Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Film explores the lives of Dominican baseball players
  The Dominican Republic is famous for the large number of major league baseball players it produces. A new movie, "Sugar," follows the story of one man who tries to make that leap. MPR's Jim Bickal talked to the filmmakers.6:25 a.m.
• Weather with Mark Seeley
  University of Minnesota climatologist Mark Seeley discusses Minnesota weather history and looks ahead to the weekend forecast.6:55 a.m.
• Minn. House rejects Pawlenty's borrowing plan
  The House overwhelmingly rejected an amendment to the state government bill that would borrow $1 billion and pay the money back over twenty years with future tobacco revenues.7:20 a.m.
• Gang injunction aims to make Cinco de Mayo safer
  St. Paul city officials will ask a Ramsey County Court judge to grant them a temporary injunction designed to prevent violence at a popular street festival.7:25 a.m.
• 'The Quick and the Dead' brings concepts to the Walker
  The words 'conceptual art' are enough to get some people running the other way. However, the Walker Art Center hopes to change that with its huge new show "The Quick and the Dead" opening this weekend. With almost a hundred works by 53 artists, the show presents some very different takes on the world where we live.7:45 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Architects, Rehabber Find Riches In Detroit Ruins
  Detroit is full of architectural ruins and abandoned houses, but some resourceful people are mining the city for profit. There's an architect couple who adapt and restore large buildings downtown, a company that strips buildings of their interior treasures and a real estate investor who rehabilitates houses and flips them.
• Few Uninsured Willing To Pay Full Cost For Coverage
  The average individual health plan costs about $400 a month, and a family policy costs more than $1,000. But in a recent NPR-Kaiser-Harvard poll, many uninsured said they would be willing to pay no more than $100 a month. Potential sticker shock is emerging as a key issue in the debate over whether everybody should be covered.
• U.S., Russia To Restart Arms Talks Amid Tensions
  The two countries begin talks on a new agreement to replace the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The treaty expires in December; both sides say they want to reach a deal before then. But deep-rooted tensions between Moscow and Washington may pose a major obstacle to success.
• First-Time Buyers Jump Into Housing Market
  After a dismal year full of plummeting values and foreclosures, the U.S. housing market is seeing glimmers of hope. And the key element to the turnaround might be first-time buyers. They accounted for more than half the purchases in March.
• From Juilliard To Skid Row In 'The Soloist'
  When Robert Downey Jr., as journalist Steve Lopez, discovers Jamie Foxx, playing a homeless man who happens to be a talented musician, he enters into a complicated relationship that changes the lives of both men.
• Detroit Lions Have First Pick In NFL Draft
  There aren't any NFL games this weekend, but football fans will have something to keep them occupied: The NFL draft. The Detroit Lions have the first pick. The team's record last season was 0-16.
• What Exactly Is A Trillion?
  The International Monetary Fund this week estimated that it will eventually write down $2.7 trillion dollars in assets. Our Planet Money team decided to find out just what is a trillion.
• Chrysler Expected To File For Bankruptcy
  Several news reports say the U.S. Treasury is preparing for Chrysler to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as early as next week. A bankrupty filing would clear the way for Italian carmaker Fiat to complete its much-talked-about alliance with Chrysler.
• GM's Shutdown Casts Pall On Auto Part Plants
  GM's decision to shut down 13 assembly plants for up to 11 weeks this summer will disrupt far more than the lives of nearly 24,000 of its workers. It is rippling out to part suppliers.
• Recession Hurts Microsoft Sales
  Microsoft said its quarterly revenue fell from the previous year for the first time in its 23-year history as a public company. The software giant said its earnings dropped 32 percent to 2.98 billion dollars.

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