Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Greenway bike center makes biking no sweat
  Today is bike-to-work day. It also marks the grand opening of a bike center in Minneapolis along the Midtown Greenway.6:45 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend weather.6:50 a.m.
• Legislature defeats clean car bill
  The idea of adopting California's rules to limit greenhouse gases from cars and trucks appears dead for this legislative session.7:20 a.m.
• Judge stops Elko saloon from using smoking ban loophole
  A judge has issued a temporary injunction prohibiting an Elko saloon from staging more "theater nights" to exploit a loophole in the statewide smoking ban.7:45 a.m.
• Long-standing low interest student loan program dries up
  College-bound students in Minnesota will have a hard time borrowing money through the low-interest Perkins loan program.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• French Skydiver to Attempt 10-Minute Free Fall
  A former French army colonel is heeding an old piece of advice: If at first you don't succeed, try again. Michel Fournier will make another attempt at a free-fall record. He plans to skydive from higher than most planes fly — almost 25 miles above ground — and fall for 10 minutes before deploying his parachute.
• Von Trapps' Home Open for Visitors, Marriages
  The Alpine home of the family at the center of the hit musical The Sound of Music will soon be a home to many visitors. The real residence of the Von Trapp family opens as a hotel in July.
• Bay Area Group Awaits Word on Schools in China
  The Shin Shin Educational Foundation was founded 10 years ago in the San Francisco Bay area to support and build elementary schools in China's most remote areas. Now the foundation is waiting for news on how its schools fared in this week's earthquake.
• Republican Sit-Out Stalls War Funding in House
  The president's funding request to pay for the war in Iraq has been defeated in the House. Many Republicans sat out the vote on the $163 billion measure in protest over spending added to the measure by Democrats. The Senate is expected to revive the funding measure next week.
• Interpol Backs Colombia's Charge Against Venezuela
  The Colombian government has accused Venezuelan officials of offering to aid Colombia's rebels in obtaining weapons. Now the international police agency Interpol is backing up their claim.
• Derby Winner Big Brown Favored for Triple Crown
  The Preakness Stakes, the second event in horse racing's Triple Crown, is Saturday. It has been 30 years since a horse won the Triple Crown, and the heavy favorite is Big Brown, the Kentucky Derby winner.
• Need for Clean, Fresh Water Urgent in Myanmar
  The International Red Cross says there is a desperate need for clean water for the victims of the cyclone in Myanmar. In the meantime, thousands of victims stand in long lines along the roads, begging passing vehicles for food or clothes.
• Quake Coverage: Is China's Grip on Media Looser?
  The strong hand of the Chinese government has long suppressed bad news. State news organizations often report stories to promote the central government's agenda. But coverage of the Sichuan earthquake indicates that the government may be loosening its grip on the media.
• Crews Save Some, Too Late for Others in Sichuan
  Rescue workers are having a hard time getting heavy equipment to isolated towns and villages in Southwestern China after Monday's earthquake. Thousands of residents are still buried beneath buildings, and survivors are worried about the aftereffects of the disaster.
• Drop in Property Values Drains Local Tax Coffers
  The nation's foreclosure crisis is causing property values to drop across the nation, and California is one state that is taking it hard. It is bad not only for homeowners, but also for local governments — like Stockton, Calif. — that depend on property taxes.
• Southern Political Expert: Tide Turns for Democrats
  Democrats just picked up two congressional seats in special elections in Mississippi and Louisiana — areas that are usually Republican strongholds. Political scientist Merle Black of Emory University thinks Democrats will keep winning seats in the region during congressional races this fall, but adds that he doesn't think their luck will extend to the presidential election. Host Renee Montagne talks with Black.
• Bolder Tactics Divide Cuba's 'Ladies in White'
  In Cuba, 75 dissidents were arrested five years ago, most of whom are still in prison. Some of their wives formed a group called "Ladies in White" and have had demonstrations at their church every Sunday. A smaller number of them acted on their own last month, using bolder methods, attracting the attention of Cuban officials.
• 'Caspian' Recaptures Galloping Magic of 'Narnia'
  Morning Edition and Los Angeles Times critic Kenneth Turan reviews The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, the second installment of the fantasy series by C.S. Lewis to be adapted into a film.
• Miss. Makes Working with False Documents a Felony
  Beginning July 1, it will be a felony punishable by up to five years in prison to use false documents to work in the state. The new law is targeted at illegal immigrants. But undocumented workers say no one had a problem with them working in the state to rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.
• GE Considers Selling Appliance Division
  The iconic GE logo may not be on fridges and stoves for much longer. General Electric is thinking of selling off its 100-year-old appliance division.

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