Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Weekend Weather
  Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer talks with MPR's Chief Meteorologist Paul Huttner about the latest weather news. Huttner also looks ahead to the weekend weather.6:50 a.m.
• Residents have plenty to say about bridge replacement
  Hundreds of Twin Cities residents took advantage of their first chance to sound off about the I-35W replacement bridge at an open house in Roseville Thursday night.7:20 a.m.
• Can a new wasp help protect soybeans?
  The soybean aphid is big trouble in a little package. The insect has been munching away profits in bean fields for seven years, but this year, there's a new enemy in the fields. The Asian wasp has been released in seven states as a biological control for the aphid population. Researchers have worked for the last six years preparing for the release.7:25 a.m.
• What does the lyricist think of the songs?
  If this were a reality show, now would be the "big reveal" moment.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Jazz Legend Max Roach Dies at 83
  Legendary jazz drummer Max Roach died this week. He was 83. He got his first break filling in when Duke Ellington's drummer fell ill in 1940. He went on to become one of jazz's most important innovators, creating beats that would take the genre from swing to bebop to the avant-garde.
• Huckabee: Western-Style Democracy Unlikely in Iraq
  U.S. forces are making "significant progress" in Iraq, but even a military victory wouldn't necessarily lead to a Western-style democracy there, Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee says.
• Report: U.S. May Have Lost Weapons in Iraq
  In Iraq, there are concerns that the United States has lost track of thousands of weapons. A government report says rifles and pistols were designated for Iraq's nascent security forces, but it's just as likely that many of the weapons have fallen into the hands of those opposing U.S. efforts in Iraq.
• U.S. Yazidi Resident Reflects on Deaths in Iraq
  A Nebraska resident of Yazidi heritage reflects on those Yazidi killed in northern Iraq this week when a string of truck bombs detonated. The Yazidi, a small Kurdish sect in Iraq, are vulnerable because of their belief in a religion that has elements of Islam as well as ancient Persian religions.
• Pakistan's Celebration Prompts Soul-Searching
  Pakistan, a key U.S. ally, is marking the 60th anniversary of its creation. The celebrations have come in the midst of a political crisis in that country that could bring down President Gen. Pervez Musharraf.
• Rep. Dennis Hastert to Bow Out
  For eight years, Dennis Hastert was Speaker of the House — the longest-serving Republican ever in that post. He lost the position this past January, when Democrats took control of Congress. Hastert plans to announce he will not run for re-election next year.
• Markets Rise on Prime Rate Cut from the Fed
  The stock markets opened sharply higher Friday morning, after a surprise announcement by the Federal Reserve that it will cut its discount rate on loans to banks, by half a percentage point. The shift was announced about an hour before the New York markets opened.
• Tips on Surviving a Troubled Mortgage Market
  Even credit-worthy borrowers are likely to feel the effects of the troubled mortgage market. Knight Kiplinger, editor-in-chief of Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine, says that many borrowers will have the best luck if they use local institutions, ones they have a relationship with already, for loans.
• When Cancer Calls, Family Matters Most
  Peg Steinberg was diagnosed not once — but twice — with cancer. Through the difficult times of bouncing in and out of good health, Peg and her son, Dan, recall the source of their strength: family unity.
• New Orleans Nursing Home Owners on Trial
  The owners of St. Rita's nursing home near New Orleans are on trial for negligent homicide in the deaths of 35 elderly residents left to drown in the wake of Hurricane Katrina two years ago. But defense lawyers plan to put the botched federal response to Katrina on trial.
• Debacle in Subprime Loans Rocks World Markets
  Overseas markets fear a wave of defaults in the turbulent U.S. subprime lending market. Defaults would crimp banks investing in those mortgages. It is not known how many banks overseas are invested in subprime mortgages, creating more panic.
• Utah Mine Rescue Halted After Rescuers Killed
  The search for six miners missing deep underground was abruptly halted after a second cave-in killed three rescue workers and injured six others. The rescue workers were trying to tunnel through rubble to reach the six men trapped since the Aug. 6 collapse at the Crandall Canyon mine.
• Dell to Restate Years' Worth of Financial Results
  Computer maker Dell will have to restate more than four years of financial results. An investigation found that accounting tricks were used to meet performance targets. The restatement will cut reported profit by as much as $150 million.
• Iraq Faces Globalization in Rebuilding Economy
  One of the hopes of the U.S. security push in Iraq is that its battered economy will be revived. But one challenge to manufacturing in Iraq is globalization. Vendors' tables at heavily guarded markets are crowded with cheap goods from Iran, Syria and China — and Iraqi products are hardly visible.
• Whole Foods Closer to Acquiring Wild Oats
  Whole Foods Market's effort to acquire rival organic food retailer Wild Oats Markets is closer to completion. But the Federal Trade Commission, which wants to block the transaction on antitrust grounds, could appeal a ruling that gave a green light to the $565 million deal.

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