Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Metrodome: A quirky place to play baseball
  The Minnesota Twins will play their last home game at the Metrodome this Sunday. Over the last 28 years, the dome has been the setting for some of the most memorable games in Twins history -- and the site of some strange plays.4:20 p.m.
• Before the dome, Minnesota always came in second
  Playwright Kevin Kling will always remember the Metrodome as the place where Minnesota went from being an also-ran to a champion.4:24 p.m.
• Mississippi River: An urban wilderness
  The newest of Minnesota's five national park sites, the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, sits right in the middle of the state's biggest population center.4:50 p.m.
• Historic Grain Belt Beer sign up for sale
  The historic Grain Belt beer sign may once again shine across the Mississippi River.4:58 p.m.
• Commerce head doubts gubernatorial candidates' business expertise
  Although the economy and job creation are already key issues in the 2010 governor's race, the head of Minnesota's largest business group says he's concerned that none of the candidates have much of a business background.5:20 p.m.
• Three deaths linked to H1N1 flu reported
  Three new H1N1-related deaths were announced Friday by the Minnesota Department of Health, bringing the total to six deaths since April.5:45 p.m.
• Tribe turning greenbacks from casino into green energy
  Massive wind-turbine blades, above, will rise high over Scott County this weekend, as the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community continues its ongoing effort to build its sovereignty through energy independence.5:49 p.m.
• Synth-pop duo Lookbook opens up to the '80s
  The shadow of the 1980s still looms over a lot of pop music these days and for some of us, it's a decade we'd like to forget, but for the Minneapolis synth-pop duo Lookbook, the '80s represent a musical goldmine.5:53 p.m.
• Metrodome: A quirky place to play baseball
  The Minnesota Twins will play their last home game at the Metrodome this Sunday. Over the last 28 years, the dome has been the setting for some of the most memorable games in Twins history -- and the site of some strange plays.6:20 p.m.
• Before the dome, Minnesota always came in second
  Playwright Kevin Kling will always remember the Metrodome as the place where Minnesota went from being an also-ran to a champion.6:27 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• In Health Care Ads, Drug Firms Change Their Tune
  Today's TV advertisements on health care are reminiscent, in some ways, of those that aired 16 years ago around President Clinton's overhaul effort. Even the Harry and Louise ads have returned. But now, the TV couple backs an overhaul — as do the pharmaceutical firms.
• Elevator Or The Stairs? In Israel, Rabbis Weigh In
  Some prominent rabbis in Israel have declared that Shabbat elevators — specially designed to run without the need for passengers to press buttons — must not be used. It has stoked the eternal debate about what an observant Jew may and may not do on the Sabbath.
• Touchdowns And Triumphs For Military Students
  At Fort Campbell High School, located on a military base in Kentucky, players focus on football and play hard, even while dealing with a parent deployed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
• Sneakers: Listeners' Stories Laced With Love
  People are passionate about their sneakers, running shoes, tennis shoes — whatever you want to call them. NPR asked listeners to share their favorite sneaker stories and photographs of their shoes — and the stories span miles and decades.
• For Pete Dexter, Fiction Provides A Happy Ending
  The young boy in Pete Dexter's new novel, Spooner, bears a striking resemblance to the author himself. But Dexter insists that he hasn't written a memoir, only a novel with "a lot happier ending than life was."
• Ricky Gervais Discovers The Truth About 'Lying'
  The Invention of Lying imagines a world where untruths are unknown and art is almost impossible. Until Ricky Gervais discovers both. Although white lies can be a blessing, critic Bob Mondello observes that silence, also, has its virtues.
• Two Grunge Giants Release New Records
  When a successful band returns after a long break, it's bound to worry about expectations. That's what's striking about new albums by Pearl Jam and Alice in Chains: Pearl Jam is the only one that sounds desperate to give fans exactly what they've come to expect. Alice in Chains sounds considerably more liberated.
• New Jobs Numbers Point To Fragile Recovery
  The jobs market deteriorated in September as employers cut 263,000 jobs, far more than expected. The unemployment rate for the month was 9.8 percent, the highest since June 1983. The quickening pace of layoffs deals a blow to hopes for a solid economic recovery.
• Economic Data, Olympic Bid, Afghanistan Examined
  The latest jobless figures, divisions within the Obama administration over U.S. policy in Afghanistan, and President Obama's unsuccessful bid to bring the 2016 Olympics to Chicago dominated the week in politics. E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and David Brooks of The New York Times discuss the events.
• Letterman Extortion Suspect Pleads Not Guilty
  A CBS news producer indicted in connection with comedian David Letterman's revelation that he was the target of an extortion attempt has pleaded not guilty. On his show Thursday, Letterman revealed the attempted extortion was over affairs he had with women staffers.

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