Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Water contamination woes spread in Cottage Grove
  Six private wells in Cottage Grove have tested positive for the perfluorinated chemical PFOA. It's the first time this particular chemical, once manufactured by 3M, has been found in Cottage Grove. Previously, PFOA had been detected in water supplies in Lake Elmo and Oakdale. State officials say the test results are unexpected. They are now in the process of testing six other nearby private wells for the chemical.7:20 a.m.
• Agencies wrestle with phosphorus control
  Phosphorus makes the algae in Minnesota's lakes bloom, and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency is struggling to limit all of its sources.7:25 a.m.
• Ruling in complex newspaper lawsuit weeks away
  A Ramsey County judge says he won't rule anytime soon on a legal battle involving the Twin Cities' two biggest newspapers. Testimony wrapped up Wednesday in the Pioneer Press's lawsuit against the Star Tribune. The questions Judge David Higgs has to decide are complex.7:50 a.m.
• Burning questions about recycling in St. Paul
  A dispute over energy is building in St. Paul. A company that city officials consider one of the best employers in town says it needs to build a new power plant. But a vocal group of people who live nearby is raising concerns about the environmental and health impact of a power plant in their neighborhood.7:55 a.m.
• Minneapolis theaters bring back popular shows
  The Children's Theater Company in Minneapolis is bringing back "High School Musical." Minnesota Public Radio arts commentator Dominic Papatola discusses the practice of bringing back old favorites, or "remounting."8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ruth Reichl: Favorite Food Memoirs
  The food memoir now has a major shelf in most big bookstores. We asked Ruth Reichl, the editor of Gourmet magazine and the author of two food memoirs, to talk about some of her favorite books about food.
• Lawyer Responds to High Court Schools Ruling
  The Supreme Court strikes down two public-school plans to achieve racial diversity in the classroom. The cases in Louisville and Seattle tested whether officials can consider race when assigning students schools. A lawyer involved in one case weighs in.
• Immigration Bill Fails on Senate Floor
  The U.S. Senate killed the immigration bill. Senators were 14 votes short of the 60 needed to move toward final passage of the bill, which was criticized by both parties. Conservatives say it gave amnesty to illegal immigrants. Democrats say fees associated with obtaining visas were too high.
• High Court Rules on Race in Schools
  The Supreme Court rules on school desegregation. By a 5-to-4 vote, the court said two schools districts — Seattle and Louisville — were too extreme in their use of race in assigning children to schools.
• White House Rejects Subpoenas in Attorney Firings
  Asserting executive privilege, the White House says it will not respond to subpoenas for documents and testimony sought by Congress in the firing of eight federal prosecutors.
• Bald Eagle No Longer Threatened Species
  Secretary of Interior Dirk Kempthorne is expected to announce that the bald eagle is no longer listed as a threatened species. The population has risen since the early 1960s from 417 nesting pairs to more than 10,000 nesting pairs today. Steve Inskeep, John Nielsen
• Leahy Presses Subpoenas on White House
  Sen. Patrick Leahy, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, discusses the subpoenas issued to the White House, Vice President Dick Cheney's office and the Justice Dept., seeking more information about President Bush's domestic surveillance program.
• Blair's New Job: Envoy in Middle East
  Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has a new job as an envoy for the Middle East Quartet — a group that includes the U.S., EU, Russia and the U.N. His new task could prove as difficult as his old one.
• Iranian Capital Calm a Day After Gas Riots
  Tehran calms a day after angry crowds responded to gas rationing in Iran by setting a dozen gas stations on fire. The country has the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, and gas prices had been subsidized.
• Tainted Toothpaste Used in Prisons, Hospitals
  Some 900,000 tubes of tainted toothpaste from China have shown up in U.S. institutions for the mentally ill, prisons, juvenile detention centers and some hospitals, The New York Times reports.
• Lake Tahoe Fire Victims Blame Local Agency
  The Tahoe Regional Planning Agency is criticized for prohibiting the trimming of trees close to homes around South Lake Tahoe. A devastating wildfire there is now 55 percent contained, but still threatens nearly 1,000 homes.
• Cold-Adverse Plants Warm Up to a New Home
  Only plant nerds used to risk loving the Hebe, native to New Zealand's cliffs and tufted grasslands. But as winters warm up in the U.S., plum pewter and burnt orange hebes are blooming, along with other species formally doomed by cold.
• Portland Gets First Pick in NBA Draft
  NBA fans are on the edge of their seats as the league holds its draft. The Portland Trail Blazers, with the first pick, must choose between Kevin Durant and Greg Oden, who are considered the two best players available.
• Rio Cops Kill 13 in Sweep Before Pan Am Games
  At least 13 suspected drug traffickers have been killed in gun battles with Rio de Janeiro police. The violence deepened concerns about security for the Pan American Games, which get under way next month.
• Claiborne Sent Women to Work in Style
  Cancer claims fashion designer Liz Claiborne at 78. She founded what was for years the largest women's apparel company in the United States, designing of sleek, affordable clothes for the professional woman.

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