Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Medtronic CEO on device industry innovation, health care reform
  Bill Hawkins, the chairman and CEO of Medtronic, participated in an economic summit with Sen. Amy Klobuchar on Tuesday. He spoke with MPR's Tom Crann Tuesday afternoon about the opportunities and challenges facing the medical device industry.4:49 p.m.
• Medica to publish doctor ratings online
  Minnesota's second-largest health insurance plan says it will go ahead with Wednesday's launch of a website where it provides quality ratings of physicians, despite complaints from the state's largest doctors group.4:54 p.m.
• Minn. GOP: Extension of budget cuts should be 'no surprise'
  Republicans in the Minnesota House and Senate are proposing some early moves aimed at shrinking a projected $6.2 billion state budget deficit by about $1 billion, setting up a possible confrontation with Gov. Mark Dayton.5:20 p.m.
• More college students seeking mental health help
  Although 21-year old Lauren Peck had dealt with anxiety issues before heading to college, after arriving on campus she felt much worse. Recognizing that she needed help, she contacted the campus counseling center.5:24 p.m.
• Sen. Franken disappointed with NBC-Comcast deal
  U.S. Sen. Al Franken expressed disappointment Tuesday with the FCC's decision to allow the merger of NBC and Comcast to move forward.5:39 p.m.
• Great Lakes shipping season ends tonight
  It seems that winter has been with us in the upper Midwest for months already, but for shippers on Lake Superior, winter begins tonight at midnight.5:49 p.m.
• A passion for signs leads to a trip of a lifetime
  St. Paul-native Roger Johnson has what may be a unique travel obsession. He likes to be called "the world's first self-proclaimed welcome sign photography expert." For years he's traveled the United State having his picture taken in front of roadside signs welcoming visitors to different states.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Sawing Apart Gym Shoes At The Port Of Long Beach
  Importers have a a huge incentive to try and get around tariffs, which means the people who work at our nation's ports, must constantly verify that importers are bringing in what they say they’re bringing in.
• China's President Visit U.S. Amid Tensions
  Chinese President Hu Jintao begins a state visit to the U.S. on Tuesday, his first in nearly five years. Relations between the U.S. and China are complex and often marred by tension. Some of the more difficult issues will likely be addressed during Hu's stay. But analysts say it's unlikely there will be any big breakthrough during his four-day visit.
• 'No Reasonable Prospect' Of Dollar Losing 'Reserve' Status, Geithner Says
  "China is a huge beneficiary of the system that exists today" and will not want to change the dollar's status, the Treasury secretary says.
• Remembering Banker, Author Gordon Murray
  For the past two years, Gordon Murray had been living with a deadly type of brain cancer and decided not to pursue further treatment. Murray died Saturday. He was the co-author of a best-selling book of investment advice, The Investment Answer. Host Robert Siegel has this remembrance.
• Fuel Costs Spike In Afghanistan As Iran Flexes Muscle
  For a month, most fuel trucks bound for Afghanistan through Iran have been stopped at the border. Observers in Kabul say Iran is showing its leverage with the U.S. Army next door. Afghans are protesting against Iran, and even showing rare support for the U.S. presence.
• Letters: A Correction; 'Tiger Mother'; Westerns
  A correction about the place of chocolate milk under new proposals for school meals by the USDA, criticism of "Tiger Mother" Amy Chua, and love for the genre of the movie Western. Hosts Robert Siegel and Melissa Block read letters from our listeners.
• Tunisians Loot Lavish Homes Of Former Ruling Clan
  Tunisians say they want a complete break with their autocratic former ruler. They say the president, his wife and her family abused power and enriched themselves at the expense of the Tunisian people, who are now trashing the family's villas.
• Self-Immolation: A Singular Form Of Protest Grabs Attention Again
  A young man setting himself on fire sparked the upheaval in Tunisia that has shattered that country's government. Michael Biggs of Oxford University says it has been a common form of protest through the ages.
• Goldman Restricts Client Investment In Facebook
  The investment firm Goldman Sachs has told its wealthiest U.S. clients they can not invest in Facebook. The offer will be limited to clients outside the U.S. Goldman's decision to shut U.S. investors out comes after concern that the deal was drawing scrutiny from the Securities and Exchange Commission. For more, host Melissa Block speaks to Andrew Ross Sorkin, a reporter and columnist with the New York Times.
• 'Ask Not...': JFK's Words Still Inspire 50 Years Later
  On Jan. 20, 1961, John F. Kennedy gave an inaugural address that became one of the most famous speeches in American history. It shaped the lives of many who took his words to heart. But will the message fade as generations pass?

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