Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Financing for affordable housing missing while demand increases
  A growing number of state residents are paying up to half their income for a place to live and one of the primary solutions for addressing the problem - building affordable housing - has run aground for lack of financing.5:20 p.m.
• Charges dropped against Laotian Gen. Vang Pao
  A federal grand jury in California investigating an alleged plot to overthrow the government of Laos has decided to drop charges against Pao, a leading figure in the nation's Hmong community.5:25 p.m.
• Football and its impact on the brain
  Former Vikings center Matt Birk is part of a study to examine the impact of football on the human brain, by donating his brain to science. Tom Crann talked with Birk and Dr. Bob Stern from the Boston University School of Medicine about the study.5:46 p.m.
• Jones takes oath as U.S. attorney for Minnesota
  B. Todd Jones is being sworn in as the next U.S. attorney for Minnesota on Friday, in a ceremony that will include Attorney General Eric Holder.5:54 p.m.
• Jane Campion on her new film, 'Bright Star'
  "Bright Star," the new film from Oscar-winning director Jane Campion, has a Minnesota connection. It's distributed by Apparition, a new company co-founded by Minneapolis native Bill Pohlad.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Competing Protests Produce Scuffles In Iran
  There were dueling demonstrations in the streets of Tehran Friday. Pro-government and anti-government protesters both attended an annual event that is supposed to express solidarity with the Palestinians. Some clashes were reported.
• The Week In Politics:
  Political analysts E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times discuss the week in politics with Melissa Block.
• Letters: Funding Small Airports
  Melissa Block reads from listeners' letters about Thursdy's conversation about the funding of small airports.
• Young Polynesians Make A Life Out Of Football
  Scroll NFL and college football rosters and you'll see the distinctive names from the Pacific Islands. With their traditionally broad, solid bodies and competitive nature, Polynesians have distinguished themselves at the elite levels of the game. Many start at high schools in Utah.
• 'Values Voters' Point To Revival In 2010
  Participants at the annual gathering of political and social conservatives are feeling under siege with Democrats in control of both Congress and the White House. But they're promising a religious and political comeback in 2010.
• Democrats Strong, But Not Invincible In Virginia
  Democrats have been on a winning streak in recent years in Virginia. But a preoccupation with social values in the current gubernatorial race may irk some voters who are more concerned now with the state of the economy and job security.
• Pearl Jam, Playing A Business Deal By Ear
  Backspacer is Pearl Jam's first studio album since the musicians became free agents, finally fulfilling a seven-album contract with Sony. That process took 15 years. The band is now on its own, striking distribution deals with major corporations, a turnaround for the once very anti-corporate band.
• Jane Campion's Ode To Keats' Romantic Love
  Though her new film Bright Star chronicles the love story of British Romantic poet John Keats and 18-year-old Fanny Brawne, Academy Award-winning director Jane Campion says she wasn't always a fan of poetry.
• Tracking Universal Care In Massachusetts
  As Congress continues to develop an overhaul plan for the nation's health care system, many are looking to Massachusetts as a model. The state is now three years into its own experiment with a law requiring every state resident to buy insurance.
• Public Option? Arizona Has Had One For Years
  As the public debates what might happen if the government enacts a public health care option, Arizona's experience may serve as a touchstone. The state has offered small businesses a public option since 1985 — and it has received a mixed reception.

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