Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Oberstar makes case to Legislature for higher gas tax
  The powerful House Transportation Committee chair said billions of federal highway dollars are available to the state but are going unused.5:20 p.m.
• Study probes decline in food stamp use
  A study on the sharp rise in food shelf use in Minnesota is raising questions about why so few people are turning to food stamps.5:24 p.m.
• Wind farmers happy to increase harvest by 2025
  Wind turbine owners are looking forward to 2025. Minnesota is expected to require at least a quarter of the power in the state to be generated by renewable resources.5:50 p.m.
• Kara Walker's art traces the color line
  Kara Walker may be the only artist to tackle racism, slavery, sexual abuse or oppression in a way that at first seems beautiful, poetic and even witty. The Walker Art Center is currently presenting the first-ever survey of the 37-year-old artist's work.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• For Thankful Windbags, an Oscar-Cam Awaits
  This year at the Academy Awards, in order to keep the ceremony moving along, award winners will have an opportunity to thank people after they leave the stage. They'll be using a "thank you" cam that will broadcast messages on the Web. Rob Long, a Hollywood writer and host of Martini Shot on member-station KCRW in Santa Monica, Calif., says the thank-you cam is a bad idea.
• New Orleans Recovery Chief Says City Rebounding
  New Orleans recovery czar Edward Blakely worked on reconstruction projects in San Francisco after the 1989 earthquake, and in Oakland after the 1991 wildfires. We spoke with Blakely in December 2006, soon after he took his post in New Orleans, and we check in on his progress.
• Mardi Gras Gives a Smaller Bounce to New Orleans
  Mardi Gras wraps up today in New Orleans with the big Fat Tuesday festivities. This year's events haven't drawn crowds as large as they were before Hurricane Katrina, or even last year. The city also had trouble finding a sponsor, and some hotels still have vacancies.
• Court Upholds Military Proceedings for Detainees
  The federal appeals court has upheld the controversial detainee bill known as the Military Commissions Act. In a 2-1 ruling, the court said the measure constitutionally wiped out all of the pending court cases from detainees at Guantanamo Bay.
• Final Arguments Made in Libby Perjury Case
  In closing arguments of the Lewis Libby perjury trial, the prosecution rejects the defense's assertion that Libby was made a scapegoat by White House officials in the leak of a CIA agent's identity. The defense claims that Libby did not lie about his role in the leak, but had memory lapses.
• Iowa's GOP Looks for Consensus on Values
  Iowa's Republicans have factions, like everywhere else. Right now, what unites them is a deep foreboding about their party's chances in Iowa in 2008. But there are different kinds of Iowa Republicans. One thing they differ on is how to proceed in Iraq. A new Pew Research poll for shows 53 percent of Americans want the U.S. to start bringing its troops home now.
• Venezuela Nationalizes Its Largest Power Firm
  Venezuela's government signs papers today under which the country's biggest private power company will become state property. President Hugo Chavez says it's a step in the direction of what he calls "21st century socialism." Next, he plans to take over Venezuela's main telephone company.
• Near-Shooting, 'Burqa Escape' in U.K. Bomb Case
  British police nearly shot a terrorism suspect after finding him in his apartment, standing in the bath and wearing a back-pack, according to testimony heard in a British court Tuesday. "To this day, I still don't know how I didn't shoot him," an officer said.
• New York Critics Hail 'Heights' Composer
  Dominican/Cuban composer Lin-Manuel Miranda is drawing critical praise for mixing salsa, meringue, hip-hop and other Latin styles with traditional Broadway fare. In the Heights is set in Washington Heights, a primarily Latino neighborhood in northern Manhattan.
• JetBlue Offers Passengers Rights, Compensation
  JetBlue Airways officially announces a passenger bill of rights, as it offers compensation to the thousands of passengers subjected to flight delays and cancellations last week. The company says that in the future, passengers can count on vouchers and refunds if flights don't take off.
• Yorkshire Terriers Move Up in Breed Popularity
  The Yorkshire terrier has become the No. 2 registered dog in America, knocking out the golden retriever, which fell to the No. 4 spot. Daisy Okas, a spokesperson for the American Kennel Club says the Yorkie's increase in popularity is part of a trend favoring smaller breeds.
• McCain Back to Square One: South Carolina
  While Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has done everything he can to repair his standing with conservatives — ties damaged during his battle with George W. Bush in the 2000 Republican primaries — many still don't trust him. South Carolina ended McCain's hopes in 2000, and may decide his viability in 2008.
• XM-Sirius Deal Faces Hurdles
  The Federal Communications Commission says the Sirius and XM merger faces a "high hurdle" on anti-trust issues. Long term, it's not clear whether the two money-losing companies will be able to put together a profitable enterprise. Put together, they lost more than $1.5 billion last year.
• Producing the Academy Awards Show
  It takes more than movie stars and a celebrity host to put on the Oscars ceremony, which will take place Sunday night. We went backstage at the Oscars with producer Laura Ziskin and her crew.
• Air Passengers Rights Bill Introduced in Senate
  Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) introduces legislation to establish a bill of rights for all airline passengers. The bill would give passengers the option of leaving a plane once it has sat on the tarmac for three hours with the doors closed. It would also require airlines to provide food, drinkable water, and adequate restrooms if a plane is delayed on the ground.

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