Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• A report from the nurse picket lines
  More than 12,000 Twin Cities area nurses have walked off the job. The one-day nursing strike affects 14 hospitals.7:20 a.m.
• Bike rental program opens for business in Minneapolis
  One of the country's largest urban bike rental programs opens for business Thursday in Minneapolis. At Nice Ride Minnesota two-wheelers are available for rent at 65 locations.7:45 a.m.
• Striking nurse opens up about staffing
  More than 12,000 nurses from 14 Twin Cities area hospitals are on strike today. They walked off the job at 7 this morning. The union says workers want nurse-to-patient ratios set to improve patient safety.8:40 a.m.
• Hospital spokesperson emphasizes flexibility
  The biggest nurses strike in U.S. history is taking place today in the Twin Cities. One of the top issues for the 12,000 nurses walking the picket lines is setting nurse-to-patient ratios.8:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Experts Say Oil Cleanup Will Probably Take Years
  BP says the effort to clean up the Deepwater Horizon oil spill will be "largely complete" by the end of this year. But with the ruptured well still gushing crude, federal officials, scientists and many Louisiana residents say they'll be mopping up oil for years.
• Oil Spill Hearings Dominate Capitol Hill
  Congress has held more than two dozen hearings on the Gulf oil spill. Lawmakers are looking into what happened, who's responsible and what should be changed. They've also found a target in BP, perhaps the only organization less popular than Congress right now.
• Calif. Pot Movement Adopts Glossier Approach
  Marijuana advocates say more aggressive efforts to brand and market cannabis strains is a sign their movement is gaining legitimacy. But, they say, if California legalizes pot, the day is not far off when multinational companies will compete for market share.
• Karen Elson: From Model To Roots-Rock Musician
  For 15 years, Elson has graced magazine covers and runways as a top fashion model. But these days, it's her voice that's attracting attention. Elson's debut, The Ghost Who Walks, is a roots-rock album with a bit of a dark side; it was produced by her husband, musician Jack White.
• Ex-Cop Faces Trial In Racially Charged Murder Case
  Opening statements begin Thursday in the trial of Johannes Mehserle, a former transit police officer who is charged with second-degree murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on New Year's Day 2009 in Oakland, Calif. The killing was captured on video and widely posted on the Internet.
• Pro-Business Party Claims Win In Dutch Elections
  Preliminary results of Wednesday's election in the Netherlands show that fears about the country's economic future pushed aside a potential surge by anti-immigrant groups. Voters did, however, give huge gains to a right-wing politician who wants to stop all Muslim immigration into the country.
• Witnesses Begin Testifying In Blagojevich Trial
  Prosecutors have been voicing their fraud and corruption allegations against former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for more than a year. Now that the trial is under way, the defense will lay out its strategy for avoiding a conviction that brings all but certain prison time.
• Minnesota Nurses Stage 1-Day Strike
  Thousands of nurses in Minnesota are on picket lines Thursday, staging a 24-hour strike. Their union says it could be the biggest in U.S. nursing history. The new, fast-growing nurses union is trying to counter cuts in pay and benefits and protest staffing levels.
• Nashville: We're Open For Business
  Nashville's tourism industry has worked overtime to reassure visitors that the city is ready for this year's CMA Music Festival, which starts Thursday. Several of the country music events had to be moved because some venues that were underwater last month because of flooding needed to be repaired.
• Dreaming Of New York, Hawaii Grad Heads East
  Fresh out of college, Ryan Kam is leaving his home in Waikiki to move to New York City to find work because Hawaii lacks the diversity of jobs that exists on the mainland. Tourism, the dominant island industry, offers few opportunities for upward mobility.

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