Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Spreading the word about manure
  More farmers are using manure to beat the high cost of commercial fertilizer. The practice brings with it environmental issues.6:45 a.m.
• Political ads on TV coming fast and furious
  With less than two weeks to go before election day, candidates around Minnesota and interested parties are producing new political ads and buying air time at a feverish pace. MPR's Cathy Wurzer spoke with Minnesota Public Radio's Capitol Bureau Chief Laura McCallum about a pair of new ads in the race for governor.7:41 a.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Poll Shows Rural Voters Shifting to Democrats
  There's new evidence that congressional Republican incumbents are losing critical support. Rural voters have been a key part of the Republican base for at least a decade. But a new survey indicates a rural shift to Democrats, with the election less than two weeks away.
• Old East Berlin Fades Away Amid Renovations
  After decades of being split between East and West, Berlin is in the middle of a post-reunification makeover. The East is being renovated or rebuilt, but Berliners say that's not just a physical change, but a political and emotional one, too.
• 'Great Pumpkin' Marks 40 Years on TV
  Forty years ago tonight, the Peanuts gang made Halloween history with the first broadcast of It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown!. The show's producer, and the actor who played Charlie, look back.
• Southern California Wildfire Kills Four Firefighters
  More than 1,000 firefighters continue to battle a wildfire near Palm Springs, Calif., that was deliberately set. The blaze has claimed four firefighters' lives and left a fifth on life-support.
• Congo Presidential Heavyweights Ready for Election
  The Congo's presidential run-off election takes place Sunday, with President Joseph Kabila facing Jean-Pierre Bemba. Both are relatively young, were educated abroad and owe their position largely to influential fathers. Both candidates also retain sizeable private armies.
• Chinese Energy Investment Clouds Sudan Diplomacy
  As fighting escalates in Sudan, attention is focusing on the country propping up the Khartoum government by purchasing most of its oil: China. Sudan is the home to China's largest overseas energy investment. And despite its public disavowals, China now has a vested interest in the outcome of the fighting there.
• Crack Cocaine Sentencing Rules Hit 20
  Friday is the 20th anniversary of a law that created mandatory minimum sentences for crack cocaine crimes. The rules mandated far harsher sentences for people caught with crack cocaine than for those caught with powdered cocaine. Many say the sentencing disparity is unfair.
• Missouri Voters Weigh Stem-Cell Decisions
  A ballot initiative on stem-cell research is dividing Republicans in Missouri, and shaking up the U.S. Senate race between GOP Sen. Jim Talent and Democratic State Auditor Claire McCaskill.
• 'Catch a Fire' Breathes New Life into an Old Story
  Catch a Fire sounds like an awfully familiar story. And, in some ways, it is. Movies on how South Africa suffered under apartheid, and the heroic efforts made to resist that repressive system, are hardly new. So it's tempting to write off this newest look at that era as too familiar and too late. That would be a mistake.
• Bankers Worry About Predatory Lending Law
  A new law designed to protect military families from predatory lenders is facing criticism. The measure was signed into law last week. But some mainstream bankers are concerned the law will affect them unfairly.

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