Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Wilf: Critical Met Council report a road map to Arden Hills stadium
  Despite variables such as clean up costs, construction and politics, the report paints the clearest picture yet of what the Arden Hills stadium project would cost.5:15 p.m.
• Ask Dr. Hallberg: New prostate cancer screening guidelines
  New guidelines for prostate screenings are meeting some resistance, especially by groups of doctors. Dr. Jon Hallberg discusses the changes with MPR.5:19 p.m.
• Met Council considers legal options against 3M over chemical discharge
  The Metropolitan Council has asked its lawyers to explore legal options against 3M related to millions of dollars in costs of meeting new state requirements for discharging perfluorinated chemicals - which 3M stopped producing in 2002 - from wastewater treatment plants into the environment.5:44 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• How Crossword Puzzles Unlocked An Artist's Memory
  In 2007, artist Lonni Sue Johnson contracted viral encephalitis, leading to severe brain damage and amnesia. But language and crossword puzzles have unlocked Johnson's ability to remember how to play the viola and create simpler, childlike art — and that intrigues scientists at Johns Hopkins University.
• Christmas Day Bomber Pleads Guilty
  The Nigerian man charged with trying to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day in 2009 pleaded guilty today. Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab had tried to detonate a bomb hidden in his underwear. Tuesday, on the first day of trial, the government presented its case, including details of what happened on the flight that day. Then Wednesday, Abdulmutallab abruptly pleaded guilty to all eight counts against him. NPR's counter-terrorism correspondent Dina Temple-Raston talks to Robert Siegel.
• Will Free Trade Agreements Really Create Jobs?
  Congress voted to approve three much-delayed free trade deals with Panama, Colombia and South Korea. The Obama administration and supporters in Congress have labeled these agreements as jobs bills, though there are questions about how many jobs will really be created.
• Could The Volcker Rule Rein In Propriety Trading?
  American banks have, for years, been accustomed to making risky bets — not only on behalf of clients but also with their own money. But many are now protesting, and preparing for, a new measure in the works that would reign in what's called proprietary trading: The Volcker Rule. Robert Siegel talks with Ben Protess of the New York Times about a new rule intended to reign in this behavior on the part of banks.
• L.A. Sheriff Pressured To Resign Over Abuse Claims
  Lee Baca spent days blasting his critics, who accuse him of turning a blind eye to widespread abuse of inmates by his deputies. Now the four-term sheriff says he's instituting reforms and will open his cell doors to independent inspectors.
• Cook County Investigates Gacy Cold Cases
  The Cook County sheriff's office in Illinois has launched a new effort to identify eight unidentified victims of mass murderer John Wayne Gacy. The department wants relatives of men who disappeared between 1970 and 1978 to participate in saliva tests to compare their DNA with that of the victims' bones.
• Before Politics, Huntsman Aspired To Rock Star Fame
  Before GOP presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman served as governor of Utah, a corporate executive, and U.S. ambassador to China, he had another youthful calling: Huntsman was a rock 'n' roll musician in a band called Wizard.
• Despite Divide, Evangelicals Could Support A Mormon
  By calling Mormonism a "cult," an evangelical pastor recently sparked a bitter debate over religious prejudice and traditional doctrine. But while many evangelicals don't believe that Mormonism is Christian, they say they share conservative social values and would stand behind a Mormon — such as Mitt Romney — for president.
• Widows Win Legal Victory In Indonesia Massacre Case
  In 1947, Dutch colonial soldiers massacred all the men in the Indonesian village of Rawagede. Now, a Dutch court has ruled that the Dutch government must compensate the surviving widows of the victims — but the amount is still to be determined.
• Gay Rights Movement Pioneer Frank Kameny Dies
  Frank Kameny, a pioneer in the gay rights movement, died Tuesday at 86. In 1957, Kameny was fired from his job as an astronomer for the U.S. government because he was homosexual. He fought his dismissal in court for years and in the 1960s, began picketing outside the White House, calling for equal rights for gays and lesbians. In 2009, the government issued him a formal apology for his firing.

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