Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota, EPA launch steps to reduce dead zone in Gulf of Mexico
  Minnesota's pollution control agency is teaming up with the EPA to shrink the hypoxic zone in the Gulf of Mexico.6:50 a.m.
• EPA seeks final cleanup plan for Cass Lake Superfund site
  After nearly 25 years, the St. Regis Superfund site in Cass Lake may be nearing its final phase of cleanup.7:25 a.m.
• Barkley predicts Ventura will enter Senate race
  The race for the Minnesota U.S. Senate seat held by incumbent Republican Norm Coleman is heating up with a new ad by DFL challenger Al Franken hitting the airwaves this week.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Celtics Trounce Lakers to Win 17th NBA Title
  For the 17th time, the Boston Celtics are basketball's champions. The Celtics were explosive on offense and relentless on defense in trouncing the Los Angeles Lakers 131-92 for their first NBA title in 22 years.
• Israel Confirms Cease-Fire with Hamas
  Israel confirmed Wednesday that a cease-fire with Hamas will begin Thursday. Hamas, a militant group, currently rules the Gaza Strip. The truce was brokered by Egyptian officials.
• Revamped Disabilities Rights Bill on Fast Track
  Here's something that you don't often see in civil rights law — two opponents agreeing on a law that would extend civil rights protection to millions of people. Lobbyists for people with disabilities and the business community have done that. Both sides are trying to get Congress and the White House to go along with it.
• Ohio Family Struggles with Costs of Driving SUVs
  As gas prices continue to rise, Americans are coming up with short-term solutions to cope with the strain on their wallets. Some of those feeling the pinch the most are drivers of sport utility vehicles. Derek Hunter, a resident of Lima, Ohio, owns two large SUVs and isn't having any luck trading them in for a different vehicle.
• Is Flood Protection System Working?
  Massive flooding in the Midwest has inundated homes and towns across Iowa. Flood waters are moving south. Co-host Steve Inskeep talks to Ron Fournier, public affairs officer for the Army Corps of Engineers, about the pumps, reservoirs and levees that usually keep the flood waters back.
• Awe, Determination, Resignation amid Flooding
  The rising Mississippi River has broken through a half-dozen levees and forced major bridges to close. The record high water is consuming towns in its path.
• Failure to End War Grates on House Speaker Pelosi
  One of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's greatest frustrations in the past 18 months has been the inability of Congress to cut funding for wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And back home in Pelosi's San Francisco district, the inaction is regarded by some as betrayal.
• Energy Costs Drive Up Prices of Nearly Everything
  When oil prices go up, so do natural gas prices, and both increases have a ripple effect on the economy. Shampoo bottles, pantyhose, buttons — you name it, and it requires oil or gas to make it.
• McCain Calls on Congress to Lift Offshore Drilling Ban
  John McCain delivered a speech on energy policy Tuesday in Houston. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee said he wants to see more drilling off the U.S. coast. He also announced his long-term plan to seek out alternatives to oil, including wind, solar and nuclear power.
• Afghanistan Battles Taliban Insurgency in Kandahar
  Officials in Afghanistan on Wednesday said it launched an operation to drive Taliban insurgents from villages on the outskirts of Kandahar. Afghan government troops have been joined by Canadian forces in the operation.
• Clerk Stops Officiating After Gay Marriage Ruling
  Same-sex couples filed into county offices to get official marriage licenses Tuesday, the first full day the California Supreme Court's ruling overturning the ban on gay marriages went into effect. But in Bakersfield, many support the county clerk's decision to stop performing all marriage ceremonies.
• Russert and Malloy: Two Guys from South Buffalo
  Journalist Tim Russert made a name for himself by interviewing politicians and heads of state. But Russert also embraced the stories of everyday Americans. In 2005, Russert interviewed James T. Malloy, a fellow Buffalo, N.Y., native living in Washington, as part of the StoryCorps oral history project.
• Investigating Employees' E-Mail Use
  Co-host Steve Inskeep talks to Elizabeth Charnock, CEO of Cataphora. The California-based firm helps companies in legal matters by investigating patterns of employee e-mail use.
• Class Tests Carbon Trading, With Troubling Results
  Cap-and-trade is considered one of the likeliest political solutions to global warming. The system sets up a market to trade carbon credits. Two professors at the University of California, Berkeley, let their students try the idea as part of a market simulation game. What the class learned may unsettle politicians and energy regulators alike.
• Critters Basking on Tarmac Jam New Delhi Airport
  Of the many reasons for flight delays, consider this one Tuesday at the international airport in New Delhi. Almost a hundred planes couldn't take off or land because the runways were covered with raptors, jackals and huge monitor lizards. The creatures used the runways to dry off and get warm after the first monsoon rains hit.

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