Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Health Department says East Metro cancer rates are not higher than average
  Public health officials say cancer rates in Washington and Dakota counties are virtually identical to rates found elsewhere in Minnesota. The agency hopes the findings will alleviate some of the concerns of East Metro residents who have perfluorinated chemicals in their drinking water.6:47 a.m.
• St. Paul targets downtown drug dealing
  St. Paul police say they're on their way to cleaning up a big drug problem downtown. On Wednesday, officials announced that they've arrested and charged 20 people and expect to pick up another 80 in the coming days.7:20 a.m.
• Farmers' markets boom across Minnesota
  Farmers' markets have been sprouting up nationwide. In 1994, there were close to 1,800. Now, there are over well over double that. In Minnesota, farmers' markets are appearing across the state.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Former Pakistan Leader Sharif Desires Return
  Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf ousted Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a coup in 1999. Now, Musharraf faces increasing pressure to step down after sacking the country's top judge. Sharif is among those who wants Musharraf to resign, and says he is willing to return to join forces against Musharraf, even if it means going to jail.
• Beyond Tang: Food in Space
  NASA's Johnson Space Center invited The Kitchen Sisters to visit its "hidden kitchen." On the eve of NASA's scheduled launch of space shuttle Atlantis, The Kitchen Sisters present a brief history of space food.
• Putin Offers to Base U.S. Missile Shield in Azerbaijan
  Russian President Vladimir Putin makes a surprise offer during a meeting with President Bush in Germany: base a U.S. missile shield in Azerbaijan instead of Eastern Europe.
• U.S. Commander: Troop Surge Working in Baghdad
  Maj. Gen. Joseph Fil, commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, says since the increase of troops in Iraq nearly four months ago, U.S. forces have gotten control of one-third of Baghdad. He says that attacks by Shiite extremists are on the rise, in part due to some influence they have on Iraqi security forces. By September he hopes to have a majority of the city under control.
• Six Day War: Land Ownership Disputes Arise
  The end of the 1967 war and the beginning of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip brought dramatic changes to the lives of both Palestinians and Israelis. In the West Bank, Israel confiscated large chunks of agricultural land where settlements were eventually built.
• Former NATO Leader Says Taliban Weakened
  Dutch Maj. Gen. Ton van Loon, who commanded NATO forces in southern Afghanistan until last month, says the Taliban is no longer in control there. He says despite the determination of militia, conditions in that part of the country are improving.
• TB Patient, Officials Testify with Differing Accounts
  Capitol Hill held hearings Wednesday on TB patient Andrew Speaker's transatlantic trips last month, which had sparked an international public health scare. While the hearings provided some answers, there are still major discrepancies between Speaker's account and that of health officials.
• A Different Tale of TB in Kenya
  A Kenyan-born doctor describes his father's death from TB in Africa and compares it to the Andrew Speaker case. Commentator Pius Kamau says overcrowding, malnutrition, and poor hygiene contributed to the spread of TB in Kenya. He says his father received what little treatment was available and suffered a prolonged illness.
• 'Wall Street Journal' May Garner Another Suitor
  Brian Tierney, a private investor who led a group that bought the Philadelphia Inquirer , told the The Wall Street Journal that he may make a counter-bid for Dow Jones & Co., the company that owns the paper.
• Inflation Concerns Check Market
  The U.S. stock market is sputtering a bit this week amid investors' concerns that inflation may be on the march. The Dow Jones Industrial average began slumping Tuesday and fell again Wednesday by 130 points. The two-day downturn stands in contrast to the long bull market that has pushed many stocks to new highs.

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