about how to pronounce Roman numerals.
• Democratic Hopefuls Weigh In on Subprime Loans
  With foreclosure rates at their highest level in four decades, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York is calling for a "foreclosure timeout." Another Democratic presidential hopeful — Sen. Christopher Dodd of Connecticut, the Senate Banking Committee chairman — says he will hold hearings on the subprime crisis. In recent weeks at least 20 companies who specialize in high-risk mortgages have gone bust.
• Gonzales on Way Out? Wanna Bet?
  At the Web site intrade.com, you can invest in predictions — the sort of futures trading that the Pentagon once thought of using as a way to use the wisdom of crowds to forecast terror attacks. This site now takes bets on a forecast that embattled U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales will quit by the end of this month. In the last day, people have bid up the price. The same site shows relatively few people willing to bet that Vice President Cheney will quit.
• 'Leprechaun' Hands Out Speeding Tickets
  Speeders in Orlando did not enjoy the luck of the Irish recently. A sheriff's deputy, speed gun in hand, carried a sign saying "Watch your speed or it'll cost you your pot of gold." The deputy was dressed as a leprechaun, complete with green hat, tight white pants and carrying a book of tickets along with his own pot of gold.

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