Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Rybak says city will not be deterred in effort to remove Bleskachek as fire chief
  Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak says he's disappointed and angry about having to remove Minneapolis Fire Chief Bonnie Bleskachek.5:19 p.m.
• Nearly two dozen newspeople leave Pioneer Press
  Reporters, photographers and copy editors are among those who said "yes" to a company buyout offer.5:23 p.m.
• Rocori shooter's case rests on legal test for insanity
  The teenager sentenced to life in prison for killing two students at Rocori High School appealed his murder conviction to the state Supreme Court on Thursday, arguing that the legal test for insanity used at his trial was outdated.5:50 p.m.
• The teenage brain
  For more 150 years the M'Naghten Rule has been the legal standard by which the insanity defense has been measured. More recent research in the differences between the adult and adolescent brain may challenge M'Naghten when applied to young defendants. To learn more about the uniqueness of the adolescent mind, MPR's Tom Crann called on David Walsh, president of the National Institute on Media and the Family and author of "Why Do They Act That Way--A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen."5:52 p.m.
• Monson resigns as Gopher men's basketball coach
  University of Minnesota head basketball coach Dan Monson stepped down Thursday after a disappointing start to his eighth season with the Gophers. Monson cited his own inability to spark success on the court. His resignation comes after the Gophers lost their last five games.6:25 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Down Year for Oscars Widens Field of Contenders
  The 2006 awards year has been disappointing, with only one or two films becoming blockbusters. In Hollywood, advertising reps for both major trade publications bemoan the drop in studios' Oscar campaigns. But as in nature, Hollywood hates a vacuum: Movies that would normally not be considered Oscar-caliber are filling the awards gap with campaigns of their own.
• Microsoft's Vista System Makes Debut
  Microsoft releases the business version of Vista, its new operating system the system. The system, years in the making, is years behind schedule. Retailers expect demand for Vista to be slow. In addition to new system requirements, some businesses fear the high cost of rolling it out. Technology webcaster/broadcaster Leo Laporte reports.
• Polonium: Harmless Unless Ingested
  Following the poisoning of former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko, British authorities are following a trail of radioactive contamination. Litvinenko died from the effects of absorbing a rare radioactive element, Polonium 210.
• NPR Host's Lunch in London Intersects Spy Case
  NPR's Weekend Edition host Scott Simon was recently in London with his wife and young daughter. During their stay, they ate at the Itsu Sushi restaurant, the infamous site where former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko met with a contact before contracting fatal Polonium poisoning. Traces of the radioactive element have been found at the restaurant.
• Little Rock Editor Faced Down Segregationists
  In September 1957, a high school in Little Rock, Ark., became a flashpoint in the fight for civil rights. A number of heroes emerged there -- not least the students themselves. But another figure, largely forgotten today, played a crucial role in the school's integration.
• Litvinenko Inquiry Centers on 12 Sites, 5 Airplanes
  British police investigating former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko's death in London say they have found traces of radioactivity at 12 sites in the city -- and in five aircraft, as well. Litvinenko's apparent murder has become a story with very broad implications. Now doctors believe a former Russian prime minister may have been poisoned, as well.
• Iraq Group to Call for Pulling Back Troops
  A bipartisan commission on U.S. policy in Iraq will urge a pullback of some U.S. troops in Iraq, but will not recommend a specific timetable for withdrawing U.S. forces, according to an official familiar with the panel's deliberations.
• Strategizing a Pullback: Challenge in Iraq
  Robert Siegel talks with American Enterprise Institute resident fellow Reuel Marc Gerecht and Michael O'Hanlon, senior fellow in foreign policy studies at Brookings Institution. Gerecht and O'Hanlon talk about the leak to The New York Times of recommendations of the bipartisan Iraq Study Group, scheduled to be released next week.
• Citizenship Test Revamped, in Search for Meaning
  The immigration service today releases more than 140 draft questions for a new citizenship test. The questions will be given to new citizenship applicants in the the exam's civics portion, beginning in January. The government, which hopes to make the test more meaningful, has been working for several years to redesign the test.
• Holiday Boom Seems to Skip Wal-Mart Stores
  Wal-Mart's sales dropped a bit in November, the first monthly decline for the giant retailer in 10 years. But while Wal-Mart's sales seem to have flattened, other retailers are reporting robust holiday season business so far.
• Stormy Year for Hurricanes? Not in 2006
  By this time in 2005, four major hurricanes had struck the United States. This year, none have done so, despite predictions that 2006 would be another big year for storms. Forecasters say one reason for the quiet year was the unexpected arrival of El Nino conditions in the Pacific.
• When Athletes Attack, a Web Site Takes Note
  Bob Reno runs a Web site devoted to miscreant behavior by prominent athletes. The site, badjocks.com, has become a must-read for anyone involved in the sports world.
• Maliki Assures Bush on Iraqi Force's Readiness
  Iraq's prime minister says he thinks his country's forces will be ready to take full control of Iraq's security by next June. Nouri al-Maliki and President Bush discussed the issue at their meeting earlier today in Jordan.
• National Guard Family Adjusts to Deployment
  There are 35,000 National Guard troops currently serving in Iraq, a quarter of the U.S. military. When husbands and wives are deployed overseas, the families left behind cope with their absence differently. Monica Brady-Myerov of member station WBUR in Boston introduces us to one National Guard family and how they're managing.
• Letters: Muslim Dress; Harry Lee; and George
  Michele Norris and Robert Siegel read from listeners' emails. We have clarifications on a few stories we ran, as well as comments about our story about two Muslim women's decisions to wear the hijab, our profile of Sheriff Harry Lee of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, and our remembrance of George Harrison.

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