Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Xcel outages expected with 100 degree temps today
  The recent heat has put additional stress on the state's power grid and Sunday more than 12,000 Xcel Energy customers were without power. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Deb Sundin, director of conservation programs at Xcel Energy about today's expected blackouts.7:20 a.m.
• Twins ponder whether to trade or stand pat
  The Minnesota Twins have been on a hot streak lately, but just dropped two out of three games to the Detroit Tigers over the weekend. The Twins are at the point where they need to decide whether to make a last-minute trade to improve their playoff hopes, or leave well enough alone.7:24 a.m.
• Monday Markets with Chris Farrell
  Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Chief Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell to discuss the latest economic news.7:50 a.m.
• Neighborhood electric cars hit Minnesota streets
  A new Minnesota law allows neighborhood electric vehicles on Minnesota streets with speed limits of 35 mph or less.7:54 a.m.
• Bruce Carlson directed Minnesota's oldest arts organization toward excellence
  Bruce Carlson, the Executive Director of the Schubert Club in St. Paul, died Friday night after battling bone marrow cancer. He commissioned musical works including "From the Diary of Virginia Wolfe" by Minneapolis composer Dominic Argento, who won a Pulitizer Prize for that work and dedicated his memoir to Carlson. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Argento about Bruce Carlson's influence on the fine arts scene in the Twin Cities.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Chechnya Rebuilds Amid Atmosphere of Fear
  After more than a decade of destruction, the Russian region of Chechnya is now being rebuilt. The new signs of stability are welcome to most Chechens, but human rights groups say the region's pro-Moscow government is using fear and corruption to govern a traumatized population.
• Play Captures Life Under South African Apartheid
  This summer, at the Culture Project in New York City, five South African actors are telling their "true life" stories about growing up under apartheid. The piece is called Amajuba : Like Doves We Rise.
• Arkansas Court Rules in Favor of Gay Foster Parents
  The Supreme Court of Arkansas has overturned the state's regulation banning gays from becoming foster parents. The court ruled that the ban was based on morality, and that sexual orientation has no negative effect on a foster child's welfare. Jacqueline Froelich of member station KUAF reports.
• Search Is on for Original Apollo 11 Footage
  The first moon landing was broadcast around the world. But very few people saw the best-quality tape -- and they could be the only ones to see this footage if the original tapes are not found. A group of retirees has made it their mission to search for the missing Apollo 11 tapes.
• Grief and Anger Follow Deadly Qana Bombing
  World leaders are expressing outrage over an Israeli airstrike Sunday that killed more than 50 civilians -- many children -- in the southern Lebanese village of Qana. The pre-dawn attack flattened a building where several families had taken shelter. Grief and anger were evident and the scene of the bombing.
• Texas Targets Louisiana Felons for Arrest
  The attorney general of Texas is asking Louisiana officials to issue warrants for felons who fled Katrina by evacuating to Texas. Authorities in Texas say hundreds of felons have remained in their state illegally and are a threat to public safety. From member station KUT in Austin, Larry Schoolar reports.
• Credit Card Companies Accused of Antitrust Breach
  Mastercard and Visa collect billions of dollars in fees each year from the nation's retailers. Merchants have long complained about the way those fees are determined. A lawsuit accusing Mastercard and Visa of antitrust violations is expected to go to trial in Brooklyn soon.
• Congo Election Is a Step Toward Democracy
  The votes are being counted after millions of Congolese voted in national elections on Sunday. It is the vast, impoverished nation's first democratic elections in 46 years. Joseph Kabila was considered the front-runner. But no candidate in the field is expected to win the majority needed to avoid a runoff.
• General: Israel Must Defend Itself
  Just hours after the U.S. announced that Israel had agreed to a 48-hour suspension of its air attacks, the Israeli air force again struck targets in southern Lebanon. Brig. Gen. Ido Nehushtan speaks with Renee Montagne about Israel's strategy. He says Israel is not under "a full suspension" of aerial bombing.
• Israel Resumes Limited Aerial Attacks on Lebanon
  Israel launches new airstrikes in south Lebanon, just hours after the announcement of a 48-hour suspension of the aerial campaign. The partial suspension came after the bombing Sunday of an apartment building in the southern Lebanese town of Qana that left more than 50 civilians dead.
• New Defense Against Snake Bites Identified
  Snakebite! When it's a copperhead or a rattler, that means venom. Conventional wisdom says that a body's immune system can make the bite worse when it raises immune defenses, sometimes throwing victims into shock. But a new study suggests that one kind of defensive cell, the mast cell, actually does fight off venom.
• United States Prepares to Leave Abu Ghraib Prison
  This summer, the U.S. military will move out of Iraq's notorious Abu Ghraib prison for good. About 3,000 Iraqi prisoners are held there. Some are considered threats to security, the rest are waiting for their day in court. Soon, they'll be moving to a new facility.
• Affordable Laptop Computer Project Moves Forward
  Nicholas Negroponte wants to put inexpensive laptops into the hands of children in developing countries. The project is called One Laptop Per Child. Despite setbacks, the program is moving forward.
• Homeland Security Signs Hype Indiana Fish Fries
  The Homeland Security Department is telling Vermillion County, Ind., that fish fries aren't emergencies. The county had been advertising community events on $300,000 electronic signs that Homeland Security says are for terrorist attacks or natural disasters. For what it's worth, the marketing seems to have worked. A spaghetti dinner fundraiser and elementary school carnival reported larger-than-normal turnouts after ads appeared.
• Anonymous E-mail Ends Dead-Eel Toss
  For decades, an English village has held a competition where fishermen hurl giant, dead eels at each other for a fundraiser. But this weekend, the eels were replaced with "dock bumpers" after an anonymous e-mailer threatened to bring negative publicity. The e-mailer said the game was disrespectful to the dead eel. Local residents say they're dismayed by the change.

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