Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Minnesota still prosperous, but falls in median income surveys
  Minnesota has outpaced the nation in job growth during the recovery and remains among the most prosperous states, but its strength is waning and has dropped out of the top 10 states in two surveys of highest median income.4:19 p.m.
• 'Luke the Drifter' shows how to remember troubled lives
  Conducting funerals for wayward men and women was the inspiration for the Twin Cities pastor behind "The Funereal Remembrance of Luke the Drifter," a play opening this weekend.4:49 p.m.
• Tax hike saddles business, property owners
  Business owners are just beginning to learn how changes lawmakers and the governor made last summer are going to affect them. Many property owners are just learning of the tax hike enacted last summer.5:15 p.m.
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  5:49 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Naked Mole Rat's Genetic Code Laid Bare
  The piggy-nosed, coldblooded animals are neither rats nor moles. But scientists hope the naked mole rat's newly sequenced genome may offer insights into not only aging but also cancer and other diseases.
• In Spartanburg, S.C., Jobs Are Especially Scarce
  At 11.1 percent, South Carolina is tied for the fourth-highest unemployment rate in the country. Its small, conservative town of Spartanburg was hit hard in the past few years when the textile industry moved overseas. Now residents are seeking ways to make ends meet — from going to the food bank to getting their GEDs.
• A Labor Mismatch Means Trucking Jobs Go Unfilled
  Even with many looking for work, some employers say they just can't find the right people to hire. The problem hit the trucking industry, prompting one company to offer driving schools with the promise of a job upon completion. But other open jobs require more training, making them harder to fill.
• A Look At Slovakia's Vote To Approve The Bailout Deal
  Robert Siegel speaks with Lucia Virostkova, a Slovak journalist based in Bratislava. She blogs for the EUobserver.com. She describes how the Slovakian parliamentary vote to join the eurozone bailout of banks brought the Slovakian government down — and caused the 2014 elections be moved to March.
• Saudi Arabia's Delicate Dance On The Fate Of Yemen
  The Saudis are demanding that Yemen's president step aside after months of protest against his rule. Yet last month, the Saudis didn't stop Ali Abduallah Saleh from leaving Saudi Arabia, where he received extensive medical treatment, and returning to Yemen.
• Egypt Helped Broker Israel-Hamas Prisoner Swap
  Robert Siegel talks to Samer Shehata, assistant professor of Arab politics at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, about Egypt's role in the prisoner swap of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
• Blackberry Manufacturer Faces Major Problems
  After a major service outage this week, Research In Motion, or RIM, the company that makes Blackberries, faces major problems. The outage, which left millions of customers all over the world without service for up to three days, comes on the heels of a tablet flop and an embarrassing role in this summer's U.K. riots. Guy Raz talks with Chip Cummins of the Wall Street Journal about the future of the company.
• Dennis Ritchie, A Hero Of The Computer World, Dies
  An unsung hero of the computer world has died. Dennis Ritchie created the C language — which is the foundation for most computers, including the iPad and iPhone.
• 'The Mountaintop' Opens On Broadway
  Thursday is opening night for Katori Hall's Olivier Award-winning play about Martin Luther King Jr. and his encounter with a chamber maid in Memphis the night before his assassination. Starring Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett, The Mountaintop is probably the most anticipated play of the fall season.
• Obama Fundraising Outpaces GOP Challengers
  President Obama had a tough summer in the polls, but not in the fundraising world. His campaign and the Democratic National Committee say they raised $70 million for the quarter that ended Sept. 30. Meanwhile, former pizza CEO Herman Cain leads the GOP field in the latest polling. Robert Siegel talks to NPR's Mara Liasson, who analyzes the numbers.

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