Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Weisman exhibit features New Deal art
  Seventy-five years ago, President Franklin Roosevelt launched the New Deal. It was a massive federal relief effort intended to improve the economy and provide employment during the Great Depression. A new exhibit at the Weisman Art Museum in Minneapolis features art from that program.6:50 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend forecast.6:55 a.m.
• Farmer uses methane to make electricity
  A central Minnesota farm is using methane from cow manure to create electricity.7:20 a.m.
• U of M researcher says algae is an answer to nation's energy needs
  Researchers in Minnesota hope to create biodiesel from algae utilizing wastewater from the metro area sewage treatment plant.7:25 a.m.
• Women's Open starts day two with a tie
  Day two of the U.S. Women's Open in Edina begins this morning with two leaders. South Korean Ji Young Oh and American Pat Hurst are both 6 under par.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ex-Bear Stearns Financiers May Face More Charges
  A week after two hedge fund managers were arrested in connection with the subprime mortgage meltdown, federal prosecutors may add to the indictments against the former Bear Stearns financiers. Investigators are trying to determine whether the men misled banks including Merrill Lynch, Barclays and Bank of America.
• Gates Retires from Daily Role at Microsoft
  Bill Gates helped bring computers to the masses, creating a company so influential that it was once dubbed "the Evil Empire." On Friday, he moves on to a full-time role as the world's leading philanthropist.
• What's Next for Francis Collins, Genome Decoder?
  The man who guided one of his generation's greatest scientific achievements is leaving his government job. Francis Collins helped to map the human genome as director of the National Human Genome Research Institute. He's leaving his post Aug. 1.
• Analysis: Obama Edging Toward Center
  Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has been ranked by one magazine as the most liberal senator in Congress. Obama this week made statements that may indicate he is trying to moderate his image. Is Obama moving toward the center to compete with Republican John McCain in the fall presidential election?
• Iraqis Fear Delays of Critical Provincial Elections
  Iraq's provincial elections are slated for this fall. The results have the potential to dramatically shift the balance of power in several key places. That's leading to political problems and fears that the elections will be postponed.
• Big Oil's Alternative Energy Ads Scrutinized
  As oil and gas prices surge, oil companies are highlighting their investments in alternative energy sources with new ad campaigns. Companies are promoting their million-dollar investments, but one journalist says that's not much compared with the billions of dollars that the oil companies make.
• Safeguarding the World's Chocolate Supply
  Mars, the maker of M&Ms, is teaming with the U.S. Department of Agriculture and IBM to make chocolate give up its secrets. They're spending more than $10 million in an effort to sequence the genome of the cacao plant — from which chocolate is made.
• Fire Season Strikes Early in California
  Firefighters are battling hundreds of wildfires across California. Lightning strikes sparked an estimated 800 blazes, and many of those fires are still burning out of control. The biggest one is in the Big Sur area south of Monterey, where 19,000 acres have burned.
• No Deal in Sight as Actors' Contract Nears Expiration
  The contract for the Screen Actors Guild expires Monday. SAG has been negotiating with the studios for weeks, but they're nowhere near an agreement. Chances of a Hollywood actors' strike are slim, but movie shoots have ground to a halt, just in case.
• Chicago-Area Gun Owners Praise D.C. Ruling
  Gun owners are praising the U.S. Supreme Court ruling striking down a ban on handgun ownership in the District of Columbia, which has one of the strictest laws of its kind. Chicago's is similar, and some gun owners there filed a lawsuit Thursday challenging the city's anti-gun law.
• Polls Open for Disputed Election in Zimbabwe
  Polls open in Zimbabwe on Friday for the disputed one-man presidential runoff. Opposition candidate Morgan Tsvangirai pulled out of the race citing concerns for his supporters' lives. That leaves President Robert Mugabe as the only candidate on the ballot. International leaders have condemned the election.
• McCain Praises Gun Ruling; Obama More Cautious
  The presumptive Republican and Democratic presidential nominees have reacted to Thursday's Supreme Court ruling that protects an individual's right town on a gun.
• Gun Ruling Reverberates with Politicians, Police
  The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday for the first time that the Second Amendment to the Constitution protects an individual's right to own a gun. Gun rights advocates say there will be a flood of lawsuits attempting to ease regulations on gun ownership. Big city mayors and police chiefs predict an increase in gun violence.
• Captured Israeli Soldier's Family Awaits His Return
  It's been two years since Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured on the border with Gaza. Shalit's parents say the government isn't doing enough to get their son released. It's hoped the Shalit will be freed during a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Hamas militants who control Gaza.
• Juarez Police Face Both Criminals and Suspicions
  Across the border from El Paso, Texas, is the Mexican city of Juarez. Rival drug gangs have killed 18 police officers there so far this year. The mayor says the police department is corrupt, and he's making the entire force take lie detector tests. Police officers complain that the city lacks resources.

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