Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Banking is still personal in some places
  Many analysts attribute a strong and healthy financial industry in South Dakota to a strong agriculture economy and small community banks.4:49 p.m.
• Americans keep buying more stuff than ever
  MPR's Nanci Olesen speaks with sociologist Juliet Schor about why Americans keep buying goods regardless of how much they own.4:53 p.m.
• Central Corridor's funding fight could send project to the back of the line
  The Central Corridor management committee urges governor and Legislature to agree on funding for the project before adjournment.5:20 p.m.
• Critics take aim at climate change recommendations
  The final report of the Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group isn't even out yet, but it's already coming under fire.5:24 p.m.
• Conversation with Rep. John Kline about Iraq hearings
  A conversation with Minnesota's 2nd District congressman John Kline. He joined us to talk about the testimony Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker delivered to lawmakers this week regarding the Iraq War.5:39 p.m.
• St. Paul threatens legal action against banks that own vacant houses
  The city of St. Paul is threatening to sue a handful of banks that own a large share of vacant homes in the city. City officials say many of the houses shuttered by foreclosure don't meet building codes and are creating a public safety hazard.5:52 p.m.
• Backers of the Asian Pacific Cultural Center try to regroup
  A ten year long dream for Asian Americans in Minnesota has received a major setback. One of the projects vetoed by Gov. Tim Pawlenty this week in the bonding bill was the Asian Pacific Cultural Center.5:56 p.m.
• Self portraits in the Facebook age
  With digital cameras now almost as common as cell phones, in part because they are built into cellphones, people are taking lots of pictures. And they're taking pictures of themselves.6:23 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Why Risk Models Failed to Spot the Credit Crisis
  Financial institutions struggling with the subprime mortgage mess all say they conducted "stress tests" to ensure the health of their investment portfolios. But many failed to appreciate the limitations of their risk management models.
• New House Member Speier: A Survivor
  Thirty years after she was left for dead outside the Jonestown compound in Guyana, Jackie Speier has won a special House election in California. Speier was shot five times in an ambush that killed her boss, U.S. Rep. Leo Ryan, and four others.
• Palestinian Billionaire Sinks Riches into Philanthropy
  Described as the "Palestinian Rothschild," Munib al Masri hopes to turn his sprawling West Bank estate into a museum and research center. He also has founded a lobbying group focused on promoting dialogue among warring Palestinian factions.
• Racetracks Place Survival Odds on Casinos
  Slot machines have been installed in ailing racetracks, creating the fastest growing type of casino in America. "Racinos" are generating billions of dollars annually for state governments and have helped revive a racetrack in Yonkers, N.Y.
• Wind Farm Buffets Family, Town Relations
  Clean wind energy sometimes comes at the cost of preserving rural vistas. Choosing between the two has divided residents — and even father and sons — in one upstate New York community.
• Al-Qaida Planner Masri Believed Dead
  A key al-Qaida figure has died, U.S. intelligence officials say. The man known as Abu Obeida al-Masri, an Egyptian, was suffering from hepatitis. He may have orchestrated two of the terrorist network's most recent plots.
• Frank Holds Hearings on Housing-Aid Bill
  Rep. Barney Frank opens hearings on legislation he has drafted to help homeowners deal with the housing crisis. It differs dramatically from the Senate version, which has been criticized for offering too much help to lenders and builders.
• American Airlines Grounds Hundreds of Flights
  American Airlines cancels more than one-third of its daily flight schedule Wednesday as more inspections of wiring are conducted. The flight cancellations are creating backups for passengers.
• LegiStorm Chief Defends Disclosure-Form Move
  Jock Friedly, founder of the Web site LegiStorm, says he's providing a public service by posting the financial disclosure statements of House and Senate employees who make more than $110,000 a year. Friedly explains why he's making the records available online.
• Olympic Torch Draws Heat in San Francisco
  San Francisco braces for big street protests as the Olympic torch makes its way through the city. Demonstrators are angry over China's recent dealings with Tibet. The Bay Area is home for scores of Tibetan exiles.
• Ads for Clinton, Obama Hit Airwaves
  Pennsylvania TV markets are peppered with new ads for Sen. Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama. Are they effective? Ken Goldstein, director of the Wisconsin Advertising Project, which tracks political TV ads nationwide, offers analysis.
• Letters: Congo Filmmaker, Sen. Clinton
  Listeners respond to recent interviews. There's praise for a filmmaker who documented the horrors of rape in eastern Congo and mixed reaction to a conversation with Sen. Hillary Clinton.
• Noisy Restaurants Draw Complaints from Diners
  Complaints have been on the rise in recent years about the volume level in restaurants. Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema took a noise monitor to some of the hottest eateries in the nation's capital.
• Ex-Subprime Brokers Help Troubled Homeowners
  During the housing heyday, Wall Street demand for subprime loans created a big opportunity for mortgage brokers to rack up piles of fast money in a thinly regulated industry. But some brokers have found a new calling: helping homeowners through housing nonprofits.
• Family Affair: Childcare in Post-Katrina New Orleans
  Day care services in New Orleans have been among the slowest segments of the local economy to rebound since Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in 2005. Many parents have taken it upon themselves and formed their own childcare groups.

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