Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Survey shows hunger's presence in Minnesota
  One in 10 people say they know someone who has gone to bed hungry in the past month.4:48 p.m.
• "A lot less shouty"
  The British Television Advertising Awards return to the Walker Art Center for the 21st year in a row.4:52 p.m.
• Two Minnesota soldiers killed by same blast
  The two Minnesota National Guard soldiers who were killed in Iraq this weekend were from the same unit based in Crookston.5:20 p.m.
• The Mount Everest of materialism
  The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and if you feel limited by your shopping options, don't worry, last week officials at the Mall of America announced details of a massive second phase of the mall. The mall is already the Mount Everest of materialism and it's a mountain guest commentator Rosemary Williams knows very well.6:19 p.m.
• Three Minnesotans receive arts grants
  The first-ever United States Artists fellowships were announced today, and three Minnesotans are among the 50 recipients. Authors Sandra Benitez and Susan Powers, along with Theatre De La Jeune Lune director Dominique Serrand will each receive a $50,000 grant in recognition of their work. MPR's Tom Crann spoke with Benitez from the awards banquet at Lincoln Center in New York.6:22 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Setting the Presidential Field for 2008
  Robert Siegel talks with NPR's Mara Liasson about the politicians who have already declared an interest in the presidency, and who might be making a run for the White House in 2008.
• Varied Responses to Cholesterol Worries
  People walking and jogging on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., express their personal concerns about high cholesterol in their lives and those of relatives and friends. Most people are thinking about the issue; some are actually adding more exercise and a better diet to their lives.
• Drugs to Help Lower Cholesterol Levels
  Robert Siegel talks with Dr. Jerry Avorn about ways to reduce one's cholesterol. Avorn is a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, and chief of the division of pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He's also author of the book Powerful Medicines: The Benefits, Risks, and Costs of Prescription Drugs.
• Deaths Prompted Withdrawal of Cholesterol Drug
  Pfizer Inc. halts tests of a highly touted new cholesterol drug because of an unexpected number of deaths and other complications. Testing on the drug, torcetrapib, was ceased after more people in the drug group died than in the placebo group. The drug was unique in that it raises HDL, the "good" kind of cholesterol.
• Winter Storm Causes 4 Deaths, Power Outages
  In the Midwest, socked by a winter storm, four more deaths have been reported in Missouri, pushing the toll to 19. Hundreds of thousands are still waiting for electricity to be restored. Temperatures across much of the region hovered in the teens and 20s Monday, slowing down cleanup efforts. Tom Weber of member station KWMU reports.
• Bush Hosts Iran-Backed Iraqi Leader for Talks
  President Bush meets with a top Iraqi Shiite politician whose followers control the Iraqi Interior Ministry -- the agency widely accused of involvement in the killings of Sunni Arabs. The president hosted Abdelaziz al-Hakim at the White House. Hakim heads the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, a group founded by Iraqi exiles in Iran.
• A Contrarian Confidant Leaves State Department
  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is losing one of her closest advisors, Philip Zelikow, who is leaving his job as counselor of the State Department to return to academia. Known for taking stances contrary to policy, Zelikow was executive director of the 9/11 Commission.
• Where Is Bush's Outrage Over Government Leaks?
  NPR Senior News Analyst Daniel Schorr is shocked -- shocked -- that despite government secrets being printed in newspapers, nobody in the Bush administration is calling for an investigation. That's a big change from the Valarie Plame affair.
• Secretary-Nominee Gates Has Critics and Fans
  Once recognized as the preeminent intelligence expert on the Soviet Union, in 1991 Robert Gates saw many friends and subordinates testify against his nomination to be director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
• The Sound of Little Footsteps on the Stairs
  Listener Jerry Deaton of Frankfort, Ky., tells us why the thump thump thump of his daughter's feet on the stairs of his self-built log cabin mean so much to him and his wife.
• Supreme Court Hears School Diversity Case
  The Supreme Court hears arguments on whether student placement systems in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle, Wash., are acceptable ways to maintain racial diversity -- or are unacceptable quota systems. The programs are being challenged by parents whose children weren't placed in their preferred schools.
• Little Things that Make a Bike Ride Better
  Bicycle designer Georgena Terry describes her favorite gadgets. They don't attach to her bicycle; they are little computer programs that tell her what the weather is before she gets on her bike. Georgena Terry is the president of Terry Precision Cycling.
• Bolton Resigns as U.N. Ambassador, Avoiding Battle
  U.N. Ambassador John Bolton announces that he will step down at the end of his temporary appointment, which expires in a few weeks along with the current session of Congress. Bolton faced a tough, if not impossible, fight for Senate confirmation.
• Siemens High School Science Awards
  Half a million dollars in scholarships for high school science geniuses were announced today in New York City at the Siemens Competition, one of the nation's top science fairs. Seventeen top students competed with research on such topics as blinking stars, sick worms and amorous monkeys. But the winning project, on topology and abstract algebra, may be incomprehensible to anyone without a PhD in math.
• When Presidential Candidates Explore
  With all the talk about possible candidates forming presidential exploratory committees, or moving towards forming exploratory committees, Melissa Block and NPR Senior Washington Editor Ron Elving take a step back to review what the committees actually do.

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