Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Turbocharged plants
  A Minnesota researcher is the first to successfully clone a gene that regulates plant growth. It's a small piece of a big puzzle, but the finding has the potential to increase food production and grow plants genetically engineered for ethanol production.7:20 a.m.
• Duluth paper launches 'mayoral madness'
  The Duluth News Tribune has come up with an unusual way to introduce the city's 12 mayoral candidates. It has launched an NCAA-style tournament. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked with Robin Washington, editorial page editor at the Duluth News Tribune.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Alter Egos in a Virtual World
  As the old New Yorker cartoon said, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." And if you're an online gamer, your opponents may not know that you're a 27-year-old white mother pretending to be a large, black male warrior.
• FDA Panel: Keep Diabetes Drug on Market
  Avandia, a pill to treat diabetes, needs strong new warnings about potential heart-attack risks, an FDA panel says. But the panel also said the widely used drug should remain in use.
• Should FDA Tighten Rules for Drugs on Market?
  Does the Food and Drug Administration have sufficient control over drugs once they've been approved?
• Angry Drivers Target California Road Crews
  Traffic on a state highway on the outskirts of Los Angeles is slowed by repairs. But irritated drivers have aimed threats, burritos, vehicles and even pellet guns at road crew members.
• Movie Stardom May Await If Lohan Can Grow Up
  Glance at reports of drunken-driving charges and lurid tabloid coverage and it's easy to see 21-year-old actress Lindsay Lohan as just another bad-girl celeb. But some in Hollywood defend her as a real talent, battling child-star demons.
• 'Simpsons Movie' Rakes in the Dough
  The first feature-length film featuring Springfield's favorite animated family is off to a great start at the box office. The Simpsons Movie made more than $74 million in its first weekend.
• Federal Agents Search Stevens' Alaska Home
  FBI and IRS agents comb through the home of Sen. Ted Stevens, the Alaska political pioneer who is the longest-serving Republican in the Senate. It's part of an ongoing investigation into his links with an oil contractor.
• Deadline Looms for Taliban Hostages
  A man shot the man in the head and left in a clover field beside a road in Afghanistan was the second of 23 Christian missionaries held by the Taliban after a kidnapping. The Taliban is threatening to kill more of the hostages if their demands are not met by a new deadline set for Wednesday.
• Sunni Militants in Baghdad Shift Loyalties
  Not more than a week ago, Sunnis in Baghdad's western neighborhood of Amiriya were on the side of al-Qaida. Now they're fighting alongside U.S. forces to capture or kill members of the terrorist group.
• Making the Journey to the Syrian Border
  The drive from Baghdad to Syria — through the Sunni Triangle — is a dangerous trip for an Iraqi Shiite. But equipped with tips, trade secrets and a good driver, former NPR Iraqi staffer Abdulla Mizead has made the trek.

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