Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend forecast.6:53 a.m.
• Redevelopers ponder what's next for Ford plant
  Community groups involved in planning for the closure of the Ford plant in St. Paul are welcoming the company's decision to delay the facility's shutdown.7:20 a.m.
• Ford dealer says demand is up for Ranger
  Jerry Bauer, with Inver Grove Ford, is anxious to get more Rangers onto his lot to sell.7:24 a.m.
• Indian Americans fuel Madia's fundraising success
  Minnesota DFL congressional candidate Ashwin Madia, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from India, has received an outpouring of financial support from Indian Americans around the country.7:50 a.m.
• A referendum on Rep. Tim Walz
  First Congressional District Congressman Tim Walz (D) has brought money and legislation to the district in his first term, but will that be enough to win the fall election?7:54 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  Private investigators love cellphones.8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Scrabble Maker Hasbro Sues Over Scrabulous
  Claiming intellectual property infringement, the toy company Hasbro is suing a pair of brothers from Calcutta, India, who created the Internet phenomenon Scrabulous, a Web-based knockoff of Hasbro's board game Scrabble.
• Obama Addresses U.S. Image Abroad
  Sen. Barack Obama drew a crowd of more than 200,000 people for a speech in Berlin. The Democratic presidential hopeful called on the U.S. and Europe to mend frayed ties and called for efforts at "shared security" in Afghanistan.
• Housing Bill Sparks Concern Among Economists
  On Saturday, the Senate is expected to lend its approval to a major bill aimed at bolstering the battered U.S. housing market. Economists dislike the bill. Many fear this short-term legislative fix will not address a longer-term problem.
• China Trains Cheerleaders To Rally The Masses
  The Chinese government is training 300,000 cheerleaders in the hopes that their peppy slogans will drown out any embarrassing lapses in sportsmanship at the Beijing Olympics. Still, such conformist cheerleading invites comparison to China's mass campaigns of the past.
• Approval For XM-Sirius Merger Seen As Imminent
  A much-debated merger deal between the nation's only two satellite radio companies — XM and Sirius — is on the verge of completion.
• Much Work Left In Myanmar, U.N. Official Says
  U.N. humanitarian chief John Holmes, back from a visit to Myanmar, says rebuilding efforts are under way after May's deadly cyclone. But Holmes says relief and recovery operations still have a long way to go.
• How's The Economy Doing?
  Wall Street saw a bit of a rally in bank stocks this week, but then a dismal report on the housing market sent stock prices down again. How is the economy doing? David Wessel, economics editor of The Wall Street Journal, offers his insights.
• Labour Loss In Scotland A Blow To Brown
  Britain's ruling Labour Party has lost a parliamentary seat in Glasgow East, a traditional Labour stronghold in Scotland. The defeat has fueled talk that Prime Minister Gordon Brown could be ousted.
• Coping With Polio And A Demanding Stepfather
  Tom Domingue was 8 when he contracted polio, which left him with braces on his back and legs. Domingue recently told his wife about how his mother coddled him then — and how his stepfather helped him get back on his feet.
• Jeff Koons Has A 'Ta-Da' Moment In Chicago
  Naked ladies, rabbits, basketballs and a big, shiny blue heart are all on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art, courtesy of the American painter, sculptor and artist-provocateur. The exhibit leaves most visitors smiling, laughing or just plain puzzled.
• Angry Bloggers On Left And Right Unite Over FISA
  Democratic and Republican bloggers have joined forces to punish members of Congress who voted for a revised government surveillance bill backed by the White House. One independent online group raised roughly $350,000 to spend on anti-FISA TV and radio ads.
• Report Dissects 2007 Utah Mine Disaster
  Utah's Crandall Canyon mine — site of a deadly August 2007 collapse — was "destined to fail," federal investigators say. The Mine Health and Safety Administration says major engineering deficiencies led to the disaster — and that regulators were not told the mine was unstable.
• Honda Profits Defy Auto Industry's Struggle
  The automaker Honda has reported an 8-percent increase in profits, overcoming higher material costs and a stronger yen. North American plants are still operating near full capacity. The company has scaled back SUV and truck production and emphasized fuel-efficient Civics and Accords.
• Revolvers Mark Win For Gun-Rights Advocates
  Smith & Wesson plans to sell a commemorative revolver to mark the Supreme Court ruling that overturned a handgun ban in Washington, D.C. The first six guns go to the plaintiffs in the suit. Each revolver has little scales of justice engraved on the side.
• Turkey Buzzards Find Home At Hospital
  Some turkey buzzards have made a Milwaukee orthopedic hospital their home. While they're generally popular with patients and staff, the birds do tend to peck at the windows — a bit unsettling before that knee replacement.

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