Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Lawmakers set stage for orderly end to session
  Legislative leaders and Gov. Tim Pawlenty have reached agreement on a spending plan they say paves the way for an orderly end to the legislative session.6:20 a.m.
• The Great Hinckley Firestorm story retold
  Author Daniel James Brown has written a new book that recalls one of America's most devastating fires -- the Great Hinckley Firestorm, which occurred on Sept. 1, 1894.6:25 a.m.
• Searching for Indian burial mounds
  Historians say Minnesota once had as many as 12-thousand Indian burial mounds. But after years of neglect, only a few thousand remain. Many of those ancient and undocumented sites are only discovered when landowners find them accidentally. Several groups in Minnesota are working to find and preserve the region's remaining burial mounds before they disappear. Minnesota Public Radio's Tim Post has more in this report.6:50 a.m.
• A cold, wet start to spring
  Cathy Wurzer talked with University of Minnesota Climatologist Mark Seeley about how cold temperatures and wet weather have slowed agricultural progress.6:55 a.m.
• Bankruptcy judge blocks Mesaba Airlines from canceling union contracts
  The judge in the bankruptcy case of Mesaba Airlines did something Thursday that does not happen often in U.S. bankruptcy courts. He ruled in favor of the airline's unions, denying Mesaba the right to impose pay and benefit cuts on its workers.7:25 a.m.
• New Minneapolis library promises access to books, computers and fun
  The new Minneapolis library, its 365,000 square feet filled with three million books, 300 public computers and an art gallery, expects 20,000 visitors when it opens Saturday.7:50 a.m.
• The future of architecture in the Twin Cities
  The new Minneapolis Central Library, designed by Cesar Pelli, marks the next stage of innovation in Twin Cities architecture. MPR's Cathy Wurzer talked about the future of architectural design in the Twin Cities with Hugh Hardy, a Fellow of the American Institute of Architects and Principal of New York-based H-3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture.7:55 a.m.
• A dance barn revival
  An open house is planned this weekend in honor of a well-known barn near Glenwood, Minnesota. During the Depression, the big white barn was used for milking cows. On Sunday nights, the barn's huge hay mow became a hot dance spot.8:25 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Researchers Fan Out to Find Bird Flu in Alaska
  In Alaska alone, the goal is to test and screen more than 15,000 birds this summer and fall. Despite the looming danger, the surveillance effort is still somewhat of a work in progress.
• Sniffing Out DVDs in the Fight Against Piracy
  Sniffer dogs have long been used to spot hidden explosives and drugs, so why not DVDs? The movie industry hopes to use dogs to help find pirated discs shipped around the world.
• Three Boys, One Bridge and a Train
  Mary McCormick's father, Dan E. Andrews Jr., grew up during the Great Depression. So she's naturally curious about what his experiences were like, living in America's Dust Bowl region. But the story Andrews shared recently resembles something out of a movie.
• Hayden Defends Domestic Surveillance to Senators
  Air Force Gen. Michael Hayden says he consulted both his lawyers and his conscience in approving the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance program. Hayden defended the spying during Senate confirmation hearings for his nomination to be the next director of the CIA.
• Mixed Message Emerges from Iran on Nuclear Program
  Iran's president is maintaining his hard line on the country's nuclear ambitions, insisting that Iran will never give up its uranium enrichment program. He has rejected a package of incentives from the European Union aimed at curbing Iran's program. But other voices in Tehran suggest a compromise is still possible.
• Law Firm Allegedly Paid Kickbacks to Plaintiffs
  A federal grand jury has indicted a top class-action law firm for allegedly participating in a scheme that paid out more than $11 million in illegal kickbacks. The firm, Milberg Weiss Bershad & Shulman, is accused of paying kickbacks to plaintiffs in class-action cases.
• Investigations Seek Answers to New Orleans Levee Failures
  Most people in New Orleans blame the Army Corps of Engineers for the failure of the levee system to protect the city from Hurricane Katrina. Government and independent investigators have been looking at why the system failed. They find that there are no easy answers.
• Controlled Missouri River Flood Aimed at Helping Fish
  After 15 years of lawsuits and delays, the Army Corps of Engineers is finally releasing enough water for a "spring rise" flood in the Missouri River. The goal is to spur breeding of an endangered fish, the Pallid Sturgeon. But the flood is controversial -- especially with down-river farmers. Frank Morris of member station KCUR reports.
• Fifty-Year Mortgage Offers Limited Advantages
  There's a new kind of mortgage available. Statewide Bancorp is offering a 50-year mortgage. The advantage is that buyers will have lower monthly payments. The disadvantage is it takes decades before a buyer has any kind of equity in the home.
• Credit Scores as Important to Teens as SATs
  By the time they turn 18, about one in five high school students already has a credit card. A federal bankruptcy judge is trying to keep students out of his court in the future by teaching them about credit scores and other borrowing basics.

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