Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• St. Paul soldier killed in Iraq
  The Minnesota Army National Guard says James Mathew Wosika Jr., 24, died on Tuesday in Fallujah.5:25 p.m.
• Senate Dems propose expansion of health care coverage
  State Senate health care committee leaders released details of a plan Wednesday to insure approximately 40,000 more Minnesotans this session -- and all Minnesotans by 2010.5:50 p.m.
• Legislators boost their daily allowances
  Expense checks for state legislators are on the way up after bipartisan votes Wednesday to raise daily allowances and lodging reimbursements, regarded by some as a pay hike in disguise.5:54 p.m.
• Minnesota National Guard mission in Iraq extended
  The president's escalation of the war in Iraq will come from extending the tours of some National Guard units, including one based in Minnesota.6:20 p.m.
• WSJ: Northwest talking deal with Delta
  The revelation from the Wall Street Journal came on the day when US Airways increased its offer in a hostile takeover bid for the Atlanta-based Delta Airlines.6:24 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Prayer: Once a Last Resort, Now a Habit
  Storyteller Kevin Kling has often used prayer to try to get himself out of the dumb trouble he finds himself in. But after a life-changing motorcycle accident in 2001, Kling's prayers have changed.
• Study Details Risk of Drug for HIV-Positive Mothers
  A study conducted by Harvard University in Botswana found that if treatment with nevirapine is delayed until six months after the prophylaxis is given to prevent mother to child transmission, there is no resistance or failure in the treatment.
• Bush's Case for Iraq: A Former Speechwriter's View
  With sinking approval ratings and an increasingly unpopular war in Iraq, President Bush faces a challenge in convincing the public that he has an improved plan for U.S. involvement in Iraq. Michael Gerson was President Bush's chief speechwriter from 2001 until June 2006.
• The Massachusetts Health Plan, and California's
  The universal health-care proposal that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is proposing for California shares many features with a landmark law that Massachusetts enacted last spring. But Massachusetts health experts think the Schwarzenegger plan is likely to run into far more political trouble than the East Coast version.
• Pelosi Hangs a 'No Smoking' Sign in the House
  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has banned smoking in the Speaker's Lobby. Even after other federal buildings banned smoking, the Speaker's Lobby remained a haven for the House's smoking members who congregated there for a puff. But non-smoking members and staff complained about second-hand smoke.
• A Man of Letters Inserts Himself Into Sudan Debate
  Renaissance scholar Eric Reeves had never set foot in Africa. He spent his days teaching the works of Shakespeare and Milton to the young women of Smith College in Massachusetts. But that didn't keep him from getting involved with the humanitarian crisis in Sudan. From his office at Smith, Reeves has becomea leading activist against the genocide.
• In Education Debate, Congress Must Talk Money
  One of the issues the new Congress will deal with is the renewal of the No Child Left Behind Act. Commentator Andrew Rotherham says that any reconsideration of education legislation will need to consider changes in the way it is funded. Rotherham serves on the Virginia Board of Education and writes the blog Eduwonk.com.
• Anti-War Senator: Bush Must Be Blocked
  The newly elected Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ), whose anti-war platform helped him gain a seat on the Foreign Relations Committee, says he'll vote for Ted Kennedy's bill to block the president from sending additional troops to Iraq. In a speech, President Bush is expected to announce an increase of troop levels there. Robert Siegel talks with Menendez.
• Labor, Business Make Plays on Free Choice Act
  Organized labor has big plans for the new Congress. Its top legislative priority is the Employee Free Choice Act, which would make it easier to unionize. If a majority of workers at a company sign cards saying they want union representation, they could have it. Unions say the current law is one reason union membership keeps declining.
• Saudi Ambassadorship Signals Rift in Royal Family
  There is a large and public rift between two key players in the Saudi royal family. Last month, Prince Turki al-Faisal abruptly resigned his post as Saudi ambassador to the United States, reportedly out of anger that his predecessor, Prince Bandar, was making not-so-secret visits to administration officials in Washington.
• University of Michigan Head Balances Law, Diversity
  Recent judicial and electorate decisions in Michigan have limited schools' ability to use affirmative action to promote diversity, a development that has left colleges scrambling to form new strategies. Michele Norris talks with University of Michigan president Mary Sue Coleman, who says she remains committed to diversity.
• Michigan School Announces New Admissions Rules
  The University of Michigan says that complying with a new law banning affirmative action will be complicated — but backers of the law say they will be watching closely to make sure that race and gender are dropped from admissions criteria. The university has dropped legal challenges to the law, which was passed in a referendum in November.
• House Approves a Raise in U.S. Minimum Wage
  The House votes 315-116 in favor of a proposal to raise the federal minimum wage from $5.15 to $7.25 an hour. The last federal minimum-wage increase was in 1997. The measure is a key to the Democrats' agenda for the 110th Congress.
• Rocks Striking a Frozen Lake in Winter
  Listener Charles Skinner of Northfield, Minn., hurls rocks on the frozen lake near his home, creating a SoundClip that a caveman could have submitted — assuming he had our e-mail address.
• Is Warm January a Sign of Good Luck, or Bad Times?
  This weekend, more warm weather is expected across much of the East Coast of the United States. And people will almost certainly be asking themselves whether global warming or El Nino is to blame. To help us sort that question out, Robert Siegel talks with Michael Mann, a professor of meteorology and geosciences at Penn State University.

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