Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Carol O'Connell and the covenant of the crime novel
  Carol O'Connoll's new novel "Bone by Bone" opens with a human jawbone sitting on the front porch of a house in a small California town.4:50 p.m.
• Minn. Senate forecast: Flurry of action, hazy end
  Minnesota's Senate recount played out on three fronts Friday: local officials readied unopened absentee ballots for counting this weekend, the state's highest court kept a legal door open for Sen. Norm Coleman, and a top Republican in Washington hinted at a Capitol battle ahead.5:20 p.m.
• Minn. Supreme Court wants info before Senate case ruling
  Minnesota's highest court is asking counties to provide more information before ruling on a Senate race petition from Republican Norm Coleman seeking to add ballots to the recount.5:22 p.m.
• Longtime central Minnesota radio man signs off
  A central Minnesota broadcasting icon retired this week. For the past 56 years, many Minnesotans grew up listening to radio announcer Cliff Mitchell on KASM-AM in Albany. At 80 years old, Mitchell decided it was time to leave the airwaves.5:23 p.m.
• Which city services will be scaled back?
  There's no question cities around Minnesota are tightening their belts in response to the state's multi-billion dollar budget deficit. The question is how to adjust their budgets with as little impact to the services they offer residents as possible.5:55 p.m.
• Most memorable stories of 2008
  Over the course of a year, Minnesota Public Radio's reporters, producers and hosts talk to hundreds of people from all walks of life. Some make a bigger impression than others. Some stories involve a behind-the-scenes challenge. MPR journalists each selected a story or show that was the most memorable for them.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Disabled Guitarist Finds New Sound In Mbira
  For a musician, essential tremor disorder can be devastating. The disease affects fine motor coordination, causing hands to shake. But guitarist Richard Crandell has found a new way to continue composing and performing.
• Gaza Strikes Spur Protests, Vows Of Retaliation
  Israeli airstrikes in the Gaza Strip, as well as Hamas rocket attacks against Israel, continue. Prospects of a cease-fire appear to have dimmed after the killing Thursday of a senior Hamas leader. Protests against the airstrikes spread to the West Bank.
• Google CEO's Influence With Obama May Aid Tech
  Google CEO Eric Schmidt endorsed Barack Obama during the campaign. Now the most powerful CEO in Silicon Valley is part of a team of advisers to the president-elect.
• What Obama Team Might Face In Gaza
  Robert Malley, director of the International Crisis Group's Middle East program, and Martin Indyk, director of the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at the Brookings Institution, discuss the possible challenges faced by the incoming Obama administration in the Middle East.
• Thrillers For A Winter's Night
  It's a good time to be holed up with the supercharged pages of some new thrillers. Here are four: Noir by Olivier Pauvert, Eclipse by Richard North Patterson, Daemon by Daniel Suarez, and Terminal Freeze by Lincoln Child.
• Muslim Taken Off Plane By AirTran Speaks Out
  Atif Irfan is one of the nine Muslim passengers detained and questioned at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport after fellow passengers on their AirTran flight reported hearing a suspicious conversation between Irfan and his sister-in-law. The group was later cleared by the FBI and awarded refunds. Irfan discusses what happened.
• Letters: Asperger's, Masala
  Listeners respond to the piece about life with Asperger's syndrome and to the reference to masala in the forecast for this year.
• Iowa Family Pitches In To Make Profit Off Livestock
  Each year, the Griffieons net about $5,000 from the cattle, hogs, chickens and turkeys they raise on their farm. Craig Griffieon tends to the cattle, while his wife, LaVon, and daughter Autumn sell the meat. Autumn says she gets attached to the animals, but the money helps reconcile her feelings.
• Palestinian Envoy Seeks Verifiable Gaza Cease-Fire
  Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian observer to the United Nations, says there must be an immediate cease-fire to end the violence in the Gaza Strip. He also wants an agreement on an international force to guarantee the cease-fire.
• Israeli Ambassador Outlines Demands
  Israel seeks a new situation on the ground, says Sallai Meridor, Israel's ambassador to the United States. He says in order for Israel to agree to a cease-fire, the rocket fire from Hamas must stop and Iran should not be allowed to build a terror base on Israel's border.

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