Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Volunteers face cold, snowy weather to fight flood waters
  What is it like to volunteer to spend 12 or 16-hour days outside sandbagging in the snow and ice? In 1997, kids and students of all ages helped to protect the cities of Fargo and Moorhead. Why do they show up?4:45 p.m.
• Ice storm knocks out power, damages parks in northeast Minn.
  While people in northwestern Minnesota struggle with floodwaters rising on the ground, the northeastern part of the state is coping with a watery assault from above. Three days of freezing rain have coated the landscape with ice that's more than an inch thick in some places.4:50 p.m.
• Fargo prepares for higher Red River crest
  The National Weather Service reports that the Red River will reach a new record crest by the weekend, and local officials are scrambling to add some more height to their dikes.5:16 p.m.
• The volunteer experience
  Thousands of Minnesotans have flocked to the FargoDome over the past few days to help with the sandbagging effort there. Kevan Rehm is just one of them.5:21 p.m.
• Guthrie cuts its budget in wake of revenue problems
  The Guthrie Theater is enacting wage freezes, work furloughs and layoffs in response to an anticipated 14 percent drop in revenue in the coming year.5:25 p.m.
• The geology of the Red River flood plain
  To explain why the Red River seems to spill over its banks with such consistency, we called Don Schwert, a professor of geology at North Dakota State University in Fargo.5:50 p.m.
• New, potentially tougher, chapter for Best Buy
  Richfield-based Best Buy reports its fourth-quarter sales and earnings Thursday, and they're not expected to be very good.5:54 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Conciliatory Politics Easier Said Than Done
  Among those watching the president's press conference Tuesday night was NPR Senior News Analyst Dan Schorr. Schorr heard a president who wants to govern through conciliation, but is discovering that the realities of office make that hard to do.
• A Way To Save Economy: No-Theft Day
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu proposes a Theft-Free Day to solve the nation's economic crisis. He adds that the holiday will only work if it is observed by big thieves, not just small fry. He says the flow of unfilched cash will boost the economy.
• Soviet Legacy Looms Large In Russian Schools
  Teachers and principals in Russian schools say the government is providing more money for education, but discouraging critical examination of Soviet history. Meanwhile parents complain that widespread bribery for good grades is eroding standards.
• Electronic Medical Record Change Not Easy
  President Barack Obama is making a major push for electronic medical records. But in a new study, Dr. Ashish Jha of Harvard University's School of Public Health finds 90 percent of the hospitals he surveyed have no electronic records. Jha discusses why it may be difficult to convert.
• 'Three Stooges' To Get Hollywood Treatment
  The Hollywood Reporter says that a remake of the Three Stooges is on the way. The surprising thing is the casting: The stooges will be played by Jim Carrey, Sean Penn and Benicio Del Toro.
• Auctioneer: Irish PM's Nude Paintings 'Well-Painted'
  Two nude paintings of Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowan that were placed in two Dublin museums without the knowledge of museum employees have caused a major controversy in Ireland. James O'Halloran of Adam's Fine Art Auctioneers in Dublin says the painting he saw was well-painted and may do well in auction because of its notoriety.
• Expert Lauds Obama's Afghanistan Approach
  David Kilcullen, a former senior counterinsurgency adviser to Gen. David Petraeus in Iraq, says the Obama administration's review of Afghanistan has been detailed and sensible. Kilcullen says, however, major changes are needed if the war is to be won.
• Historian John Hope Franklin Dies
  Noted historian John Hope Franklin died of congestive heart failure Wednesday in Durham, N.C. Franklin, 94, who chronicled the African-American experience in the South, was the James B. Duke professor of history emeritus at Duke University.
• Letters: Mexico, Dry Cleaner
  Listeners respond to the story on the security situation along the border with Mexico, and the interview with the owner of a dry-cleaning store in New York City who is offering free services to unemployed people who are looking for jobs. Robert Siegel reads from listeners comments.
• As Radio Host, Blagojevich Addresses Ouster
  Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich filled in as host Wednesday for an AM radio talk show. He used the opportunity on the Don Wade & Roma Morning Show to say he was "hijacked" from office. Blagojevich also criticized the new governor's plans for an income tax increase.
• Conservative Democrats Walk Budget Tightrope
  President Barack Obama's budget proposal is placing conservative Democrats in a tight spot. Republicans are asking them to be fiscally cautious. Liberals are targeting them with a barrage of ads, urging them to support the president's budget.
• Clinton Touts Anti-Drug Cooperation In Mexico
  U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton traveled to Mexico Wednesday to underscore the Obama administration's concern over drug cartel violence and the potential for it to spill over into the United States. Her visit comes a day after President Obama announced an increased security policy along the southern border.
• Police Find No-Snitching Rule A Hurdle
  Gang violence in Seattle is on the rise and the body count is going up along with it. Police are running into a problem faced by many departments in urban areas across America: the "no-snitch" rule. Both law enforcement and children are tackling the issue.
• Pick For NATO Military Leader Rode Navy Fast Track
  If James Stavridis, the top U.S. commander for Latin America and the Caribbean, is confirmed, he'll be the first Navy officer to fill a post traditionally held by Army generals. Defense Secretary Robert Gates calls him "one of the best senior military officers we have."
• Mayoral Hopefuls Seek To Change Detroit's Mood
  Two men are trying to change the growing sense of helplessness in Detroit. Dave Bing, a suburbanite and former Pistons all-star, is running for mayor against incumbent Ken Cockrel Jr., a longtime city official, in a special election.

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