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

• Scientists Link Diamonds To Earth's Quick Cooling
  Scientists say they have evidence the Earth was bombarded by meteors about 13,000 years ago, triggering a 1,000-year cold spell. Researchers write in the journal Science that they have found a layer of microscopic diamonds scattered across North America. An abrupt cooling may have caused many large mammals to become extinct.
• 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.
• Hedge Funds Seek To Prevent Investors Fleeing
  Many hedge funds are losing money and to stem losses, they are starting to block the exits, - telling investors they cannot withdraw their money. Investors are not pleased about having their money locked into bad investments.
• 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.
• 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.
• Grocery Chain Giant Offers Free Antibiotics
  Grocery retailer Giant, which operates about 160 pharmacies in the mid-Atlantic states, is offering free generic drugs this winter. The company says it knows it will lose money, but says its pharmacists have heard many anecdotes about families struggling.
• Web Site Helps Prevent Sartorial Faux Pas
  The Web rises to solve yet another social nightmare — the horror of showing up at a formal event and seeing someone else wearing the same dress. Andrew Jones, co-founder of dressregistry.com, talks about how his site works.
• 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.
• NFL Playoff Season Sees Flurry Of Firings
  It's time for the National Football League playoffs, which means it's also time for teams that didn't make the playoffs to fire their head coaches. Sportswriter Stefan Fatsis talks about the four coaches laid off so far, including the Denver Bronco's Mike Shanahan, one of the longest-serving coaches in the NFL.
• Weak Bond Market Stunts Hospital Construction
  When nonprofit hospitals need money to modernize their emergency rooms or build a new wing, they go to the bond market. For five weeks in September and October, the hospital bond market essentially shut down, poisoned by the mortgage crisis. Meanwhile, hospitals have had to scale back construction plans.
• 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.
• Conflicted Emotions Follow Tennessee Coal Ash Spill
  Cleanup continues in the Tennessee coal ash spill that released more than a billion gallons of toxic sludge last week. The work is slow, and many residents highlight the complex relationship between the utility company that owns the plant and residents of the surrounding areas.
• 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.

Services

• Hourly Newscast
• HD Radio
• iPhone App / Mobile
• E-mail newsletters
• RSS feeds
• Podcasts
• Submit your photos
• Videos
• Weather
• Most e-mailed stories

Become a Sponsor