Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Ford workers wonder if it's really lights out in '09
  United Auto Workers union members at Ford's plant in St. Paul have ratified a new contract that keeps the plant open a year beyond its previously scheduled shutdown. Some local union members wonder if there could be life even beyond the new shutdown date.7:20 a.m.
• Ciresi dusts for an endorsement
  DFL Senate candidate Mike Ciresi will spend the day in the shoes of custodian Mark Scherbing as he seeks the Service Employees International Union's endorsement.7:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• New Leader of U.S. Bishops Faulted in Abuse Case
  The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has a new leader in Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, whom the bishops elected as their president Tuesday. But critics say that George ignored complaints that a priest in his own archdiocese was abusing boys.
• Opera Pays Tribute to Mothers of the Disappeared
  Several decades after Argentina's Dirty War, Oscar-award winning Luis Bacalov's opera The Mother Was There traces the experiences of mothers searching for their children who vanished during the war.
• Hops Shortage Likely to Boost Price of Beer
  A triple whammy of bad weather in Europe, an increase in the price of barley and a decrease in hops production in the U.S. has lead to a price increase of 20% for the most widely grown hops, to 80% for specialty varieties. The shortage is particularly hitting microbreweries since they use more hops than major brewers.
• Right-to-Life Group Expected to Back Thompson
  The National Right to Life Committee is expected to endorse Republican presidential candidate Fred Thompson, the actor and former senator from Tennessee. It is another sign that the support of social conservatives is unusually diffused as early primary voting approaches.
• Lender Lures Homebuyers by Attacking Industry
  Mortgage companies are working hard to sell home loans despite the industry's turmoil. They're sending out junk mail and buying ads for television, radio and the Internet. But one company in Atlanta is taking an unusual approach: radio ads that bash the mortgage industry.
• Conservationists Help Protect Animals in War Zone
  In Afghanistan, a quarter-century of war has left deep environmental scars, from toxic rivers to disappearing forests. But governments and conservation groups are helping protect such rare animals as snow leopards and Marco Polo sheep.
• Off-Broadway Shows Buoyed by Stagehand Strike
  Off-Broadway shows had a great weekend as Broadway went dark because of striking stagehands. Tourists and regular theatergoers found their way to off-Broadway theaters, packing those smaller houses.
• Oil Spill in Black Sea Called Ecological Disaster
  A tanker broke up in the Black Sea between Russia and Ukraine two days ago. It was carrying 1.3 million gallons of oil, much of which spilled into the water. As many as 30,000 birds have already been killed. Officials are calling it an ecological catastrophe.
• Watching Cheese Age Becomes Net Craze
  Cheddarvision TV has become an international Web sensation. Tune in and see a 44-pound wheel of English cheddar age – in real time. This cheese has been maturing for almost 12 months. When it's ready, owners will auction it on eBay.
• Texas Couple Celebrates 80th Anniversary
  Eighty years ago, Melvin Scott and his girlfriend went to a traveling vaudeville show. They were offered $25 to get married onstage. They did it on a whim — and for the cash. But the marriage lasted. Since $25 went a long way in 1927, they bought bedroom furniture and some china.
• Moscow Honors Spy Who Defected from Britain
  George Blake, one of Russia's most revered spies was honored on his 85th birthday. Blake worked for Britain's spy agency during the Cold War. In time, he tipped off the Soviets to efforts by their enemies to decode military communications in East Berlin.
• Bhutto: Pakistan Power Sharing Now Not Likely
  Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan's former prime minister and opposition leader, says she worked with President Gen. Pervez Musharraf for democracy "but he didn't follow the road map." The power-sharing deal expected upon her return from exile is now not likely to occur, she says.
• Low Price of Beer in U.K. Vexes Anti-Alcohol Groups
  Beer costs less than bottled water and soda in many British supermarkets. Anti-alcohol campaigners aren't happy about that. They are calling for the government to impose higher taxes on booze, and make it less easily available.
• Gore Hired to Work on Green Investments
  Former Vice President Al Gore has been hired by leading venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers to work on green-technology investments. The idea is that Gore will help attract new clean technology companies, and help guide them through the political process.
• Oregon Lawmaker Calls for Improved Toy Safety
  Following a string of recalls of toys made in China, Oregon Rep. Darlene Hooley, a Democrat and member of the House Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee, is pushing a bill to require independent inspections for all toys sold in the U.S.

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