Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota mounts ambitious five-year bird count
  Minnesota is embarking on an ambitious project to count the birds that nest and raise their young here, to accurately chart their numbers.7:20 a.m.
• Mosquitoes could be numerous this year
  Minnesotans out enjoying the Fourth of July weather may be fighting off mosquitoes. Jim Stark, executive director of the Metropolitan Mosquito Control District, gives an update on the mosquito season so far -- and looks ahead to later in the summer.7:25 a.m.
• Plaintiffs pleased with Wal-Mart ruling
  A Dakota County judge has ruled that Wal-Mart cut short employees' rest and meal breaks and forced them to work off the clock, violating the state's labor laws two million times. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with Jon Parritz, one of the attorneys representing the plaintiffs in the case.7:50 a.m.
• Extending Minnesota's growing season
  Minnesota farmers are expanding vegetable production to respond to growing demand for locally grown produce.7:55 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Afghanistan Strives To Register All Newborns
  A new UNICEF-funded program aims to issue birth certificates to all newborn babies in Afghanistan by the end of 2009. If successful, this would be the first time ever that all babies in the country have been accounted for at birth. The registration push should help the country improve health services and education.
• High Point University Boosts Its 'Wow' Factor
  The president of High Point University in North Carolina hired a director of "wow" to help make students happy. The campus now features ice cream trucks, valet parking, a concierge desk, a hot tub and free snacks. Classical music wafts through the grounds.
• NYSE's Ex-Chief Wins $187.5M Pay Package
  A court ruled Tuesday that Richard Grasso is entitled to the $187.5 million compensation package from his job leading the New York Stock Exchange. He's been fighting to keep the money for the past several years. When details of his pay package were revealed in 2003, he became a symbol of corporate greed and was forced to retire.
• Old Army Friends, Divided At Gettysburg
  Gen. Lewis Armistead and Gen. Winfield Hancock were friends who served together in the U.S Army. But when Virginia seceded from the Union, Armistead joined the Confederacy with his state. The two friends ended up on the same battlefields in Pennsylvania.
• Mugabe Returns To Zimbabwe After Africa Summit
  President Robert Mugabe has returned to Zimbabwe after a controversial appearance at this week's African Union Summit in Egypt, where he was met with mixed reactions from his peers.
• Starbucks Store Closures To Affect 12,000 Workers
  Starbucks will close more than 600 shops in the U.S. in the coming months, which analysts say is a consequence of the chain spreading too far, too fast. About 12,000 workers, or 7 percent of its global work force, will be affected by the closings.
• Young Moroccans Bypass Mainstream Media
  When protesters in southern Morocco clashed with security forces, there was very little coverage from state-run television stations. But amateur video posted on YouTube showed what the official media would not. Young Moroccans say the Web is leaving traditional media behind.
• Newspapers Make Cuts At Home, Hire Abroad
  More and more U.S. companies are outsourcing jobs overseas to cut costs, and that includes newspaper groups. Employees in India are doing everything from writing ad copy to copy editing to writing weekend supplements for U.S. and British newspapers.
• Rival Actors Sparked Fatal 'Shakespeare Riots'
  Shakespeare's works inspire strong emotions both on stage and off. Author Nigel Cliff talks about his book The Shakespeare Riots: Revenge, Drama and Death in 19th-Century America, which tells the story of an argument between two actors that led to a deadly riot.
• Sheiks' Meetings: Tradition Poses Risks In Iraq
  As part of the effort to restore security in Iraq, the American military has helped to revive an ancient tradition — the sheiks' council meeting. But those meetings have also become flashpoints for power struggles among the leaders. At least seven Americans have been killed recently in attacks at council meetings.
• War-Themed Eatery Opens In Beirut
  Kids love theme restaurants. Chuck E. Cheese, Rainforest Cafe — and, in a suburb of Beirut, the new fast-food restaurant Buns and Guns. You can order the Kalashnikov sandwich or a "Terrorist Meal." Owner Ali Hammoud said, "I could have put toys in place of the sandbags and teddy bears instead of guns. But it was just an idea."
• First Chinese Player Makes Wimbledon Semis
  For the first time in grand slam singles history, a tennis player from China has reached the Wimbledon semi-finals. Co-host Renee Montagne has more on Zheng Jie, who is ranked 133rd in the world.
• Springsteen's Clairvoyant Muse Dies
  The fortune teller immortalized by Bruce Springsteen has died. Since the 1930s, Madame Marie had told fortunes on Asbury Park's boardwalk. She once told the Boss he'd be a star, and he immortalized her in song.
• U.S. Reaches Out To Poor Immigrants In France
  A gritty, poor suburb of Paris has become a recruitment ground for a U.S. State Department program for international visitors. The program is trying to court second- and third-generation immigrants across Europe in what began as an effort to counter anti-American sentiment abroad.
• Madagascar Chameleon's Short, Vibrant Life
  Flowers called annuals live for a year, shed seeds and then die. A chameleon from Madagascar lives a similar life. These chameleons spend most of their lives in the form of eggs. Once hatched, they live just a few months and then die — leaving only eggs to survive until the next hatching season.

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