Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Natural gas prices keep rising ahead of summer energy crunch
  Analysts at the Minnesota Department of Commerce say this year's natural gas prices are the highest they've seen since hurricanes Rita and Katrina in 2005.7:20 a.m.
• Storm spotters keep their eyes on the skies
  As the temperatures rise, so does the chance for severe weather. There are some people who don't wait for the sirens to sound as they track potentially dangerous storms. They are specially trained volunteers with a storm spotting group called Metro Skywarn.7:25 a.m.
• New film celebrates outdoor hockey
  A sell-out crowd is expected at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival for the world premier of "Pond Hockey."7:50 a.m.
• St. Paul Art Crawl opens
  You can see -- and buy -- everything from stained glass to sculpture during St. Paul's annual Art Crawl. The capitol city's weekend-long movable feast of art opens Friday evening in the Lowertown neighborhood. Morning Edition arts commentator and St. Paul Pioneer Press theater critic Dominic Papatola offers some tips on how to traverse the 25th annual crawl with style.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Restoring an Afghan Dam in a Taliban Stronghold
  Engineers in Afghanistan's southern Helmand province are trying to rehabilitate a half-century-old, American-built dam and power plant in what is the heart of Taliban country. Amid attacks and other security issues, progress is slow.
• Doctors Get a Crash Course in Healthful Cooking
  Chefs at the Culinary Institute of America have teamed up with Harvard's medical school to show Americans how to make healthful food instead of quickie meals of pizza or taquitos. And they're starting with physicians.
• California Poet Laureate Al Young's 'Blues'
  Al Young took to writing poetry, as he describes it in one poem, "to make out the sound of my own background music." Now California's poet laureate, he writes about the blues, jazz and life in the geographically and culturally diverse state.
• Hundreds of Superdelegates Remain Undecided
  Hillary Clinton says the tide has turned now that she beat Barack Obama in Pennsylvania's Democratic presidential primary, but the race is still likely to be decided by superdelegates. The superdelegates include all Democrats in Congress, and they have mixed feelings about their roles as king- or queen-makers.
• Hoosier State Prepares for Important Primary
  In the ongoing battle to earn the Democratic presidential nomination, the primary race now moves to Indiana and North Carolina, states that host primaries on May 6. Indiana, however, is where the race appears to be closest between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
• U.S. Officials Tie N. Korea to Syrian Nuclear Site
  U.S. intelligence officials say they have evidence that Syria was getting help from North Korea in building a nuclear reactor. The suspected site was bombed by Israeli war planes last year. Intelligence officials brief members of Congress about the facility Thursday.
• Bush to Nominate Petraeus to Lead War Fronts
  President Bush will nominate Gen. David Petraeus to be the head of Central Command, putting him in charge of the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• Beetle Infestation Compounds Effects of Warming
  In western Canada, tree-infesting beetles are flourishing due to warmer temperatures caused in part by global warming. But a new study in the journal Nature argues that these pests may also be compounding the effects of climate change by destroying the trees that suck key pollutants out of the atmosphere.
• Scientists Find Efficient Way to Grow Heart Cells
  A team of scientists in Canada has developed an efficient way to produce heart cells from human embryonic stem cells, a significant step for potential organ repair. But the study must move to trials with laboratory animals before the cells can be used with human patients.
• Starbucks Links Slowing Sales to Housing Downturn
  Starbucks executives on Wednesday warned investors that sales are slowing and the company faces the weakest economic environment in its history. They blame the housing market. Sales were especially slow in California and Florida, which account for nearly one-third of the coffee chain's U.S. revenues.

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