Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• A lifetime of art remembered
  Concordia College in Moorhead is paying tribute to the man who inspired thousands with his art. David Hetland died earlier this year after decades of creating iconic artwork for the well- known annual Concordia Christmas concert.4:45 p.m.
• Minnesota Orchestra features young composers in concert
  If you think of classical music as an antiquated art form, a concert tonight could change your mind. At Orchestra Hall, in downtown Minneapolis, the ink might still be wet on the pages of the scores on Osmo Vanska's podium. The Minnesota Orchestra will play nine brand new pieces by nine different young American composers.4:50 p.m.
• Pawlenty strengthens bond with McCain
  It's a logical move for Pawlenty, who's grown close to McCain both politically and personally in recent years.5:15 p.m.
• How to succeed in politics
  The Democratic National Executive Committee is meeting this weekend to review last month's midterm elections. The DFL won control of the Minnesota Legislature, and the state has a new DFL senator and two new Democratic members of congress heading to Washington D.C. Given the party's successes here in Minnesota, Democrats nationally may be hoping to learn a few lessons for 2008.5:17 p.m.
• Wahpeton soldier killed in Afghanistan
  The latest North Dakota soldier killed in Afghanistan is a National Guard member from Wahpeton. A Guard spokesman says Cpl. Christopher Kleinwachter, 29, died of injuries in a vehicle rollover Thursday.5:20 p.m.
• Education groups seek a big fix for Minnesota schools
  If the P.S. Minnesota proposal is put into play, it would mean spending another $1 billion or more for schools.5:50 p.m.
• A question of plagiarism at the Star Tribune
  An investigation into the work of Star Tribune editorial writer Steve Berg is underway to determine if Berg plagiarized the work of Hendrick Hertzberg of the New Yorker magazine. MPR's Tom Crann spoke with media analyst David Brauer for more insight into the situation.5:53 p.m.
• It's not all gloom for Doomtree
  Emerging from the shadow of the Twin Cities' dominant hip-hop crew, Rhymesayers Entertainment, is a collective called Doomtree. Members believe their potential for success lies in a group effort driven by a "do it yourself" ethic.6:20 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• L.A. Fire Chief Steps Down Amid Race Scandal
  Los Angeles' embattled fire chief is stepping down. Chief William Bamattre's resignation comes amid allegations of racial discrimination, hazing and harrassment in the department. In an emotional press conference Friday afternoon, Bamattre said it was clear to him that he was becoming a liability to the city's fire department.
• Almond Rustlers Nabbed in California
  Robert Siegel talks with Dave Phippen, one of the owners of almond growers Travaille and Phippen of Ripon, California, about the break-up of an almond theft ring in California this week. Trevaille and Phippen had 88,000 pounds of almonds stolen this summer. Only 5,000 pounds of their almonds were recovered, but Dave Phippen says they are still very happy about this development. He says most of their almonds had already been shipped out, and that the recovered almonds had been re-packaged in small, generic packages.
• Pelosi Chooses Texas Democrat to Head Intel Panel
  Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has picked Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX) to lead the House Intelligence Committee. In one of the only contested chairmanships for Democrats, Pelosi had sole discretion in the selection. Robert Siegel talks with Rep. Reyes.
• Beirut Demonstrators Call for Widespread Ouster
  Hundreds of thousands of protesters converge on central Beirut, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and his Western-backed government. The protest by Hezbollah and its Lebanese allies is the first of a planned series of mass demonstrations.
• Where Is the Audacity in Today's Leaders?
  Caution is a disease that can infect both the politicians who start wars and the generals who conduct them, says commentator Dan Goure. Citing examples of audacity like Gen. George S. Patton, Goure says that the United States cannot win a war with consensus; the country needs bold ideas and passion.
• Air, Ground Forces Repel New Raids in Baghdad
  In the latest sectarian violence in Baghdad, residents awoke this morning to the sound of helicopter gunships firing into the city center. U.S. troops in the air and on the ground rushed to the Iraqi Health Ministry building after it came under another sustained attack by Sunni insurgents, the second in just over a week.
• Between Rumsfeld and Gates, Generals in Spotlight
  As the public face of the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld shielded U.S. military generals from much of the public criticism of the war in Iraq. With Rumsfeld on the way out, the generals now find themselves in the spotlight.
• Congress Plans to Address Electronic Voting
  The case of disappearing votes in Sarasota County, Fla., has given impetus to Congressional bills to require paper trails on touchscreen voting machines. A draft report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology makes a similar recommendation. But many election experts worry that Congress, in responding too hastily, will only make matters worse.
• Trip to Religious School Offers Window on Pakistan
  A visit to the Akora Khattak madrassa, perhaps the most famous of Pakistan's religious schools, offers a glimpse into fundamentalist Islam in Pakistan. It's where many of the Taliban's leaders studied. Today's students remain deeply conservative and full of anti-American sentiment.
• Iraqis Split on Sectarian Lines; Hospitals Follow
  Iraq's Health Ministry is controlled by Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's movement, under an agreement struck by ruling parties, and sectarian influence has impeded healthcare, according to Dahr Jamail, an independent journalist who's been covering Iraq's healthcare system for Inter Press Service.
• Still Ill, Castro Will Miss Birthday Party After All
  Cuba's President Fidel Castro turned 80 in August, but postponed his birthday celebration until this week due to emergency surgery. But as Castro recovers -- and rumors of his death circulate -- he will miss his own birthday festivities, set to last for five days. Robert Siegel talks with Chicago Tribune reporter Gary Marx in Havana.
• Boston Bus Reminds a City of Young Gun Victims
  Anti-violence advocates hope that a Boston city bus will make people think as it makes its regular rounds. The bus is painted with words and phrases about young people lost to gun violence in the city's neighborhoods. Bianca Vazquez Toness reports.
• Homeland Security Assigns Ratings to Travelers
  Few people know about it, but the Homeland Security Department runs a program that assigns a security rating to international travelers. The department has downplayed the practice, but it revealed the existence of the "automated targeting system" in the Federal Register last month. Privacy groups are calling the program an illegal invasion of privacy, but others are more supportive.
• Jet-Setters Who Flock to Mall of America
  Michele Norris talks with David Fingland, business development executive for the London based KLM Airlines. He's in the Twin Cities with a group of British travel agents to do one thing, he says: spend American dollars. Stop number one, of course, is the Mall of America.
• Ending Delays, L.A. Police Finally Get Car Cameras
  The Los Angeles Police Department will finally get dashboard cameras inside its patrol cars, a decade or more after other police forces across the country have made car cams standard equipment. The LAPD blames the delay on money, but longtime police observers say it's mostly because many L.A. cops were reluctant to have a prying eye constantly looking over their shoulders.

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