Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Search for new Gophers football coach begins
  The University of Minnesota is in the market for a football coach, and some boosters say the U should hire someone who will bring home a national championship. The U fired coach Glen Mason Sunday just two days after the Gophers squandered a 31-point lead and lost the Insight Bowl to Texas Tech.5:19 p.m.
• City leaders looking for green light on Stop on Red
  The city of Minneapolis is looking to the 2007 Legislature for help with a controversial traffic enforcement program that uses remote cameras to nab drivers who run red lights.5:23 p.m.
• Warm weather scotching ice fishing tournaments
  Minnesota's ice fishing tournaments are fighting with the weather -- and many are losing. One of the state's biggest, The Golden Rainbow Tournament in Forest Lake is cancelled because of poor ice conditions. Officials say they're moving the event farther north, to Grand Rapids.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• A Former Prisoner of Saddam's, on His Execution
  Melissa Block talks with Iraqi Oil Minister Hussain al Shahristani about last week's execution of Saddam Hussein and the world-wide publicity generated after his execution was posted on the Internet. Shahristani, a nuclear engineer, was held prisoner under Saddam's regime for 11 years, a time in which he was also tortured.
• For the French, New Year Means Good Oysters
  France is Europe's top producer and consumer of oysters, the staple of French New Year celebrations. In Paris, restaurants and oyster stands display beautiful platters decorated with lemon wedges, as oysterman open the shellfish in front of customers. And unlike in America, oysters are never rinsed in France, the better to preserve the taste.
• Massive Florida Algae Bloom Leads to Accusations
  In a marine whodunit, environmentalists and Florida officials are trying to determine what caused a massive algae bloom that is threatening the health of Biscayne Bay. It's already affecting visibility important to snorkelers and scuba divers and killing sea grass vital to the ecosystem. Environmentalists are blaming a big road project. But the state says there's no evidence yet that it is to blame.
• Somalia's Islamist Forces Vacate Last Stronghold
  In Somalia, interim-government troops backed by the Ethiopian government have been pushing an Islamist movement out of the country. Early Monday, the Islamist movement fled after giving up their last stronghold, Kismayo. Meanwhile, the transitional government is now trying to strengthen its hold on the country. Melissa talks with NPR's Gwen Thompkins in Somalia.
• Washington Honors Ford, Prepares for Change
  It's a busy week in Washington as 2007 begins. Tuesday, President Bush leads the nation at a memorial service to honor the late President Ford. And Thursday, the 110th Congress is sworn in, with the Democrats taking charge of both chambers. NPR's Senior Washington Editor, Ron Elving, talks to Melissa Block about what we can expect.
• Forming a Bond With a Wild Box Turtle
  Commentator Julie Zickefoose has had a decade-long relationship with a wild box turtle, and the rare opportunity to forge a connection with it.
• UFO Is Reported at O'Hare; Feds Are Silent
  In November, a gray saucer-like object was spotted hovering above Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. As many as 12 United Airlines employees spotted the object and filed reports with United. Officials at the airline say they have no knowledge of the incident. The FAA is not investigating.
• With 3,000 U.S. Personnel Dead, Impact Is Wide
  At least 3,000 U.S. service personnel have been killed in the war in Iraq. That landmark figure was reached over the weekend. NPR's Guy Raz reports the dead have come from all branches of the military, from urban and suburban areas of the country. The number also includes 69 women.
• Banned: Irresistible, Over-Used Words of 2006
  Words like "truthiness" and "awesome" are all over the place -- but they're also on at least one list of banned words: Lake Superior State University's annual List of Words and Phrases Banished from the Queen's English for Mis-Use, Over-Use and General Uselessness.
• New Year Brings New Immigration Rules in Colorado
  Colorado now has the most stringent immigration laws in the country. As of Jan. 1, employers face new rules for checking the accuracy of documents presented at the time of hire. The change has construction, agriculture and tourism industries worried -- groups are holding training sessions. A law preventing illegal immigrants over 18 years old from receiving many state benefits went into effect recently.
• Quarks Don't Have Time to Celebrate the New Year
  Humans have to wait 365 days to celebrate a new year. That's how long it takes the Earth to orbit the sun. But tiny particles called quarks complete an orbit much faster -- at ten billion times every trillionth of a second.
• Denver Cornerback Killed in Drive-By Shooting
  Early Monday, a promising member of the NFL's Denver Broncos was killed. Cornerback Darrent Williams was shot in a drive-by shooting as he was riding in a limousine after a confrontation at a nightclub in downtown Denver. He was 24. Williams' death came just hours after the Broncos were eliminated from the NFL playoffs. Broncos' fans are shocked; the team is devastated. Melissa Block talks with Denver Broncos team chaplain Bill Rader and back-up quarterback Preston Parsons.
• Losing a Son in Iraq, and Trying to Keep Another
  With U.S. military deaths in Iraq surpassing 3,000, Melissa Block talks with James Conneway, of Enterprise, Ala., Conneway is the father of Sgt. Timothy Conneway, a U.S. Army Ranger who was killed in Baghdad in June of 2003. Conneway talks about what it's been like since his son's death, and how he chooses to focus on his older son who's also a Ranger, rather than the number of war dead.
• Lobbyists Recast Their Tools for Democrats
  After years of working with a Republican Congress, business lobbying groups are retooling their strategies to work with the new Democratic Congress.
• Democrats to Push for Medicare Changes
  When the new Democratic-controlled Congress convenes this month, one of its first actions will be to try to give the government power to negotiate prices for Medicare's new prescription-drug benefit. But while the public strongly supports such a change, President Bush is likely to veto it. Budget officials say government negotiation won't save money, anyway.

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