Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Forest experiments track causes and effects of global warming
  Researchers are trying to determine how the north country woods and wetlands will respond to a changing climate.7:20 a.m.
• Advocates receive cross-training at state's first Victim Assistance Academy
  More than 40 violent crime victim advocates are learning more about how they can help people who have faced assaults at the first Minnesota Victim Assistance Academy. Advocates are learning to network between agencies to provide victims with the support they need, while police officers, lawyers and judges show them how the state's judicial system works. Cathy Wurzer spoke with Karin Ehlert, director of the Minnesota Victim Assistance Academy at St. Cloud State University.7:50 a.m.
• Portrait is a tribute to Rosalie Wahl
  A group of lawyers is working on a tribute to retired Minnesota Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Wahl. Minnesota's first woman on the Supreme Court has had a lifetime of firsts.7:54 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Reuters Retracts Altered Beirut Photo
  The Reuters news agency retracts a photo from Beirut that it says was electronically altered. The picture, taken by a freelance photographer, shows thick, black smoke rising over buildings. In the original image, the smoke is less intense.
• Spam Goes Literary
  In a move to get ads past e-mail filters, spammers take a page out of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book.
• The Green Heart of Sumatra
  The Leuser Ecosystem, one of the world's richest yet least-known forest systems, is increasingly threatened by logging and encroachment by a burgeoning population. We fly into the heart of the forest to profile the conservationists trying to keep it pristine for future generations.
• Not Running, DeLay to Remain on Nov. Ballot
  The Texas Republican Party abandons its court fight to replace former House Majority Leader Tom DeLay on the November ballot. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia rejected the party's request to block an appeals court ruling that says DeLay's name should remain on the ballot.
• Impeachment Proceedings Begin in Taiwan
  Impeachment proceedings against the president of Taiwan have begun. Chen Shui-bian was the first opposition leader to win the office after the island began holding presidential elections a decade ago. Taiwan was ruled by founder Chiang Kai-shek's Nationalist Party up until Chen took office.
• BP Pipeline Maintenance Program Draws Scrutiny
  Questions are being raised about BP's maintenance practices after a corroded pipeline forced the company to halt oil production at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. BP says it was surprised by the extent of the pipeline problem. Critics say the company is not as vigilant as it should be.
• Stress Relief Comes Cheap, but not Sleep
  China has a bar that invites patrons to break glasses and attack the staff. Customers work off frustration by assaulting staff for a little more than $6. After a hard day's violence, you can spend over a million dollars to sleep on a floating bed. It floats above the ground with magnets that repel each other. Its Dutch designer admits only one problem -- the bed is, quote, "not comfortable at the moment."
• Diplomacy Inches Forward in Lebanon Conflict
  Fighting in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah continues unabated, with Israel destroying two major buildings in Beirut on Monday night. An offer by the Lebanese government to send 15,000 of its own troops into the country's south was termed "interesting" by Israel's prime minister.
• Military Investigates Iraq Criminal Allegations
  Four military investigations of American troops are taking place over their actions in Iraq. The hearings of these soldiers and Marines will determine whether they face courts martial.
• Alaska Oil Shutdown Constrains Already Tight Supply
  The shutdown of a BP oil pipeline in Alaska sends oil prices rising, and may have a direct impact on California. Alaska supplies close to 20 percent of the oil produced by California's refineries. Renee Montagne talks to Frank Wolak, a professor of economics at Stanford University, about the shutdown's likely effects.
• Ultrasound Affects Brains in Mouse Embryos
  Researchers have found that high doses of ultrasound cause the brains of mouse embryos to develop abnormalities. While this doesn't suggest that routine ultrasounds should be avoided during pregnancy, it is a reminder that the use of ultrasound should be limited by medical need.
• The Strategic Petroleum Reserve
  In 1975, President Gerald Ford signed legislation creating the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It's capable of holding up to one billion barrels of oil as an insurance policy against future supply disruptions. The reserve was created after the 1973 oil embargo, when Arab countries stopped oil exports to protest U.S. support for Israel.
• Oakland Police Spy on Anti-War Group
  The Oakland, Calif., Police Department admits it infiltrated a group of anti-war protestors, and managed to put two of its undercover officers inside the peace group. The American Civil Liberties Union is condemning the Oakland police and other law enforcement agencies for spying on demonstrators.
• Irish Economy Attracts Eastern European Immigrants
  For many years Ireland was one of the most homogeneous societies in the world. But that has changed with the sudden blossoming of the Irish economy and the free movement of labor from East European countries. Ireland now faces a flood of immigrants.
• California Group Targets Cigarettes for Higher Tax
  The Healthy California Coalition is behind a ballot initiative that, if passed in November, would make a pack of cigarettes in California the most expensive in the country. The nearly $2 billion generated annually by the increased tax would triple current state funding for cancer research and tobacco-use prevention programs.

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