Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• "Economic lookouts" gauge the state's economy
  The economy continues to weaken. With soaring gas prices, the real estate slump and mortgage troubles, the economic slowdown is affecting everyone. MPR selected a group of people from around Minnesota to give us a first-hand perspective on the effects of the slowdown.7:20 a.m.
• Republican challenges Bachmann
  Republican Congresswoman Michele Bachmann is facing a primary election contest in the 6th District.7:50 a.m.
• Neutral 'peace teams' to defuse tension during RNC
  Advocates for non-violence are recruiting volunteers to protect people from getting hurt outside of the the GOP convention.7:54 a.m.
• Satire is no laughing matter
  Controversy erupted this week over a satirical New Yorker magazine cover depicting Barack Obama and his wife dressed as terrorists. But questions about satire and politics have played Minnesota for months.8:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• After-Hours Doctor Calls Save Holland Money
  In the Netherlands, evening and weekend physician house calls are routine. This seems like a luxury to Americans. But it actually saves the Dutch system money by keeping non-urgent cases out of expensive hospital emergency rooms.
• Searching For Bodies In Chelsea Cain's Portland
  Crime writer Chelsea Cain sees danger lurking in the most pastoral corners of the polite Northwest city she calls home. Ketzel Levine dares to search for skeletons with the writer.
• Nebraska Farm Sector On Top, For Now
  The rising cost of food and fuel is pinching most Americans' wallets. But this is not the case for farmers in southeast Nebraska, where demand for food and corn-based ethanol have doubled some incomes.
• McCain Talks To NAACP, Courts GOP Blacks In Ohio
  Presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain addressed the annual meeting of the NAACP on Wednesday in Cincinnati. He faces an uphill battle in his effort to bring African-American voters to his side. His Democratic challenger, Barack Obama, is the first African-American to be nominated by a major party.
• How Merit Pay Played Out In A Colo. School District
  Both John McCain and Barack Obama support the idea of merit pay for effective teachers as a way of raising standards in schools. NPR visits one Colorado school district to see how an experiment in merit pay has worked out.
• Khartoum, Sudan's Cosmopolitan Epicenter
  Sudan's burgeoning capital city, Khartoum, is a microcosm of the nation. Locals migrate to this desert oasis from every region of the country. It's cosmopolitan — people in Khartoum liken it to what they believe London to be like — and it's Sudan's center for jobs and infrastructure. But it is soaking up precious resources that are needed elsewhere in places such as Darfur.
• In Iraq, Pilot Program Aims To Teach Basic Literacy
  The U.S. military-funded program is designed to teach reading, writing and math to young men in the Awakening movement, some of them former insurgents who now help American forces to secure their neighborhoods.
• Markets Eye Merrill Lynch Announcement
  Steve Inskeep has this morning's business news.
• Doldrums Lift For Financial Stocks
  Financial stocks have taken a beating in recent weeks, but they had one of their best days ever Wednesday. Shares of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rose 30 percent or more. Stocks also benefited from a drop in oil prices, which have been especially volatile lately.
• Campgrounds See Surge As Vacationers Cut Costs
  Campgrounds are a vacation destination that appears to be benefiting, rather than feeling the pinch, from high gas prices. Campground owners nationwide say business is up over last summer.

Resources

• Marketplace Tech Report®
• Marketplace Morning Report®
• Mark Seeley's WeatherTalk

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories