Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• In ugly finish, lawmakers hustle budget through
  The Minnesota Legislature concluded its 2007 session with a chaotic last minute push to meet a midnight deadline for adjournment.6:25 a.m.
• Tuition hikes eased under bill heading to governor
  Most students at Minnesota's public colleges and universities will see about a 4-percent tuition increase next year. That would be the lowest tuition increase in at least a decade.7:25 a.m.
• We are at Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe people
  Minnesota Public Radio's Cathy Wurzer talks with historian Bruce White, the author of "We are at Home: Pictures of the Ojibwe people."7:50 a.m.
• Feds break up prostitution ring
  Federal officials say groundwork by slain St. Paul police officer Gerald Vick has led to 25 indictments on interstate prostitution charges.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Air Force Prepares Members for Ground Combat
  The Air Force has long billed itself as the most glamorous of the service branches. But with the Pentagon short on infantry manpower, the branch is increasingly being called on to fill the gaps. At the Expeditionary Center in Fort Dix, New Jersey, airmen are retrained in combat techniques to prepare them for fighting on the ground in Iraq.
• Robot Jockeys Give Camel Racing a Modern Twist
  Robots are replacing young boys as jockeys in the ancient sport of camel racing, which is still popular among Arabs in the Persian Gulf. The change puts an end to one of the sport's most objectionable practices.
• Proposal for New Border Bridge Draws Critics
  The Ambassador Bridge, between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, is the busiest trade crossing between the United States and Canada. A proposal to build another bridge nearby has sparked controversy, raising questions about security and historic preservation.
• China's Manufacturing Boom Worries U.S.
  Some U.S. lawmakers are concerned that the U.S. simply can't compete with the flood of cheap Chinese goods. But China's manufacturing boom is only getting bigger. The factories have moved inland, where city officials lure investors by claiming they can pay their workers half what they pay in other industrial cities.
• Gas Prices Force Motorists to Dig Deep
  Summer is still a month a way, but motorists already are facing some of the highest gas prices ever. The national high has climbed to $3.20 a gallon. Pump prices are almost at an all-time record that's stood for more than a quarter-century.
• FDA Criticized for Diabetes Drug Avandia
  There are more demands to overhaul the Food and Drug Administration. Scientific analysis indicates the widely used diabetes drug, Avandia, raises the risk of heart attacks and possibly death. The agency is being criticized for the way the drug was initially approved, and for not reporting problems sooner.
• Critic of Iraq War Remembers Son Lost in that War
  Andrew Bacevich, a retired Army officer who served in Vietnam and has become a noted conservative critic of the war in Iraq, talks about his son Andrew, who was killed in Iraq. Andrew was a first lieutenant. He died on Mother's Day in a suicide bombing north of Baghdad.
• Missouri Lags in Enhanced 911 Service
  Missouri lags behind many other states in providing enhanced 911 services. It's the only state without a fee for wireless 911 calls. And as many as 23 counties in Missouri have no basic 911 service for landline phones.
• Palestinian-American Tells of Jewish Friendship
  While tensions between Israelis and Palestinians rise, a Palestinian-American shares his friendship with an Iraeli artist who introduced him to art and environmental design. They pray for a better tomorrow for Palestinians and Israelis, one that reclaims dignity and hope.
• Fighting in Lebanon Intensifies on Third Day
  Lebanese troops pounded a refugee camp where Hezbollah-backed militants have been holed up for the past three days. Medical personnel have pleaded for a ceasefire to retrieve the dead and dying.
• U.S., China Grapple with Trade Issues
  Chinese officials are in Washington this week to discuss trade issues with their U.S. counterparts. Their agenda includes airline travel, ownership of Chinese banks, and piracy. But this week's talks will likely be dominated by Congressional criticism of Chinese monetary policy.
• Flotilla Pushes Whales Out to Sea
  Two endangered humpback whales have spent the last week swimming in the Sacramento River. The mammals could die if they don t get to deeper water. So rescuers lined up a fleet of boats and made a lot of noise in an attempt to scare the whales back into the Pacific.
• No End in Sight to Immigration Debate
  Those who brand provisions of the immigration bill as "amnesty" for undocumented workers reflect a deep cynicism that promises to slow down the debate over the process.
• DOJ Among Best Places to Work Survey Finds
  Maybe this explains why Attorney General Alberto Gonzales is so reluctant to quit. A survey found the Department of Justice to be among the "best places to work" in the government. Of course, some officials no longer work there after a controversy over firing prosecutors. But Gonzales remains. And he sent a memo May 17, celebrating his department's high ranking. He thanks the remaining employees for their "willingness to put service before self."
• Hefner Bunnies Threatened by Untamed Cats
  The playboy's bunnies are under attack by feral cats. The Sylvilagus palustris hefneri — that's the Latin name for a cottontail rabbit in the Florida Keys — is in danger of extinction. Back in 1980, scientists honored Hugh Hefner for funding research on the rabbit by naming the species after him. This week, wildlife officials began trapping the stray cats and taking them to shelters with the aim of saving the bunnies.

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