National

Federal officials are about to join hands with a tribe in South Dakota in a proposal to make part of the Badlands National Park the first ever tribally-run national park in the country. The agreement comes after years of sometimes bitter land disputes over the south unit of the Badlands. The largely undeveloped swath of steep bluffs and mud buttes is sacred place to some Native Americans who don't believe the land belongs under federal control or ownership. The move towards tribal management could set a precedent for other tribes in the United States to take over control of national parks elsewhere.

Five years in prison. Then five years of probation and wearing an electronic monitoring device. The shame of being a registered sex offender. Not being able to get a job. His dream of playing in the NFL destroyed, possibly forever.

Brian Banks, now 26, has gone through all that.

Then Thursday, the California man's rape conviction was dismissed. His accuser, who last year sent Banks a message on Facebook suggesting that they "let bygones be bygones," had been videotaped saying she lied about being raped. Wanetta Gibson's previous statements to police about the alleged 2002 incident had been the only evidence against Banks — there was no physical evidence that Banks had raped her. With the change in her story, prosecutors and a judge agreed, there was no case.

Jeff Neely, the regional official at the General Services Administration who hosted a 2010 taxpayer-funded conference in Las Vegas that became a scandal as details about excessive spending, gifts and lavish parties were revealed, has left his job at the agency.

"GSA spokesman Adam Elkington would not say whether Neely resigned or was fired from the agency that is in charge of federal buildings and supplies," The Associated Press says.

In 1970 a young girl lost her banana-seat bike. Lisa Brown was riding it across a rickety bridge in Cape Cod, Mass., when she and the bike tumbled into a little river. The bike sank into the muck and was gone.

Amy Richter was slathered up in oil and wearing a sparkling red bikini when she competed in her first bodybuilding contest a few years ago. That was quite a change for an Episcopal priest. Host Michel Martin speaks with the "Ripped Reverend" about keeping the body and spirit strong.

NPR's "Sick in America" survey found that a lot of Americans are unhappy with the healthcare system. Among those who had a recent serious healthcare experience, nearly half said that a lack of cultural understanding played a big role in the problems with U.S. healthcare quality. Host Michel Martin talks with NPR's Richard Knox and Dr. Kavita Patel of the Brookings Institution.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne. A Memorial Day weekend combines honoring those who served with backyard barbecues. And some are getting an early start. Police in Boxford, Massachusetts responded to a call about six party crashers - cows. The Tri-Town Transcript reports the cows crashed a backyard gathering, chased away partiers, and drank their beer. Said a police sergeant, the thirsty cows, quote, "just went in and helped themselves." It's MORNING EDITION. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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And now let's raise a toast to a bridge that once claimed the title of longest suspension bridge in the world. That was the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened 129 years ago yesterday. With a span of 1,500 feet, it featured two carriage ways, two railway lines, and a lane that pedestrians could use at the cost of one penny.

In 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge launched New York's Golden Age of Bridges, a hundred year period during which three more of the city's bridges would hold the world's longest title, the last being Verrazano-Narrows, connecting Staten Island with Brooklyn. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.

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This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. I'm Renee Montagne.

President Obama campaigned in Iowa yesterday and delivered his sharpest criticisms yet of Mitt Romney. Mr. Obama was speaking to supporters at the state fairground in Des Moines. He did defend his own record, but the most memorable lines in his speech were those directed at the presumptive Republican nominee.

NPR national political correspondent Don Gonyea was there.

DON GONYEA, BYLINE: The president spoke at an exhibition hall at the fairgrounds filled with some 2,500 supporters. This is the state where his campaign took off after his unexpected victory in the caucuses back in 2008.

(SOUNDBITE OF SPEECH)

Voters in southern Arizona's 8th Congressional District are deciding who will fill the seat formerly held by Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The Democrat resigned in January, a year after she was badly injured by a gunman at a district event in Tucson.

Giffords' resignation set in motion a special election to serve out the rest of her two-year term. Giffords' former district director, Ron Barber, won the Democratic nomination uncontested. Jesse Kelly easily beat three opponents in the Republican primary.

Barber, 66, was wounded in the Tucson shooting and says Giffords asked him to run. He calls himself a moderate like his former boss.

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RENEE MONTAGNE, HOST:

This is MORNING EDITION, from NPR News. Good morning. I'm Renee Montagne.

Benton Harbor, Michigan is hosting the Senior PGA Championship, though the economically troubled city may seem like an unlikely place to hold a golf tournament. Benton Harbor is currently in receivership. And it is home to the Whirlpool Corporation, which has moved much of its manufacturing and jobs out of town and overseas. As Michigan Radio's Lindsey Smith reports, Whirlpool executives are hoping the golf tournament will give the town an economic boost.

When small-business owners start looking for money to expand, they often begin at a big bank. The banks are highly visible, well-known and often nearby.

But many small-business owners report that they have struggled to get loans in the wake of the economic downturn.

Ami Kassar, CEO of the small-business-loan broker multifunding.com, advises business owners that large banks are "not the best place to start" when looking for a small-business loan.