Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Wood-powered Morris businesses
  You've probably heard about some of the major efforts in our region to use biomass for energy. But not all biomass projects are industrial sized, some of them are on a small scale.7:20 a.m.
• Minnesota lawyers launch "Wills for Heroes" program
  Minnesota lawyers are donating their time to draft wills and health care directives for firefighters, police, paramedics, emergency medical technicians and corrections officers.7:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Local Food Co-Ops Go Beyond Greens
  Farmers are taking the idea of a local food co-op beyond fruits and vegetables, signing up customers for regular deliveries of local, naturally raised meat.
• Disney to Host July 4 Citizenship Ceremony
  Disney World in Orlando, Fla., will host a citizenship ceremony on July 4. The event in which more than 1,000 people will become naturalized Americans will include musical performances by Gloria Estefan and Lee Greenwood.
• Critics Call 'Yucca Mountain Johnny' Propaganda
  Congress is weighing the fate of Yucca Mountain Johnny, a smiling cartoon character with a red hard hat, safety glasses and a tool belt. He lives on a government Web site meant to explain to kids how nuclear waste is stored. Critics think Yucca Mountain Johnny is a little biased and are trying to get rid of him.
• Mexican Towns Pinched by Deportations, Slowdown
  With immigration officials cracking down on undocumented workers and the U.S. economy slowing in some sectors, the amount of money being sent back to immigrants' homes has fallen. That has caused difficulties in Mexico that are starting to harm the local — and possibly the national — economy.
• Suicide Blast Kills 7 at Iraq's Mansour Hotel
  A bomb struck the Mansour Hotel, a high-rise building on the Tigris, killing seven people. The bomb attack was one of five places hit in Iraq, killing a total of at least 30 people. The Mansour is a high-profile target because it is the home of the Chinese embassy, some leading Iraqis, and some foreign reporters.
• Apple's iPhone: It All Depends on the Keypad
  The iPhone due on the market June 29th is being hyped for all the things it has: a music player, e-mail, Internet access, and a beautiful color screen. But it is also getting a quite a bit of attention for not having a keypad.
• UAW, Delphi Deal Calls for Lower Pay, Buyouts
  A deal between the United Auto Workers and the struggling auto parts maker Delphi calls for the company to slash workers' pay from $27 to $14 an hour. It will also shut down at least a dozen sites. And it will offer workers buyouts in an attempt to emerge from bankruptcy and avoid a strike.
• Kellogg Revises Ads, Recipes for Under-12 Market
  Kellogg's will not advertise to children under 12 any food that contains more than 200 calories, 2 grams of saturated fat, or 12 grams of sugar starting next year. The new rules mean the company will have to revise its recipes for Fruit Loops, Apple Jacks and Pop-Tarts — or not market them to children under 12.
• Presidential Aspirants Shun Mayors Conference
  While all 18 of the declared candidates for president were invited to speak at the 75th U.S. Conference of Mayors in Los Angeles only three — all Democrats — made an appearance: Sen. Hillary Clinton, Rep. Dennis Kucinich of Ohio, and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
• Child Obesity Concerns Prompt Shift in Food Ads
  The food industry spends about $10 billion dollars on advertising each year, much of it for sugary food aimed at kids. But with concern over childhood obesity, the biggest food companies are under pressure to make changes. There are no federal laws that limit what sorts of foods companies can advertise to children.
• Paris Neighborhood Stores Thrive
  Paris has a thriving culture of small businesses, and not by chance. One of the main goals of Paris is to keep the huge supermarkets out because they are the main competition for small businesses. There are butchers, cheese shops, florists, bakeries and cafes all doing a brisk business on the same street.
• Burgeoning Contract Industry May Get More Controls
  The use of private contractors in conflict zones like Iraq and Afghanistan has hit unprecedented levels. A civilian force of more than 120,000 people is in Iraq. But as the private contracting industry has exploded in the past few years, there has been little oversight.
• Lawmakers Return to Mulling Immigration Bill
  The immigration bill makes another appearance on Capitol Hill. The Senate blocked the legislation earlier this month and it's far from certain that the resurrected bill will find the votes it needs to pass. Still, President Bush is urging lawmakers to "summon the political courage to move forward."
• Hebrew Doesn't Translate for Baseball
  Whatever its virtues, Hebrew is not quite ready for baseball. Israel saw its first professional baseball game. And the broadcasters who started calling the game in Hebrew had trouble finding appropriate words for "ball," "strike," or "home plate." They finally slipped into English. Whether the game itself will translate is unknown. But Israel now has a six-team league.
• Afghanistan Seeks to Preserve Minarets
  Afghanistan hopes to turn a collection of medieval minarets into a world heritage site. About 600 years ago a dozen Islamic towers shone with bright tiles outside the ancient city of Heart, in northwestern Afghanistan. They survived decades of war. But they may not survive the peace. Cultural authorities say a road running through is shaking the ground so much, that the minarets are in danger of falling over.

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