Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Central Corridor parking makes businesses nervous
  Plans for a light-rail line along University Avenue have made many St. Paul business owners both cautious and curious. Now they're learning that the proposal to link Minneapolis and St. Paul could eat up much more street parking than initially thought.7:20 a.m.
• Plummeting lumber prices good for consumers, bad for timber industry
  Prices are up on most things these days, but lumber prices have plummeted because of a slowdown in home construction. That's good news for consumers, but devastating for those in the timber products industry.7:25 a.m.
• 2008 MSP International Film Festival set to launch
  The 26th Annual Minneapolis St Paul International Film Festival kicks off tonight. Critics agree, with the largest selection of films ever shown at the event, this year's festival has much to offer.7:50 a.m.
• Several theater shows opening this weekend
  Theater fans will have plenty of options in the Twin Cities this weekend -- classics, musicals and world premieres of brand new plays. St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic and Morning Edition arts commentator Dominic Papatola stopped by to discuss what's going on.8:25 a.m.
• Mayo finds common thread in pork plant illnesses
  Researchers say more workers at pork plants have contracted a mysterious neurological illnesses. The Mayo Clinic's Dr. Daniel Lachance says the common thread is pork brains.8:40 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Talk with Catholic Educators on Pope's D.C. Agenda
  Pope Benedict will address a group of Catholic educators Thursday about what it means to be a Catholic institution. First, though, he celebrated Mass with tens of thousands of worshippers in the nation's capital. It's part of his six-day visit to the U.S.
• Britain's PM Visits Bush, Presidential Candidates
  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown is visiting the United States this week. Brown will meet with President Bush and all three U.S. presidential candidates, but he has also focused his trip on the current economic downturn.
• Samsung Chairman Indicted for Tax Evasion
  Samsung Electronics is known in this country for flat screen TVs. In South Korea, Samsung is the biggest conglomerate, and a large chunk of the economy. That didn't stop a South Korean prosecutor from indicting Samsung's chairman for tax evasion Thursday.
• Yamaha Upgrades Player Piano with Web Connection
  The Japanese piano company Yamaha has been selling its disklavier player piano for decades. But, in keeping with the times, the latest model of the disklavier has an Internet connection.
• Motley Crue Song Premieres on Video Game
  The title track from the soon-to-be-released Motley Crue album Saints of Los Angeles isn't available in stores — or on iTunes — until June 17. It's the first single to be released exclusively through a video game.
• Update on the Presidential Race
  Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama sparred in a debate Wednesday in Philadelphia. Also this week, John McCain gave his first major economic speech as the presumptive GOP nominee. Polls show a desire for change of party in the White House, but McCain is running even with Democratic rivals.
• Executions Poised to Resume After Court Ruling
  The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the most common method of execution is constitutional. Prisoners from Kentucky had argued that the three-drug combination could potentially cause excruciating pain. Many states have been delaying executions waiting for the ruling.
• Bush to Present U.S. Goals at Paris Climate Talks
  President Bush's new goals to address global warming aren't likely to go over well at international talks opening Thursday in Paris. The president's goals allow U.S. emissions to keep on growing for another 17 years, while most industrial nations are stepping toward lower emissions.
• McCain on Health Care: Cutting Costs Is Key
  Both Democratic presidential candidates continue to debate their plans to cover the 47 million Americans who currently have no health insurance. But presumptive GOP nominee John McCain's plan would move the nation's health care system in a different direction.
• Olympic Torch Traces Route Through New Delhi
  The Olympic torch was carried through the heart of the Indian capital Thursday. Hours earlier, Tibetan exiles gathered in protest. India is home to the world's largest community of exiled Tibetans, as well as the Dalai Lama and his government in exile.
• Second Mistrial for 'Miami Seven' Terror Suspects
  In Miami, a federal judge declared a second mistrial against six men — the seventh was acquitted — accused of plotting an attack on Chicago's Sears Tower and FBI offices. Prosecutors built their case on the testimony of a paid informant posing as an al-Qaida operative.
• Merrill Lynch Reports $2B in First-Quarter Losses
  One of the country's biggest investment firms, Merrill Lynch, announced net losses of nearly $2 billion for the first quarter of the year — on top of last year's record losses as a result of the housing market meltdown. Merrill's CEO John Thain is now trying boost confidence among shareholders.
• Britain's Brown Sees World of New Challenges
  British Prime Minister Gordon Brown says he faces problems that his predecessor, Tony Blair, did not. "I think what I'm dealing with are the new challenges," Brown says, citing a global economic crisis and climate change as two examples.
• Iraqi Troops' Defection Underscores Sadr City Plight
  Earlier this week, a company of Iraqi soldiers abandoned their frontline position in Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood, despite pleas from American soldiers nearby to stay at their post. Residents of the Shiite slum, meantime, are frustrated by the ongoing fighting.
• Thief Brings Booty to Bank Where His Victim Works
  A man stole a collection of rare coins worth $80,000 from a house in Germany. For safekeeping, the thief then took the coins to a bank — where the man from whom he had stolen the coins works.

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