Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Job market even tougher for ex-offenders
  Finding a job in this economy is difficult, and with a criminal background it's even more so. At the same time, foundations are cutting funds for ex-offender work programs.3:50 p.m.
• Unemployment rate ticks up, but state adds 2,200 jobs
  The state's unemployment rate rose slightly in October, even as state employers added 2,200 jobs, according to new numbers released Thursday.4:20 p.m.
• H1N1 vaccines being offered at 7 Minneapolis schools
  H1N1 flu vaccinations will be available at selected schools in Minneapolis Thursday and Friday.4:50 p.m.
• Non-profits analyze Give to the Max Day
  More than 3,300 Minnesota non-profits raised in excess of $14 million in charitable contributions earlier this week in the first known attempt to raise money for non-profits statewide in one day, on one Web site.4:54 p.m.
• Searching for answers in southern Minn. bus crash
  The search for answers in a fatal bus crash in southern Minnesota continued Friday as investigators continued looking at whether the bus had any equipment failures.5:20 p.m.
• Job market even tougher for ex-offenders
  Finding a job in this economy is difficult, and with a criminal background it's even more so. At the same time, foundations are cutting funds for ex-offender work programs.5:50 p.m.
• Closing arguments in Petters trial expected Friday
  Closing arguments are expected Friday in the fraud trial of Minnesota businessman Tom Petters.5:56 p.m.
• Feds indict Minn. Somali on conspiracy charges
  Federal authorities say a massive investigation into the disappearances of about 20 young Somali men from Minnesota has taken a significant step forward with a seventh arrest in the case.6:06 p.m.
• Unemployment rate ticks up, but state adds 2,200 jobs
  The state's unemployment rate rose slightly in October, even as state employers added 2,200 jobs, according to new numbers released Thursday.6:21 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Do Long Island Police Ignore Hate Crimes?
  With the Latino population booming in Suffolk County, N.Y., so is anti-immigrant sentiment. Illegal immigrants see a rise in the kind of violence that took Rosario Lucero's son, but often won't report it for fear of the police and deportation. Now the Justice Department is probing whether local police are turning a blind eye.
• Breast Cancer Advocates Not Buying New Guidelines
  Studies show that testing women in their 40s could save a small percentage of lives. But to some public health officials, it isn't worth the possible harm the excess testing causes. Cancer survivors and advocacy groups say the screening tool isn't perfect, but it's worth the risk.
• Sounds During Sleep May Help You Remember
  Certain sounds played while people napped helped them remember information associated with those sounds once they woke up, say researchers at Northwestern University.
• Karzai Sees Afghan Security Control Within 5 Years
  Afghan President Hamid Karzai pledged Thursday to prosecute corrupt officials, and said the country would control it own security within five years. Karzai's comments came in an inauguration speech that kicked off his second term of office amid a growing Taliban insurgency and a cloud of corruption allegations.
• Computer Glitch, Grounds Flights, Passengers
  A computer glitch at the Federal Aviation Administration caused widespread flight cancellations and delays, causing air travelers across the nation to revise their plans. The glitch was reminiscent of a software malfunction that delayed flights around the country last year. Matthew Wald, a reporter for The New York Times, says there have been intermittent systemic disruptions for years.
• On Mammogram Recommendation, An Intense Debate
  Recommendations from an independent panel that most women don't need mammograms in their 40s, and should get one every two years starting at 50 have spurred intense debate. The recommendation is contrary to the American Cancer Society's long-standing position that women should get annual mammograms starting at age 40. Dr. Therese Bevers, medical director of the Cancer Prevention Center at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, and Barron Lerner, author of Breast Cancer Wars: Hope, Fear, and the Pursuit of a Cure in Twentieth-Century America, offer their insight.
• As You Age, Time Turns Off The Lights
  Commentator Andrei Codrescu says bulbs have been dimming, and he's not talking about flower bulbs. It's more like time has been putting out lights. He says when you're 20, you think the future is so bright you're immortal and you need sunglasses. But when you're 60, he says, you're looking forward to retiring and getting to that martini beach in the neon light you can't see your wrinkles by.
• Assessing Decade's 50 Important Recordings
  Music critic Tom Moon discusses NPR Music's list of "The Decade's 50 Most Important Recordings" — a roundup of the albums that changed the musical landscape in the last 10 years. Moon is the author of 1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die.
• Health Bill Hopes To Sway Reluctant Democrats
  The Senate needs 60 votes to bring its health care bill to the floor. To round up those votes, the bill unveiled Wednesday costs less than the House version, and delays the effective date for many provisions to 2014. Republicans are denouncing the cost cuts as mere gimmicks. Will those measures be enough to persuade wavering Democrats to vote at least to bring the bill up?
• In Howard Co., Md., Public Option Finds Support
  The Senate version of the health care bill includes a public option, which would let individuals who don't get insurance on the job and small businesses choose a government-sponsored plan. During this year's health care debate, NPR has used Howard County, Md., as its sounding board. Vic Broccolino, president and CEO of Howard County General Hospital, and Mark Applestein, a urologist and president of the hospital's professional staff, offer their take on the public option. Neither sees the public option as a problem.

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