Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Puppets are people with strings
  The California-based Mitchell Family Showboat Marionettes have been touring the country in their miniature Mississippi River showboat, performing 700 shows a year. Earlier this month, Nancy Mitchell and her husband Jack Gebhardt, made a stop at the Ramsey County Fair in Maplewood.6:54 a.m.
• Drought forces ranchers to make tough decision
  Drought conditions in northwest Minnesota and the Red River Valley are hurting farmers and ranchers. The dry weather isn't just damaging crops and reducing yields, it also has some ranchers selling off cattle.7:20 a.m.
• The problem with peer review
  This has been a tough year for some of the country's most prestigious medical journals, who admitted to having been misled by researchers -- after their research was published. The incidents have raised questions about peer review, and why the process is not better at detecting fraud or conflicts of interest.7:54 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Cape Cod Soldier Dies in Iraq
  Mark Vecchione, of Eastham, Mass., was the kind of kid who liked to cut school to go fishing. He joined the Army after graduation, and trained to be a gunner on a tank. Sgt. Vecchione, 25, was killed last week by a roadside bomb soon after he rejoined his unit in Iraq. Brian Morris of member-station WCAI reports.
• Hand Music: No Manual Needed
  You've got to hand it to Robert Wilson. The Silicon Valley software engineer can draw a crowd just by squeezing his palms together and making music. And videos of his handiwork -- he calls it "manualism" -- are attracting scores of admirers on the Internet.
• Tasty Summertime Tradition in New Orleans
  "Snowballs" are a summertime obsession in New Orleans. The shaved-ice treats flavored with syrup are sold from corner stands like Hansen's Sno-Bliz. Ernest and Mary Hansen started the business during the Depression. Both died soon after Hurricane Katrina and their granddaughter, Ashley, has taken over.
• Court Is Introduced to 'Ms. Alice'
  A hearing over a deadly bridge collapse in New Zealand was proceeding routinely, until yesterday. That's when a male lawyer arrived in court dressed in an ankle-length skirt, lace stockings and a diamond brooch. The man is bald and has a moustache. Why the fashion change? The lawyer says he's protesting what he sees as a boys' network in the courtroom. Now he wants the court to address him as "Ms. Alice."
• Bush Meets with Iraqi Prime Minister in Washington
  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Bush meet in the Oval Office amid growing concern over sectarian violence in Baghdad. The president said he and Maliki discussed a plan to reconfigure troop deployments in Iraq.
• Arab Media Focuses on Hezbollah-Israel Fighting
  Ramez Maluf, a professor of journalism at the Lebanese American University in Beirut, talks with Don Gonyea about coverage in the Arab media of the conflict between Lebanon and Israel. Television stations in Beirut are broadcasting minute-to-minute updates.
• Syria Seeks Diplomatic Engagement with United States
  U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice wants Syria to use its influence to rein in Hezbollah. And Syria wants diplomatic engagement with the United States. But Rice isn't planning on talking directly to Damascus. She's counting on friendly regional governments to carry the U.S. message to Syria.
• FEMA Learns from Katrina Disaster
  The Federal Emergency Management Agency is revising its disaster-relief programs. The agency is responding to government audits and investigations of its efforts to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
• Congress Debates Abortion Bill Affecting Minors
  The Senate debates the first major abortion bill of this Congress. The measure would make it a crime to take a minor to another state in order to avoid parental notification for an abortion.
• Iraqi Prime Minister Visits the White House
  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki meets with President Bush at the White House. They are expected to discuss the ongoing crisis in Lebanon, and the continuing sectarian violence in Iraq.
• Fighting Constant Along Lebanon-Israel Border
  A fresh barrage of rockets slams into the northern Israeli city of Haifa, despite days of fierce fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli troops along the Lebanon-Israel border. Much of the current fighting is centered in and around a major Hezbollah stronghold in southern Lebanon.
• Rice Seeks 'Urgent and Enduring' Mideast Peace
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visits Israel for talks with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert. Before their private meeting, Olmert said Israel would continue its fight against Hezbollah. Rice repeated her view that the solution to the current crisis must not return to status quo before the fighting began two weeks ago. Rice also met with Palestinian officials in the West Bank.
• Benefit Gap Surprises Medicare Drug-Plan Participants
  There's a problem with the new Medicare drug-benefit plan: a gap in coverage. The gap occurs when the cost of prescriptions rises to a certain level. Critics of the plan have been issuing warnings about this gap since before the legislation was signed.
• Clinton Campaigns for Lieberman's Re-Election Bid
  Former President Bill Clinton campaigned for Sen. Joseph Lieberman (D-CT) on Monday. Lieberman faces a strong primary challenge from a wealthy cable-TV entrepreneur, Ned Lamont. Polls show the race is a dead heat.
• U.S. Diplomats Work Under Fire in Lebanon
  The current crisis between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli troops is testing the mettle of U.S. diplomats in Lebanon. They have arranged the evacuations of thousands of American citizens under dangerous conditions.

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