Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minneapolis' budget strains under weight of bridge collapse costs
  Minneapolis city officials say the city's emergency preparedness plan helped first responders know what to do and communicate with each other in the critical moments following the bridge collapse. That plan also includes a way for the city to protect itself from financial disaster. This is crucial for a city trying to follow a tight budget.6:50 a.m.
• Bush cool to federal gas tax increase
  President Bush isn't embracing Minnesota Rep. Jim Oberstar's call for a federal gas tax increase. Oberstar says the tax income should be used to repair and replace structurally deficient bridges.6:55 a.m.
• Debris removal on hold as search for victims continues
  After nearly a week of searching, divers and other emergency workers have yet to recover underwater remains of bridge collapse victims. Officials told reporters Wednesday the main problem facing the recovery effort lies in the tons of bridge materials.7:20 a.m.
• Is taconite killing miners?
  Members of dozens of organizations met in Eveleth Wednesday to begin probing the mystery. The University of Minnesota is launching a study into taconite mining and lung disease, specifically mesothelioma.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• High School Students Find Economics Hard
  For the first time, the federal government is testing U.S. high school students on how much they understand economics. The results were surprising. Only half knew that banks use deposits to make loans to other customers. Half also understood the basic principles of global trade.
• Work, Not Quake, May Have Caused Mine Collapse
  Scientists say it is more likely that mine work itself caused the collapse of a Utah coal mine where six men are trapped. But Robert Murray, who owns the mine, attributes the collapse to an act of nature.
• Utah Mine Owner Defends Safety Process
  The chairman of the Murray Energy Corp., Robert Murray, says his miners were not "retreat mining" when they became trapped in a central Utah mine. "Retreat mining" is when workers remove pillars of coal from a distance and then let the roof fall in.
• Shiite Pilgrims Willingly Risk Lives for Faith
  Thousands are walking the streets of Baghdad, performing an annual pilgrimage to the shrine of a much-loved Shiite Imam, or saint. Because many Shiite observances were suppressed under Saddam Hussein, the pilgrimage is an important part of Shiite identity but dangerous.
• The Friendly Skies Become Overcrowded
  Crowded skies, known to pilots as mutual traffic, are a large part of air travel's woes. Mike Sammartino, director of system operations for the Federal Aviation Administration, attributes overcrowding to airlines' overloaded schedules. He speaks with Renee Montagne
• Reporters Struggle With Objectivity and Advocacy
  Reporters have a special perspective on a universal problem: how to cover a story when you have a stake in it. Journalists who cover politics are voters; those who cover America's wars are Americans. A new oral history reveals black journalists are no different when it comes to such tensions.
• Blogs Tout GOP Presidential Hopeful Ron Paul
  Texas congressman Ron Paul is one of the candidates hoping for a strong showing this weekend in Iowa Republicans' presidential straw poll. His unconventional platform — one he calls "anti-war: and "anti-welfare" — is attracting support from the grassroots and 'Net roots.
• Town Compels Lenders to Care for Vacant Homes
  Home foreclosures jumped nearly 60 percent during the first half of the year, and many of those foreclosed houses are now sitting vacant. But in Chula Vista, Calif., residents passed a law requiring lenders to hire a management company to look after vacant houses when a buyer defaults.
• J&J Sues Red Cross over Trademark Breach
  Red Cross and health care giant Johnson & Johnson shared the red-cross symbol of relief for more than a century. But J&J is suing the Red Cross for trademark infringement, charging it is licensing the red-cross symbol to for-profit companies that sell medical equipment.
• Massachusetts Engineers Inspect Bridges
  Inspectors in Massachusetts are evaluating bridges. Their effort follows a call by federal officials for states to examine structures similar to the truss bridge that recently collapsed in Minneapolis, killing five. Massachusetts has more than 5,000 bridges, and 24 of them are truss bridges.
• Making a Mark with Rockets and Roadsters
  Self-made entrepreneur Elon Musk thinks outside the box when trying to make smart investments. Venturing into the world of $100,000 electric sports cars and rocket orbiters, Musk puts a different spin on the art of saving the world.
• Move Around on Long Flights to Prevent Blood Clots
  A new study shows that 1 in 4,500 travelers — particularly those who take long flights and fly often — will develop a blood clot. Although not every traveler has the same risk, doctors and even some airlines suggest staying alert and moving around in-flight.
• Rumor of Pakistan State of Emergency Sparks Furor
  Political turmoil in Pakistan deepens as the government raised the possibility that embattled President Gen. Pervez Musharraf might impose a state of emergency. News of the possible emergency declaration came after Musharraf abruptly canceled a planned visit to Afghanistan.
• Bonds, Woods Focus of Sports Spotlight
  Barry Bonds becomes Major League Baseball's new home run leader. Also, golf's fourth and final major championship of 2007 begins in Tulsa, Okla., where Tiger Woods defends the PGA Championship. He has not won any of the three previous majors this year.
• A Tortoise's Great Escape
  A rare tortoise disappeared from a Virginia zoo. It's not clear whether a visitor freed it or it slipped out on its own, but it was gone. The Burmese Mountain Tortoise raced away with the speed a tortoise is famous for. Zoo staff found it seven hours later in a patch of bamboo just 20 yards from its pen.

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