Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Voters approve 10 school questions; reject three
  One school district is headed out of debt and another two will soon merge. Those are just some of the results of school-related referenda that were on ballots yesterday in Minnesota.6:50 a.m.
• Heffelfinger: We will not be reviewing claims of police misconduct
  The city of St. Paul has hired former U.S. Attorney Tom Heffelfinger to conduct an independent review of police planning and tactics during last week's Republican National Convention. However, the team will not investigate allegations of excessive force by the police.6:55 a.m.
• Franken breezes in first step of Senate chase
  Franken cruised to an easy victory over a half dozen DFL rivals in Tuesday's primary. Republican Senator Norm Coleman easily defeated his lone GOP challenger. And it will be Dean Barkley who will represent the Independence Party in the November election.7:20 a.m.
• Davis beats Day for Republican endorsement
  Republican Candidate Brian Davis won last night's 1st Congressional District primary. Davis faced off against long-time state senator Dick Day. Davis beat Day with more than 66 percent of the vote.7:25 a.m.
• Fewer people smoking cigarettes in Minnesota
  The number of people in Minnesota who smoke cigarettes continues to decline, according to a new survey.7:50 a.m.
• Future Tense with Jon Gordon
  We're running low on Internet addresses, and the solution might cost you some money.8:20 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Pentagon Shelves Air Force Tanker Competition
  The Pentagon told lawmakers Wednesday that it will not award a $35 billion contract for a new refueling tanker. The announcement puts on hold the intense competition between Boeing and Northrop Grumman to replace the Air Force's aging fleet.
• Kosher Meat Plant Faces Child Labor Allegations
  State officials in Iowa filed charges Tuesday against top executives of Agriprocessors, the Kosher meatpacking plant raided by immigration agents last May. The state accuses the owner and managers of the plant with more than 9,000 counts of child labor violations.
• Klansman's Conviction In 1964 Case Overturned
  A federal appeals court Tuesday overturned the 2007 kidnapping conviction of James Ford Seale in connection with the deaths of two black teenagers in Mississippi in 1964. He was sentenced to three life terms in 2007, but the appeals court now says the statute of limitations had expired.
• $4 Billion Loss Is Latest Blow For Lehman Brothers
  The future of one of Wall Street's top investment banks is in doubt. Lehman Brothers had been in talks with a Korean bank about purchasing a stake in Lehman, which desperately needs the funds. But the talks ended with no deal, and on Wednesday, Lehman announced a quarterly loss of $4 billion.
• 'Clean Truck' Plan To Proceed In California
  A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the "clean truck" plan can proceed on Oct. 1. It's believed the program will cut pollution in one of the most polluted areas of the country — the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.
• Military Successes Boost Iraqi Leader's Confidence
  Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has surprised U.S. military and diplomatic leaders with his more assertive position. After successful military offensives against militants in Basra and Sadr City, he has become an increasingly confident leader.
• Bush To Withdraw Troops From Iraq
  President Bush on Tuesday announced a modest drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq by February 2009. He also said if progress in Iraq continues, military leaders think additional U.S. troop reductions will be possible in the first half of next year. Both presidential candidates later responded to the news.
• The Role Of Sept. 11 In Presidential Politics
  Presidential candidates John McCain and Barack Obama say they will set aside partisan politics to appear together at Ground Zero on the seventh anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. The legacy of that day has played a role in the politics of presidential elections ever since.
• In Ohio, McCain Repeats Upbeat Iraq Assessment
  The Republican ticket of John McCain and Sarah Palin campaigned Tuesday in the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania. The GOP presidential nominee spoke about the progress in Iraq and praised President Bush's plan to withdraw about 8,000 troops by next year.
• Traveling In Ohio, Va., Obama Pans Bush's Iraq Plan
  Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama was on the campaign trail Tuesday in Ohio and Virginia. In Dayton, Obama touted his education reform plan and criticized President Bush on Iraq. Later, the Illinois senator reaffirmed his belief in the Second Amendment right to own guns to a crowd in rural Virginia.
• North Korea Denies Leader's Health Is Failing
  North Korean leader Kim Jong Il is reported to be in failing health. North Korean officials denied the report, while a U.S. intelligence official told NPR that Kim may have suffered a stroke in recent weeks.
• Lance Armstrong Comes Back From Retirement
  Lance Armstrong announced Tuesday that he will come out of retirement to try for an unprecedented eighth victory at the Tour de France.
• Football Fatigue Got You Down? Try Pigskinexia
  Football season has begun — and that's a problem for some women who aren't crazy about the game but live with men who watch it nonstop. Frank Deford has a cure for the seasonal distress brought on by hours of TV football — and the bad behaviors it provokes.
• Payouts For Ousted CEOs Anger Shareholders
  Some shareholders are upset that the outgoing executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac may receive big payouts after the federal government took over the troubled companies. They say it's an example of corporate executives receiving millions in compensation after dismal performances.
• Did Fannie, Freddie Use Incentives To Boost Stocks?
  Neil Weinberg, senior editor at Forbes magazine, talks with Renee Montagne about whether executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac used financial incentives to pump up the mortgage giants' stock prices.

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