Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• What do bridge inspectors look for?
  Two high-profile bridges span the St. Louis River and the Duluth Harbor, connecting that city with Superior, Wisc. Each year, one of those bridges gets a routine safety examination. But in the wake of the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis two weeks ago, both get a look this summer.7:20 a.m.
• Rural foreclosures hitting some areas hard
  The number of mortgage foreclosures in greater Minnesota is nearly twice as large as previously reported according to a new study from the Greater Minnesota Housing Fund. Experts say the study reveals an invisible epidemic that's affecting every corner of the state and they predict the problem will get worse.7:25 a.m.
• Songwriting in earnest
  We've heard how the musicians reacted when they first saw the lyrics to Stephen Burt's "Afternoon Song." This time we check in as they try to turn those words into music.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Public Schools Prepare to Educate Kids with Autism
  The growing number of children diagnosed with autism is creating a new challenge for public schools. Rather than paying to send all of these children to private schools, many public schools are starting to educate some of these autistic students themselves.
• Atlanta Braves' Cox Sets Ejection Record
  Atlanta Braves manager Bobby Cox now holds the record for most ejections from a Major League Baseball game. He has been tossed 132 times. That breaks the record set by Hall-of-Famer John McGraw, who had 131. Cox says the record just means he's been around for a long time.
• Turbulent Mortgage Market Ensnares Top Retailers
  Wal-Mart Stores and Home Depot have reported disappointing sales, blaming the housing market slump and turbulence in the mortgage market that is spreading to the broader economy. Homeowners are feeling the pinch of rising mortgage rates and higher living costs.
• Energy Firms Plan New Nuclear Power Plants
  For the first time in decades, the country's energy companies are gearing up to build new nuclear power plants. David Whitford, editor-at-large at Fortune magazine, speaks with John Ydstie.
• India Celebrates 60th Independence Day
  This week, both India and Pakistan celebrate the 60th anniversary of their independence after British India was split. Commentator Sandip Roy recalls the singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, whose music bridged the divide between the two countries.
• Recalls Don't Cut Demand for Chinese Products
  With the latest product recall by toymaker Mattel, the "Made-in-China" brand is facing tough times internationally. But business has not slowed. There is no shortage of international buyers of toys from China, which now makes 70 percent of the world's toys.
• U.S. to Dub Iran's Elite Force a Terrorist Group
  The Bush administration is reportedly ready to declare Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite military force, a foreign terrorist organization. Iran is already on the U.S. list of terrorist nations. Robin Wright of The Washington Post talks with Renee Montagne.
• Red Meat, Fatty Foods May Up Cancer Recurrence
  There is significant evidence that diets high in red meat and fatty foods increase the risk of colon cancer. New research in The Journal of the American Medical Association finds this type of diet may also increase the risk of a recurrence of colon cancer.
• Astronauts Hold Class From Space Station
  Astronauts at the International Space Station convened a class from space with schoolchildren in Idaho. One student wanted to know: "If you threw a baseball in space, how fast would it go?" Meanwhile, tests suggest that repairs to space shuttle Endeavour's underbelly may not be needed.
• Safety Agency: Importers Must Meet U.S. Standards
  Mattel is the latest company to be embarrassed by defective products from China. It recalled toys with lead paint and small magnets children could swallow. Nancy Nord, acting chairwoman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, talks with Renee Montagne.
• Happiness at Work: A Myth to Be Punctured?
  A study in the Harvard Business Review shows happy workers are more creative and productive than unhappy ones. But Financial Times columnist Lucy Kellaway isn't so sure. She discusses whether happiness at work is important after all with Renee Montagne.
• Thief Quietly Takes 45 Parrots
  Retailer Parrots of the World has discovered 45 parrots were missing. The purloined birds, which cost more than $1,000 each, were spirited away in their cages — through a window. But you have to wonder what the thief was thinking. With 45 parrots, it's only a matter of time before one of them talks.
• Chrysler Workers' New Seat Helps Work, Morale
  Workers at a Chrysler plant in Michigan design a "Happy Seat" to try to eliminate aches and pains from climbing into the cars to work on them. They had to clamber inside 73 times an hour to do the job. But the Happy Seat lets them slide into vehicles on the assembly line.
• Three Yazidi Villages Bombed in Iraq
  Three northern villages that were home to the Yazidi people, one of Iraq's tiniest minorities, were hit by a string of truck bombs. At least 200 are dead and hundreds wounded. The death toll could rise as bodies are recovered from clay homes that collapsed.
• Iraqi Politics in Tatters, One Month Before Report
  Sunni politicians have left the Iraqi government, calling it too sectarian. Many Shiites are gone, too. This week, the Iraqi government called a meeting to bring together various factions — with mixed success at best. Joost Hilterman of the International Crisis Group talks with John Ydstie.

Resources

• Future Tense®
• Marketplace Morning Report®
• Mark Seeley's WeatherTalk

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor