Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Public safety tops Rybak budget agenda
  Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is proposing to spend nearly $200 million on public safety in next year's budget, an increase of nearly $7 million over last year. The money would be spent on more police officers and new crime-fighting techonology.7:20 a.m.
• St. Paul neigborhood activists rally for more police protection
  A group of St. Paul residents say crime in their neighborhood has been getting worse over the past few years and they want the police to do something about it. They're holding a rally on St. Paul's east side to urge the mayor and city council to hire more police officers.7:24 a.m.
• Additional testimony heard today in Rodriguez trial, defense plans to focus on jurisdiction
  The prosecution continues to make its case today in the trial of Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., who is charged with kidnapping leading to the death of University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin. During opening statements, the defense argued that the case should not be tried in a federal court because there is no evidence that Sjodin was taken across state lines before she died. Fill-in host Perry Finelli spoke with Twin Cities defense attorney Anthony Torres.7:53 a.m.
• USA Gymnastics national championships at Xcel Energy Center
  The USA Gymnastics Visa Championships begin today at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, MN. Top finishers will advance to the world championships. A current member of the University of Minnesota men's gymnastics team and two former Gopher gymnasts will compete. Fill-in host Perry Finelli spoke with University of Minnesota gymnastics coach Mike Burns.8:24 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Astronomers May Add Planets to Solar System
  Astronomers meeting in Prague are considering a new definition for the word "planet." Under the new rules, Pluto would still qualify as a planet, despite its small size. But some say the rules would open the door to dozens of new planets.
• Israel Slowly Stands Down with Cease-Fire
  With a fragile truce holding in south Lebanon, Israel is preparing to pull out more of its forces out as the Lebanese Army and U.N. troops prepare to move south. But it's still not clear how quickly an expanded U.N. force will be in place.
• Gaza Conflict Punctuated by Abduction of Journalists
  Throughout the month-long war between Israel and Hezbollah, Gaza was the forgotten conflict. Israeli forces have been attacking targets there since the end of June, when a soldier was captured by Palestinian militants. Now two Fox News journalists have been abducted.
• Murderer Reaps Benefits of Religious Conversion
  Darrell Mease, a convicted murderer, was scheduled to die in Missouri when his prayers were answered. Pope John Paul II won Mease, a Christian convert, a commutation of his death sentence during a 1999 Missouri visit.
• Iraqi Refugees Point to Conflict as Civil War
  Iraq is in the middle of a growing population displacement crisis. Thousands of Sunnis and Shiites have registered as refugees. Some say that's proof that Iraq is already in the throes of civil war.
• Sectarian Violence Breaks Apart Iraqi Family
  Many Iraqis are being forced to flee their homes under threat by sectarian gunmen. One NPR staff member in Baghdad explains how and why he has had to split his family up in the name of security.
• Katrina Insurance Case Goes Against Family
  A federal judge sided with the insurance industry in a high-profile test case on flood damage from Hurricane Katrina. The couple who filed the case argued that wind caused most of the damage to their home. But the judge ruled the bulk of destruction was caused by flooding, and their policy didn't cover flood damage.
• Brittle Bosses Not Often Ready to Hear Criticism
  Most of us, from time to time, have some criticism we'd like to offer to our supervisors. Of course, in the hierarchy of the American office, such a move has its risks.
• Airline Plot Investigation Quietly Moves Forward
  British police ask a judge for additional time to question two-dozen people suspected of being involved with the alleged plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners. Not much is known about the investigation into the bombing, although a fresh arrest was made Tuesday and reports say police my have found evidence in a patch of suburban London woods.
• Britain Holds Tony Blair Accountable for Problems
  British Prime Minister Tony Blair and his policies are being blamed for a lot of the United Kingdom's problems. Blair insists that there is no link between terror plots against Britain and his own foreign policy, including his support for the Iraq war.

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