Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Blasts in Nashwauk loud but welcome noise as Essar builds steel plant
  After more than a decade of planning, blasting is a first step toward Essar Steel's huge project that will combine an iron mine, taconite pellet plant and steel mill.6:50 a.m.
• Democrats examine Minneapolis for 2012 convention
  Officials with the Democratic National Committee are in Minneapolis today, looking over the city with an eye towards hosting the 2012 Democratic National Convention. It would be the second national convention in a row in the Twin Cities, a prospect that has some people excited, and others alarmed as the selection process moves forward.7:20 a.m.
• Debate emerges over oil drilling in the Great Lakes
  It may surprise you that one of the hot issues in the Wisconsin U.S. Senate race this year concerns drilling for oil in the Great Lakes. Putting the politics aside, this got us wondering if drilling for oil in the Great Lakes is a real possibility.7:40 a.m.
• A mile marker for the African American cycling community
  Cyclists from across the country were in St. Paul this weekend for what's believed to be the first event of its kind: an African American-focused bike festival.7:45 a.m.
• Key questions for the Fed chairman
  Minnesota Public Radio's chief economics correspondent Chris Farrell gives a preview of the week on Wall Street, and analyzes what's happening in the economy in the Upper Midwest. This week, he spoke about the some questions he wants the Fed chairman to answer in his semi-annual trip to Capitol Hill.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Cyberwarrior Shortage Threatens U.S. Security
  Analysts estimate there are as few as 1,000 people in the U.S. with the skills needed to defend complex computer systems against attack -- and 20 to 30 times that many are needed. And so the race begins to recruit American cyberwarriors.
• Al-Qaida Magazine Draws Attention, But Few Fans
  The online publication emerged several weeks ago with headlines like "Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom." U.S. intelligence officials were so concerned, they made it part of the president's security briefing. But analysts say it apparently isn't resonating with its intended audience: young, would-be jihadists.
• Fast Feet: A Springy Step Helps Humans Walk
  The human foot has changed shape in the past few million years, springing an arch that enabled us to run and walk more proficiently than our ape-like ancestors who grasped branches and swung from the trees. Now, researchers are trying to determine when that change took place.
• Before They Hatch: Moving Sea Turtle Eggs From Gulf
  Federal wildlife officials initiated an unprecedented relocation program to get sea turtle eggs out of the Gulf of Mexico and away from the oil spill. The turtles will hatch in Styrofoam coolers and eventually roam free on beaches along the Atlantic Ocean.
• Drinking Raw Milk Is Worth The Risk, Advocates Say
  Selling raw milk across state borders is banned because of the risk that it could be contaminated with dangerous bacteria. Some people insist on drinking it, however, and go out of their way to find it. They say it's more natural and more healthful, but scientists aren't convinced.
• Healing Honey And The New Queen Bee(keepers)
  From urban rooftops to suburban ranches, apiaries are hip. As the ranks of backyard beekeepers grow, they're reporting some mysterious and sometimes disturbing behaviors, including the disappearance of whole hives. And what about the honey? Is it really good medicine, or just a sweet treat?
• John McCormack: The Charming Irish Tenor
  In the early 1900s, John McCormack sang in packed concert halls, without a microphone, before audiences of more than 7,000 people. He sang from the heart and the head, both spontaneously and cerebrally, and could sing anything from opera to German lieder to Irish folk songs. Although McCormack's music made NPR correspondent Susan Stamberg roll her eyes as a young girl, she now says it transports her to another world.
• Clinton Discusses Security On Pakistan Visit
  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is in Pakistan on Monday. It's the first stage of a four-nation diplomatic tour than ends at the annual ASEAN conference in Hanoi, Vietnam.
• New Law Would Restore KGB-Era Powers In Russia
  Moscow is lobbying for a new law that would allow the modern-day successor to the KGB to be able to officially warn people suspected of planning to commit a crime. Opposition leaders say it's an attempt to stifle political dissent using intimidation.
• North Korea's 'Currency Reforms' Hurt Thousands
  North Korea's "currency reforms" introduced last fall have had disastrous human consequences. It wiped out the savings of North Koreans, and may have fueled more popular discontent with the regime. Los Angeles Times reporter Barbara Demick writes about the policy in the current issue of the New Yorker.

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