Monday, July 3

One year ago, a late-night boat collision on the St. Croix River killed five young men. The victims were driving high-powered watercraft, and officials found that all five were legally intoxicated. One year after the accident, most St. Croix boaters still remember it clearly. Minnesota Public Radio's Shirley Idelson reports.

As the clock strikes midnight and July 8th dawns, the fourth Harry Potter book will finally be revealed -- til now its been cloaked in secrecy -- even the title of the book Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire was only leaked a few days ago. Even so its already on the bestseller lists through advance sales and a record number of copies are being published in anticipation of phenomenal demand. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Stucky, reports not everybody's impressed with the Harry Potter juggernaut.

Most of the 50-thousand Alcoholics Anonymous conventioneers who met in Minneapolis are now back at home. The convention last weekend was a gathering of people who face the same challenge every day of staying sober. And every day of sobriety is a victory. But to live over 40 years worth of sobriety is a major achievement, and brings with it life-long lessons. At the Metrodome on Saturday, the conventioneers heard from some of the "old timers" who have been sober for at least that long. And joining us on the line is one of those "old timers." His name is Duke, who joins us from his home in Daytona Beach Florida.

Two Minnesotans are among a small US delegation departing this week for Iraq. The group, Voices of the Wilderness blames a decade of United Nation's economic sanctions for Iraq's soaring death rate. Minnesota Public Radio's Erin Galbally reports that in an act of civil disobedience, a group of five Americans will spend the next two months inside Iraq.

For most of its long history of building dams and straightening rivers, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers hasn't had to worry much about endangered species. But that's changing. This spring, the Federal Fish and Wildlife Service released a sweeping document known as a "jeopardy opinion." It says the corps' operations on the Upper Mississippi River threaten two endangered species, including one called the pallid sturgeon. Fish and Wildlife is expected to issue another document soon, saying corps operations threaten the pallid sturgeon on the Missouri river as well.

Now, the Fish and Wildlife Service wants the corps to make some changes in how it runs the nation's largest river system. But change for the Corps does not come easy.Minnesota Public Radio's Mary Losure reports.

A year ago today, wilderness campers and vacationers in and around Northeast Minnesota's Superior National Forest were startled to see a looming black line of clouds darken the sky. It was a massive storm that over the next few hours flooded homes, blew out highways, and dropped millions of trees across the forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Scores of people were injured, while the popular camping and canoe wilderness was forever changed. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Kelleher looks back and forward.

Just down the road from the fort in the Fort Snelling National Cemetery, you'll find the grave of a man who lived in those same times, but saw this holiday from a different point of view. His name is Henry Mack and today is his birthday. It's likely you've never heard of him before. He led an unheralded life, but the journey that finally led him to Minnesota must have been an amazing one.

Officials at North Dakota State University continue to cleanup after a disastrous flash flood swamped much of the campus. Heavy rains caused millions of dollars of damage to NDSU's library. Some departments remain without phone service. While much of the damage was immediately obvious, some of the storm's toll is still submerged. School officials are still trying to gauge the long term impact on the nearly 800 acres devoted to crop research. Some say the loss of this growing year for crop and seed developers may be more important than the monetary damage. Minnesota Public Radio's Bob Reha reports.

After setting out on foot from the Bad River Reservation in Michigan last week, a small band of environmental crusaders are somewhere north of Duluth today. They plan to walk around Lake Superior to bring attention to the need to protect the greatest of the Great Lakes. Minnesota Public Radio's Stephanie Hemphill caught up with them on the road.

Candidates vying for retiring Democratic Congressman Bruce Vento's seat hit St. Paul's festivals and parades over July 4th, taking what could be seen as a break from the fund raising that has occupied them in recent weeks. DFL candidates say the race hasn't grabbed voters attention yet, but they hope by meeting and greeting citizens they can build support in time for the party's primary election September 12. Minnesota Public Radio's Amy Radil reports.

A Minnesota men's singing group called the Apollo Male Chorus will be the only men's chorus from the United States to compete in what's considered the Super Bowl of amateur choral competitions. Forty members of the chorus are leaving Minnesota later today to compete in the Eisteddfod International Choral competition in Wales. Joining us in the studio is Tomm Johnson, president of the Apollo Male Chorus.

Jury selection for the trial of Donald Blom has been underway for a month now. Blom has been charged with kidnapping and murdering 19-year-old Katie Poirer. So far, 12 jurors have been seated. Fifteen are needed for the trial to begin. Joining us on the line is Larry Oakes, a reporter for the Minneapolis StarTribune, who's been covering the trial in Virginia, Minnesota.

Immigrant arrivals and crowded schoolrooms have St. Paul officials anticipating the 2000 Census will show the city's population increased in the past decade. What's more, St. Paul expects continued growth in coming years, even though the city limits remain fixed. The hot housing market has city planners earmarking locations for new homes. It also has many renters scrambling to pay rising rents that are the byproduct of a 1 percent vacancy rate. Minnesota Public Radio's William Wilcoxen reports.

Immigration officials and attorneys are trying to help untangle the confusion around the recently passed Hmong Veterans Naturalization Act. The act, signed into law in late May, eases citizenship requirements for those who served in Laos on behalf of the United States during the Vietnam War. The experts warn that not all Hmong will qualify under the act, in fact applicants who are found to have broken immigration and other U.S. laws in the past may face deportation. Minnesota Public Radio's Lynette Nyman reports.

A national convention of the Little People of America (LPA) has been meeting in the Twin Cities this week. During this annual gathering of a group representing people who are 4 foot 10 inches or less, a variety of business and leisure activities have been planned for the 1,300 convention goers. One of the features of the annual event is the LPA expo. There, vendors display products and services designed to fit the needs of little people. Minnesota Public Radio's Brandt williams reports.

Soul Asylum and the Bo Deans will be two of the bands featured at the Basilica Block Party in Minneapolis this weekend. The block party is an annual event at the Basilica of St. Mary, which has been a landmark in Minneapolis for nearly a century. Peg Guilfoyle has written a new book, The Basilica of Saint Mary, Voices from a Landmark, about the history of the basilica. One of the things she finds most interesting is its role as both a public and a private place. She says that dual role is illustrated by an event at the basilica in the early 1940s.

The Minnesota Lynx reached the halfway point in their WNBA schedule with a 67-60 loss last night to the Seattle Storm. The Lynx revamped their roster this year with six new picks from the 2000 draft. Joining us on the line is Pam Schmid, sports writer for the Minneapolis StarTribune.