Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dayton pledges support to burned Sartell paper mill
  Gov. Mark Dayton toured a central Minnesota paper mill Tuesday that was the site of a deadly fire Monday. The governor pledged the state's support to help get the Verso paper plant back up and running.5:20 p.m.
• State Sen. Harrington calls it quits
  The former St. Paul police chief was elected in 2010, when the DFL lost its Senate majority for the first time in nearly four decades.5:24 p.m.
• Cattle help bring back NW Minnesota prairie
  A herd of cattle will help improve the habitat for wildlife by grazing on a refuge near Crookston. After federal refuge managers burn a section of the prairie, cattle are attracted to new grass that sprouts in the burned area and begin to graze there.5:51 p.m.
• Obama honors Dylan, other Medal of Freedom recipients
  President Barack Obama is honoring a diverse group of political and cultural icons, including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, astronaut John Glenn and rock legend Bob Dylan, with the Medal of Freedom at the White House.5:56 p.m.
• Sometimes, getting the best deal isn't the best idea
  Online coupons oblige users to pay attention to the fine print.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• On The Economic Ladder, Rungs Move Further Apart
  Many Americans have long believed that the United States is a land of opportunity, where anyone who works hard can climb the economic ladder. But evidence from recent decades indicates that, for many Americans, that dream of economic mobility falls short.
• Professor: Civil War Death Toll May Be Really Off
  The accepted number for deaths in the American Civil War for more than a century has been 620,000 from both sides of the conflict. But now a history professor at the State University of New York in Binghamton believes that number is far too low and the real number is closer to 750,000. Robert Siegel talks with J. David Hacker about how he came to his new number.
• China, Philippines Face Off Over Remote Islands
  It began as a dispute over a fishing boat. But the confrontation in the South China Sea points to growing Chinese assertiveness in the region, and some see it as a test of U.S. resolve, as well.
• 'I Am The Cheese': A Nightmarish Nail-Biter
  Something about Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese, made author Ben Marcus worry. It was the first time he had encountered an unreliable narrator — and he found it disconcerting. Do you have a favorite narrator who doesn't quite tell the truth? Tell us who in the comments.
• 'Flame' Malware Designed For Spying, Not 'Cyber War'
  The latest entrant in the arsenal of advanced cyber packages deployed by governments or corporations for use against their adversaries is a piece of malicious software dubbed "Flame." The malware contains a wide variety of espionage tools, including a feature that activates the internal microphone in personal computers and enables the user to monitor a target's conversation. In terms of sophistication, Flame has been compared to the Stuxnet worm, which can physically destroy industrial equipment. But experts say Flame is not a cyber weapon and its emergence as another espionage tool is not without precedent.
• Watching Big Brother: Privacy Board Delayed
  An oversight board designed to protect privacy rights by making sure the government doesn't overstep its bounds has been authorized for years. But politics seems to be getting in the way of launching the panel.
• Lawyers, Not Victims, Making Most In Madoff Cleanup
  Robert Siegel talks with New York Times editor and business columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin about Irving Picard, the court-appointed trustee working to recover funds for the victims of Bernie Madoff's Ponzi scheme. So far, Picard's firm has generated $554 million in legal and other fees.
• Small Change In Reading To Preschoolers Can Help Disadvantaged Kids Catch Up
  Researchers say that changing what 4-year-olds see and think about when a book is being read can improve kids' reading skills later on. The key: Focus their attention on the words instead of the pictures.
• 11 Nations Expel Syrian Diplomats After Massacre
  Syrian diplomats have been expelled from several nations on Tuesday including Canada, Europe and Australia. It's a coordinated reaction to the massacre in the Syrian district of Houla last Friday.
• Slain Syrian Filmmaker Traded Study For 'Revolution'
  Bassel Shehadeh was a young Syrian who gave up his studies at Syracuse University to return home to chronicle the fighting in his homeland. He was a budding filmmaker who lost his life when Syrian forces bombarded Homs.

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