Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Tougher lakeshore regulations are optional
  The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is offering an alternative set of rules for lakeshore development.6:20 a.m.
• Drug abuse report, meth lab busts down 78 percent
  According to a Hazelden Foundation report released today, Minnesota has seen a 78 percent decrease in methamphetamine lab busts over the last year. The report also finds that more people are dying from opiate overdoses, caused by drugs like heroin, methadone and oxycodone. The semiannual report compiled data from Twin Cities area hospitals, crime labs and addiction treatment centers. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer spoke with report author Carol Falkowski, Director of Research Communications for the Hazelden Foundation, a non-profit international addiction treatment center based in Minnesota. The full report of Drug Abuse Trends - June 2006 may be read at www.hazelden.org.7:20 a.m.
• From prison to the streets
  A new report from the Wilder Foundation shows that as Minnesota's population of ex-convicts increases, so does the number of them who are homeless after they're released.7:46 a.m.
• Soggy, but home: Prairie Island gets its land back
  After more than 70 years the federal government has returned over 1,200 acres of Prairie Island Indian Community's tribal land.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Episcopalians Confer on Homosexuality
  Chicago Public Radio's Jason DeRose reports on a meeting of U.S. Episcopalians in Ohio. They are debating several key issues dealing with homosexuality.
• Breaking Ground for Sept. 11 Pentagon Memorial
  Ground will be broken at the Pentagon on Thursday for a memorial to the victims who died there on Sept. 11, 2001. There will be 184 benches lining the path American Airlines Flight 77 took before smashing into the Pentagon.
• Uninsured Patients, Few Beds Keep ERs Maxed Out
  A night spent with Dr. Arthur Kellerman at Atlanta's Grady Memorial Hospital reveals a lot about why patients spend hours waiting in emergency rooms. A combination of citywide shortages of hospital beds and uninsured patients can result in days-long backups.
• Americans Shifting Gears in Smaller Numbers
  The percentage of vehicles sold in the United States with manual transmission continues to decline. One theory on why the numbers keep falling: drivers are too busy with cell phones and cappuccinos to shift gears.
• States Struggle to Certify 'Qualified' Teachers
  The No Child Left Behind education law mandates that by year's end, every state should have ensured that every teacher is "highly qualified." Yet no state has met the federal government's requirements under this provision.
• Big Dig Prompted by Faulty Gold Detector
  A man in Montclair, Calif., had an electronic gold detector. And he got excited when he got a hit right in his front yard. Henry Mora started digging. He says he just intended to go down a few feet. But he kept digging, and digging some more, until his front yard contained a hole that was 60 feet deep. Fire officials finally turned up and found two hired hands taking out even more dirt. Now Mora has to pay an engineer to shore up the hole and fill it.
• Senate Approves $66 Billion for War Efforts
  The Senate gives its approval for $66 billion in emergency funding for the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Despite the fresh infusion of money, the House and Senate are both plunging into charged debates over U.S. policy in Iraq. The Senate may focus on how much longer American forces should be deployed there.
• Kentucky Schools Reverse Decision on Eliminating 'B.C.'
  Kentucky's state school board approved a plan to teach a secular alternative to the calendar abbreviations B.C. and A.D. In April, the board adopted "Before Common Era" as part of the curriculum. Some religious conservatives complained that BCE did not mention Christ. When the board members' terms expired, the governor appointed new members, who have voted unanimously to undo the policy.
• Iraq Index: Measuring Progress in Security, Services
  President Bush argues that progress in Iraq can be measured in a handful of categories. Michael O'Hanlon, who directs the Iraq Index Project at the Brookings Institution, talks about the facts behind President Bush's statement. In certain categories -- available security forces, electricity, and oil production -- O'Hanlon says progress is limited.
• Asian and Central Asian States Meet in Shanghai
  The Shanghai Cooperation Organization, comprising China, Russia and Central Asian states, meets in Shanghai. The summit is bringing the city to a standstill. Russia's Vladimir Putin is expected, as well as the heads of state of all the central Asian nations.
• Adviser, Speechwriter Gerson Leaves Bush White House
  President Bush's primary wordsmith, Michael Gerson, is leaving the White House. Gerson went from chief speechwriter in the president's first term to senior adviser in the second. Gerson says he is leaving to pursue other writing and policy work.
• Woods, Mickelson to Face Off at U.S. Open
  Tigers Woods and Phil Mickelson are in the spotlight at the U.S Open golf championship in New York, but it's Michael Campbell who will be defending the title he won last year at Pinehurst. Steve Inskeep talks to sports commentator John Feinstein.
• Iraq Government Weighs Amnesty for Insurgents
  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki will soon unveil the next stage in his plan to avoid an all-out civil war. President Bush says al-Maliki has discussed granting amnesty to insurgents. How might the government engage insurgents in the political process?
• U.S. Hosts Meeting to Foster Government in Somalia
  The United States is hosting a meeting in New York to brainstorm ways to help Somalia build its government. Somalia has had no central authority since 1991 and the United States is concerned it is becoming a safe haven for terrorists. That has been the big worry of U.S. officials since Islamists took hold of the capital Mogadishu.
• Experts: Guantanamo Closing Might Not Be Answer
  If the United States closes its detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the detainees being held there will face continuing uncertainty. Some believe that they could find themselves in facilities that are less transparent than Guantanamo.

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