Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Crisis line services seeing more calls for help
  As economic times get tougher, more and more people are calling crisis lines for help.4:50 p.m.
• Ritchie proposes election reforms
  The state official who oversaw the recount in Minnesota's U.S. Senate race says it's time to allow early voting in Minnesota.5:20 p.m.
• Customers lock in gas prices at fuel bank
  A St. Cloud-based company is cashing in on consumer demand for a predictable gas price. First Fuel Banks allow customers to lock in the price of gas. Sometimes, that locked price is higher than the price at other gas stations.5:24 p.m.
• Medical marijuana supporters try again
  Supporters of a bill to legalize medical marijuana in Minnesota say they think bipartisan momentum is building for their cause this year. A state Senate committee approved the retooled measure today, but law enforcement and the governor remain opposed.5:50 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Mom Re-Enlists To Get Treatment For Disabled Son
  A budget crisis in Nevada means long waiting lists for disabled children who need state-funded, early-intervention therapy. So one mother is taking drastic action: Emily Spahr is re-enlisting in the Army to try to get the help her 4-month-old son needs.
• Battle Brewing Over Electronic Books
  The race for dominance in the electronic book market is heating up. But as Amazon unveils its updated reader, some booksellers are saying A.B.K. — anything but Kindle.
• The End Of Offline In Flight? Say It Ain't So
  A handful of airlines are introducing onboard Internet access, letting passengers surf the Web and check their e-mail — for a fee. For the airlines, it's a much-needed source of revenue. For some business travelers, it's a way to stay productive in the air. But critics have raised concerns about security and privacy. Commentator Eric Weiner also is worried — for different reasons.
• House, Senate Strike Deal On Stimulus
  Senators announced a compromise between House and Senate negotiators on the economic stimulus package. Some House Democrats are upset that money for states and schools had been removed from the measure, but backed the deal.
• Contrite Bank CEOs Pledge To Reform Sector
  The CEOs of the nation's largest banks were on Capitol Hill to answer questions about how they used the government's bailout money. They conceded they need to work to improve their image, but insisted they are making loans and plan to pay back the bailout money with interest.
• Expert: Few Clues On How Banks Used TARP Funds
  Bank CEOs were grilled Wednesday on how they spent the funds from the Troubled Assets Relief Program. Elizabeth Warren, chair of the TARP's Congressional Oversight Panel, says it is hard to say how the money was spent because the Treasury handed it out without preconditions.
• Israel's Parties In Coalition Talks
  Israel held elections Tuesday and preliminary results show both Likud's Benjamin Netanyahu and Kadima's Tzipi Livni claiming victory. The results are a sign of the difficult coalition government talks to come.
• Congress Can Probe Bush Administration
  President Barack Obama may be reluctant to investigate past actions of the Bush administration, but Congress can do it on its own. Congress initiated the investigation into Watergate as well as the Iran-Contra scandal.
• Ban On Media Coverage Of Military Coffins Revisited
  A longtime Pentagon policy bars the media from covering the arrival of coffins carrying the military's dead. But that may change under the Obama administration. The military has argued that the ban protects the families' privacy, but critics counter that it shields Americans from the true cost of war.
• Zimbabwe Tsvangirai Sworn In As PM
  Zimbabwe's opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was sworn in as prime minister Wednesday, five months since he and President Robert Mugabe agreed to share power following last year's disputed presidential election. The development comes as Zimbabwe suffers through a cholera outbreak.

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