Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• New group launched to fight illegal drug use
  Minnesota will soon have new group fighting illegal drug use in the state. It's called the Partnership for a Drug-Free Minnesota. It's a local chapter of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which is best known for its anti-drug campaigns in print and broadcast media. Carol Falkowski, the director of the Chemical Health Division at the Minnesota Department of Human Services, was instrumental in forming the chapter.7:20 a.m.
• Grandparents are more often raising their kids' kids
  The number of children who are being raised by their grandparents in Minnesota has more than doubled since the 1990s. When grandparents step in to care for their grandchildren, they face lots of challenges.7:50 a.m.
• Minneapolis Wi-Fi network to be completed by month's end
  The installation of Minneapolis' Wi-Fi network will be finished at the end of this month. The Minneapolis network appears to be doing much better than other cities' attempts at wireless broadband internet access.8:25 a.m.
• Coleman launches re-election bid
  Republican U.S. Senator Norm Coleman will officially kick off his bid for re-election later this morning. Coleman is expected to face one of two DFLers-- comedian and author Al Franken or college professor Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talked with Chris Cillizza about the race. Cillizza covers politics and writes "The Fix" for washingtonpost.com.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• China Struggles to Shine in Olympic Spotlight
  China hopes to impress the world when it hosts the Summer Olympics in August. But Beijing faces pressure to improve human rights and deal with concerns about air pollution at the games.
• Connecticut-Sized Ice Shelf Crumbling in Antarctica
  Warmer air temperatures have triggered the collapse of an enormous ice shelf along the coast of Antarctica, scientists say.
• Tibetan Exile Group Presses for Independence
  Western governments are stepping up pressure on China to stop its violent crackdown in Tibet. Tsewang Rigzin, head of an exile group called the Tibetan Youth Congress, says his group reveres the Dalai Lama but disagrees with him on how far to go in pushing for freedom.
• JetBlue to Charge Passengers for More Leg Room
  Next month, JetBlue Airways will start charging people extra for seats that have more leg room. Renee Montagne talks to David Field about this new trend of making people pay for leg room. Field is an editor with Airline Business Magazine.
• Delta Taps Fair Lady to Spice Up Safety Video
  Getting passengers to pay attention to those safety videos they play before takeoff is a challenge for airlines. Now, Delta thinks it may have the answer: "Delta-lina," the nickname of a red-headed, high-cheekboned flight attendant in Delta's new safety video.
• WHO Reports Polio Eradicated in Somalia
  The World Health Organization says a massive vaccination campaign has eliminated polio in Somalia. But with war, drought and food shortages bringing on a catastrophic humanitarian crisis there, polio "could absolutely return," one doctor says.
• Horses Require Rescue as Georgia Drought Persists
  As a record drought persists in the Southeast, residents have realized they can no longer properly care for their animals. Horses, in particular, are being turned in to a rescue operation in north Georgia.
• Pakistan Bristles at U.S. Envoys' Arrival
  Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte and Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher met with Pakistan's new leaders Wednesday in Islamabad. Officials in the new government have indicated to the top senior U.S. envoys that the U.S. relationship with Pakistan will have to change.
• Alaska Fishing Boat Toll: 42 Saved, 4 Dead, 1 Lost
  In the waters of the Bering Sea, Coast Guard crews have stopped looking for crewmen from a ship that sank this week. The Alaska Ranger was moving through waves 20 feet high, with dozens of crewmen aboard, when it lost its rudder. The crew had time to send a mayday call to the Coast Guard before abandoning ship.
• Better Tests Needed to Control Tuberculosis
  The World Health Organization reports a slowdown in progress against tuberculosis. In some countries, the disease is coming back. In others, it is taking on new and more deadly forms. And in poor countries, many people don't find out that they have TB until it's too late to treat them — and too late to protect others from infection.
• Stars in the Candidates' Family Trees
  Hillary Clinton's husband and daughter have been campaigning hard for her. Now the senator has discovered more relatives who could at least provide some entertainment. A genealogical society found that she's distant cousins with Madonna and Celine Dion. But Barack Obama may have more to sing about.
• States Challenge Homeland Security's ID Deadline
  Residents of states that don't comply with a new federal ID law by next week could face extra scrutiny when they try to board an airplane. Three states have yet to comply or seek an extension in the deadline for meeting secure driver's license standards. But it looks like the standoff could be resolved soon — at least temporarily.
• Secrets of the Olympic Torch Trailblazers
  The Olympic torch has been lit and is on its way to open the Beijing Summer Games. It's an 8,500-mile trip that involves 20 countries. To find out how the torch is kept burning, Renee Montagne talks with Mark Claussner, a former Olympic torch truck driver.
• A 'Caddyshack' Moment in Alberta
  Life imitated art outside Calgary in Alberta, Canada. The art was the movie Caddyshack. Bill Murray's character all but destroys a golf course to save it from a gopher. Outside Calgary, two men attacked gopher holes using a Rodenator. It fills a hole with propane and oxygen, which explode. The resulting grass fire caused $200,000 in damage.
• Warring Militants Threaten Iraq's Fragile Security
  Iraq may be facing the gravest challenge to its fragile security in more than a year. Shiite militiamen loyal to anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr are fighting Iraqi government forces for control of Basra, and the violence has spread to Baghdad. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki says the militamen have 72 hours to lay down arms.

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