Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Key panel named in Minn. Senate recount
  The jury that will rule on disputed ballots in the Minnesota Senate recount includes the Democratic secretary of state, two Supreme Court justices appointed by a Republican governor and two district judges whose politics are harder to gauge.4:45 p.m.
• NTSB final report: Bad design, plus added weight, led to bridge collapse
  Investigators for the NTSB have concluded that under-designed gusset plates and the weight on the bridge deck were the primary causes of the I-35W bridge collapse, Minnesota Public Radio News has learned.5:20 p.m.
• Wind companies like Obama energy plan
  Minnesota's wind power industry could see major gains if President-elect Barack Obama's energy program becomes law. Obama wants to dramatically increase the amount of electricity generated in the U.S. from renewable sources like wind, solar and geothermal.5:24 p.m.
• Wood-burning heating devices could pose serious health risks
  Many homeowners worried about fluctuating fuel prices this winter are still turning to wood heating sources. Although these wood heating devices are more efficient, the smoke they emit is associated with lung and heart problems.5:54 p.m.
• Klobuchar sponsors bill to require carbon monoxide alarms
  Sen. Amy Klobuchar, DFL-Minn., is co-sponsoring a bill that require regulation of carbon monoxide alarms and portable generators.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Court Weighs Religious Monuments, Public Parks
  The city of Pleasant Grove, Utah, contends that just because it accepted a privately-donated Ten Commandments monument for a public park, it does not have to accept a monument from a little-known religious group called Summum espousing its principles.
• In Minn., Election Campaign Continues
  It's more than a week after Election Day and Minnesota still doesn't know who its next U.S. senator will be. Both Republican incumbent Norm Coleman and his Democratic challenger, Al Franken, are holding almost daily news conferences, raising money for a recount fund and have hired election attorneys to guide them through what could be a monthlong recount.
• Economic Concerns Affect Art Market
  Recent art auctions in New York and London have resulted in weak bids and withdrawn pieces. A commodity once thought to be recession-proof is showing signs of vulnerability. But some insiders say that may not be altogether bad.
• Examining Chrysler's 1979 Rescue
  In 1979, Chrysler avoided collapse by getting $1.5 billion in loans from the government. Charles Hyde, professor of history at Wayne State University and author of Riding the Roller Coaster: A History of the Chrysler Corporation, says in return Congress insisted that the company come up with some $2 billion in cost-savings and concessions.
• Congress Eyes Auto Bailout
  House Democrats led by Barney Frank want to push through an auto company relief plan next week that would provide $25 billion in loans from the $700 billion bailout bill. Treasury Secretary Paulson objects and some House Republicans agree.
• All Tech Considered
  Earlier this week, All Things Considered launched a new weekly tech segment, All Tech Considered, which will run every Monday. If listeners can't wait until then, they can join the ongoing tech conversation online, at the segment's group page: npr.org/alltech.
• Study Offers Another Incentive For Flat Abs
  A German study in this week's New England Journal of Medicine found that excess fat around the abdomen nearly doubled a person's risk of death from a variety of diseases. The good news is that stomach fat is typically the first fat to go when a person loses weight.
• New Jerusalem Mayor Reflects City's Schism
  Jerusalem's new mayor, Nir Barkat, is a high-tech entrepreneur who defeated an ultra-Orthodox rabbi in a contest that underscored the divisions between Jerusalem's secular Jews and the ultra-Orthodox community.
• What Are The Seven Aphorisms?
  The Summum sect believes it should be able to put up a monument in a Utah park to the seven basic tenets of its philosophy — just as there's a monument to the Ten Commandments. Now its members have taken their case to the Supreme Court.
• Galbraith Backs Ethnically Divided Iraq
  The senior diplomatic fellow at the Center For Arms Control and Non-Proliferation says Iraq has already divided up among ethnic lines and the U.S. shouldn't be in the business of putting it back together.
• In New York, Layoffs Lead To Pink-Slip Parties
  Wall Street is littered with the resumes of former investment bankers and traders now looking for work. At a recent networking party at a bar in midtown Manhattan, so many people turned up that some had to wait in line to get in.
• Wash. Residents Use Radar Guns To Catch Speeders
  In Newcastle, Wash., select residents have been armed with radar guns to document wayward speeders. Cheryl Coupens, one of the radar gun-totin' residents, says she has collected about 20-25 license plates. She says kids are asking her to measure how fast they run.
• Economic Crisis Hits Colleges In Pennsylvania
  The economic crisis is making deeper inroads into higher education. As students scramble to find loans to pay for college, colleges in Pennsylvania are scrambling to find money for financial aid while staving off budget cuts.
• Same-Sex Connecticut Couples Begin Tying Knot
  Across Connecticut, town clerks began issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples on Wednesday — just a week after voters in California passed a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage there. Connecticut and Massachusetts are the only states that allow same-sex marriages.
• 'Slumdog Millionaire': Mumbai Jackpot
  Based on an Indian novel about a TV quiz show contestant from the Mumbai slums, Danny Boyle's film has already sparked Oscar talk. Critic Bob Mondello says that chatter is entirely justified. (Recommended)

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