Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Northwest cuts flight cancellations way back
  It's the end of the month, but Northwest Airlines passengers haven't had to deal with a rash of flight cancellations. The airline seems to have solved the problem of month-end spikes in cancellations, at least for this month.6:25 a.m.
• Commentary: Brewster brings success before a game is played
  The Minnesota Gophers open their football season Saturday against Bowling Green. Most of the focus has been on new head coach Tim Brewster, but commentator Jay Weiner says there's something else we should pay attention to -- the makeup of his coaching staff.6:50 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  MPR's Cathy Wurzer and University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley talk about the latest weather news and look ahead to the weekend weather.6:55 a.m.
• Minnesota schools falling behind on No Child Left Behind standards
  More than one in every three Minnesota schools failed to make sufficient gains last year under the federal No Child Left Behind education law.7:20 a.m.
• 'Unremarkable parking lot' begins transformation to new stadium
  The Minnesota Twins officially broke ground at the site of their new open-air ballpark in downtown Minneapolis Thursday night, even though the legal wrangling over the land on which it's being built is not over.7:25 a.m.
• Pioneering heart patient returns to the U of M to say thanks
  Cindy Lander was just 11 years old when she underwent pioneering open heart surgery at the University of Minnesota. That was 50 years ago, and Lander is visiting the university Friday to mark the anniversary.7:50 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• 'Forbes' Ranks the World's Powerful Women
  Forbes magazine releases its annual ranking of the 100 most powerful women. The chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, is at the top, and Condoleezza Rice is No. 4. But more than half the women on the list are business leaders, not government leaders.
• An Education Star Takes on New Orleans Schools
  Last year, New Orleans' public schools were beset by woes: rock-bottom test scores, and a shortage of teachers and schools. Now, many are counting on Paul Vallas, the new superintendent who turned around Chicago's and Philadelphia's schools, to work his magic.
• Greek Fire Victims Receive Compensation
  Forest fires sweep through Greece, killing scores of people across the country. Now the government faces criticism for its handling of the disaster. With elections less than three weeks away, the government is rushing to hand out compensation to fire victims.
• New Orleans Residents Use Color to Restore Hope
  Color is among the vibrant signs of hope for those recovering from Hurricane Katrina. As the wrecked, washed-out homes of Gulf Coast residents are slowly rebuilt, bright, cheerful, colorful paint seems to be the one thing strong enough to wipe away the past.
• Iraqis Turn to Fortune Tellers for Guidance
  As the war in Iraq grinds on and the Iraqi government reels from crisis to crisis, ordinary Iraqis are looking for certainty. That has sparked a resurgence of interest in self-proclaimed psychics, fortune tellers and healers.
• Ohio Student Suspended for Prank
  Kyle Garcher, a student in Hilliard, Ohio, put pieces of colored paper on the bleachers for the high school football game. Darby High fans were told that if they held up the paper, it would spell "Go Darby." Darby fans didn't realize when they held up the papers, they really spelled "We Suck."
• Actor Cuts Himself on Stage
  An actor in Shakespeare's Julius Caeser got a little too realistic on a stage in Aspen, Col. The character Brutus, played by Ken Hudson Reed, was using a real knife and cut himself in the leg. He nearly passed out before he excused himself from the stage.
• Independent Movies Take Back Seat to Sequels
  An independent bookstore in Los Angeles called Other Times suddenly closed, shocking patrons. Could movies by independent filmmakers face the same fate as the business becomes increasingly addicted to the money that overblown sequels provide.
• Baseball Playoffs Near
  Labor Day weekend is the traditional crunch time for Major League Baseball. The playoffs are a little more than a month away.
• Feds to Bolster Housing Market as Crisis Grows
  President Bush will announce the administration's first steps to ease the subprime mortgage crisis, after more bad housing news this week: Mortgage rates are going up, and the number of unsold properties is rising. Some of the problems began when borrowers took on loans they couldn't repay.
• GOP Shows Idaho Sen. Craig Slight Support
  The last thing Republicans needed was another scandal. And that may help to explain why so few have stepped up to support their fellow Republican, Sen. Larry Craig. The senator is said to be vacationing with his family in his home state of Idaho.
• Murphy Oil Thrives Despite Rural Roots
  Big oil companies tend to like big cities. ConocoPhillips is headquartered in Houston. BP: London. Chevron: San Francisco's Bay Area. But Murphy Oil, which runs about 1,000 gas stations outside Wal-Mart stores, is based far off the beaten path, in rural Arkansas.
• Bush Administration to Stem Mortgage Fallout
  President Bush plans to announce steps to help families hit by the subprime mortgage crisis meet the rising costs of their housing loans. He says he'll ask the Federal Housing Administration to guarantee loans for delinquent borrowers.
• Virginia Tech Instructor: Ready to Move Forward
  The head of Virginia Tech's engineering department describes life on campus for faculty and students returning to Norris Hall, the engineering building where dozens were killed last spring in a shooting rampage by a mentally disturbed student who also killed himself.
• School Report Cites Failure to Handle Mentally Ill
  A report about mass killings at Virginia Tech last spring found many problems, starting with the university's failure to handle a mentally ill student who became the shooter and killed himself. The panel made some 70 recommendations for handling mental health and law enforcement.

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