Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Twenty years after Somali government collapse, Minnesota youth reflect on ongoing war
  Kids who play soccer in Mogadishu know what to do when a fight breaks out near their playground.4:49 p.m.
• Report calls for repeal of Dan Patch commuter rail study ban
  Tucked inside a new Legislative Auditor's report on transit is a recommendation that lawmakers repeal an obscure state law that bans studying commuter rail service from Northfield to Minneapolis.4:54 p.m.
• Economist Louis Johnston on innovation opportunity in Minn.
  Innovation was clearly a theme in the president's State of the Union address. Obama championed creating jobs through investments in biomedical research, information technology and clean-energy technology.5:10 p.m.
• Obama opens door to medical malpractice reform
  President Barack Obama gave a nod to supporters of tort reform during his State of the Union address Tuesday night. He said he'd be open to reforming state medical malpractice laws, although he stopped short of supporting federal caps on damage awards -- even though that's what Republicans want.5:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In A Small Corner Of YouTube, A Web Star Is Born
  As the entertainment world fragments across a growing number of platforms, some of the biggest winners have been rogue, online video personalities and producers. But even with 3 million followers on YouTube, Ryan Higa isn't exactly a household name.
• In The Heartland, Obama Calls For Innovation
  President Obama took his new message about American competitiveness on the road Wednesday to the political battleground of Wisconsin. One day after his State of the Union speech, in which he stressed investments in areas like clean energy, the president toured a windmill factory and a firm that makes high-efficiency lighting. He underscored the role he says the government can play in helping to make businesses more competitive.
• CBO Predicts Record $1.5 Trillion Deficit In 2011
  The Congressional Budge Office has released a new estimate of the size of the federal budget deficit. The CBO says it will hit a record $1.5 trillion dollars in 2011. Host Melissa Block talks with NPR's John Ydstie about the size of the deficit, and President Obama's plan to reduce it by freezing some domestic spending programs.
• Hormone Helps Short-Term Memories Stick Around
  When scientists added a hormone to rats' brains, their memories were better. The opposite happened when the hormone was reduced. The research could lead to a drug that helps people with Alzheimer's and post-traumatic stress disorder, scientists say.
• A Closer Look At Denver School Praised By Obama
  President Obama gave a shout-out in his State of the Union address to Bruce Randolph High School, a Denver public school in a tough neighborhood that last year graduated 97 percent of its seniors. Bruce Randolph was Denver's first "innovation" school. It was taken over by its principal and teachers a few years ago. But a more complete picture of the school is a little less glowing than the president let on.
• Are U.S. Schools Really Falling Behind China?
  Vivien Stewart, senior adviser for education at the Asia Society, speaks to host Michele Norris about how China is adapting its schools — and if the U.S. has as much catching up to do as President Obama suggested Tuesday night in his State of the Union address.
• House GOP Launch Hearings On Health Law
  House Republicans launched a series of hearings on the health law this week. They say to give it the scrutiny it didn't get before it passed last year. Meanwhile, Senate Democrats play defense with their own set of hearings highlighting the law's benefits starting Thursday.
• Obama's Salmon Quip: The Truth Is Murky
  The president joked that the Interior Department is in charge of salmon in freshwater and the Commerce Department handles them in saltwater. But, in fact, a Commerce Department agency has the prime responsibility to protect salmon when they're in the ocean and when they swim upriver to spawn.
• Uncle Milton Ant Farm Co-Inventor Dies At 97
  Milton Levine, the novelty toy entrepreneur who dreamed up the hugely popular ant farm, has died at the age of 97. Uncle Milton's Ant Farm has sold more than 20 million copies. Host Melissa Block speaks to Levine's son, Steven.
• Understanding Tennis Court 'Dead Spots'
  Last week at the Australian Open, tennis star Maria Sharapova noticed an odd spot on the court. The area felt different than other parts of the court, and a tennis ball refused to bounce on the spot; it just stuck to the court. The area was a "dead spot," something not uncommon to tennis or basketball. Host Michele Norris talks to Joe Ure, director of distribution sales for Sport Court, about how a dead spot develops and how they are repaired.

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