Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• GLBT equality leader stepping down from OutFront Minnesota
  After leading the movement for gay and lesbian equality in Minnesota for 21 years, Ann DeGroot is stepping back.4:49 p.m.
• Report: JOBZ subsidy program unfocused and lacking oversight
  A new report highlights flaws in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's flagship economic development initiative.5:20 p.m.
• Central Corridor proponents wrestle with tough choices
  Ramsey County officials and business leaders are ready to make eleventh hour compromises as a major planning deadline looms for the proposed Central Corridor, the light-rail transit line that would connect Minneapolis and St. Paul.5:24 p.m.
• Hennepin County reports record foreclosure numbers
  Officials with the Hennepin County sheriff's office say the rash of foreclosures is showing no signs of slowing down. Last month there were a record number of foreclosures.5:50 p.m.
• Sweeney Todd: On stage and on screen
  Sweeney Todd pits the screen against the stage, with a new film version starring Johnny Depp, and a touring Broadway production at the State Theater in Minneapolis. An area Stephen Sondheim expert went to both and compares the two productions.5:52 p.m.
• Minnesota's Beethoven: what makes it so good?
  Despite the hundreds of other recordings of Beethoven's 9th Symphony, something about the Minnesota Orchestra's latest CD caught the ear of judges at the The National Academy of Arts & Sciences. MPR's Brian Newhouse explains what makes this new recording worthy of a Grammy nomination.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Ghosts of Hurricane Katrina Color Louisiana Primary
  Louisiana Democrats vote on Saturday, and the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina looms over the race. Both Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton have been discussing reconstruction plans at rallies.
• Understanding the Gospel According to Huckabee
  When Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee references Bible stories, do people understand? Boston University professor Stephen Prothero says those mystified aren't alone — half of Americans can't name any of the four Gospels, and that includes Christians.
• At 50, The Grammys Show Their Age Again
  The 50th annual Grammy Awards will be presented on Sunday night. After a history of questionable decisions, those who decide the winners say that the picks have improved. But for a declining record industry, is it too little, too late?
• Clinton Seeks to Cast Herself as Underdog
  Although Sen. Hillary Clinton collected slightly more delegates than Sen. Barack Obama in the Democrats' Super Tuesday contests, her presidential campaign spent the rest of the week repositioning her as an underdog. It all has to do with who her contributors are.
• Will the GOP Close Ranks Behind John McCain?
  Social conservatives have jeered John McCain and charged that he is not a "true conservative." But with Mitt Romney out of the race, McCain is the likely Republican presidential nominee, so those critics must come to terms with his candidacy.
• Packing Up a Presidential Campaign
  Former Gov. Mitt Romney was fond of touting his business management experience on the campaign trail, so, as his run for the presidency comes to a close, what happens to his funds, his staff, their equipment? Is suspending a campaign like going out of business?
• Book Scrutinizes U.S. Ideas That Led to Iraq War
  Fred Kaplan, author of Daydream Believers: How a Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power, says the Bush administration's world view is based on several misconceptions. For one, he says, the administration thought of freedom as a gift from God, without understanding the practical requirements of developing democracies.
• Crisis Looms as Bitter Cold, Blackouts Hit Tajikistan
  The lights have gone out in the impoverished Central Asian republic of Tajikistan during the coldest winter in more then a quarter-century. Aid organizations warn of food shortages, while diplomats say Tajik government officials are in a state of denial about the looming humanitarian crisis.
• Defiant Afghanistan Deserves Candidates' Attention
  What exactly is the U.S. mission in Afghanistan? And what are the presidential candidates' policies concerning the region? NPR Senior News Analyst Ted Koppel looks at the conflicts in the region during the past two centuries and what they mean for America's current foreign policy.
• Violence in Gaza Threatens to Overshadow Talks
  Violence in the Gaza Strip threatens to damage the shaky peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. Meantime, pressure is growing within the Palestinian Authority leadership — now confined to the West Bank — to open a dialogue with its bitter rival, Hamas. But those talks could jeopardize the already fragile talks with Israel.

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