Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• World famous chef says 'Bonjour Minnesota!'
  Award-winning French chef Jean-Georges is bringing his Asian fusion cooking to Minneapolis.4:45 p.m.
• The American reputation
  A team of Minneapolis-based filmmakers wanted to capture what people in other countries had to say about the reputation of America and Americans. The result is the documentary film "The Listening Project." The film is showing Thursday at the Oak Street Cinema in Minneapolis.4:50 p.m.
• State nears end of nearly 4,000 bridge inspections
  The Minnesota Department of Transportation is expected to finish inspecting all the state's bridges by next week. To date, the inspections have found that 15 state and local bridges with problems severe enough that they needed to be closed, immediately repaired or closed to some traffic.5:20 p.m.
• U of M's 4-year graduation rate rises
  The University of Minnesota says more students are graduating from its Twin Cities campus within four years.5:24 p.m.
• Rochester police release profile of Sorensen killer
  Rochester police today released a profile of the person who killed April Sorensen.5:27 p.m.
• Medtronic co-founder gets special honor
  There was a very rare ceremony Thursday at the University of Minnesota. President Robert Bruininks bestowed an honorary 'Doctor of Medicine' title on a man who is not a physician. It is believed to be the first time such a high honor has been given by a major university in 45 years.5:46 p.m.
• Police chief regrets search of reporter's phone records
  The chief of the St. Paul Police Department said he regrets the search of a news reporter's phone records.6:18 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Gore Condemns U.S. Stance at Climate Talks
  Europe and other nations want a roadmap for future negotiations on cutting greenhouse gas emissions, but the U.S. is opposed to including specific numbers. In a speech at the Bali climate conference, former Vice President Al Gore condemned the Bush administration for trying to undermine the talks.
• Students Reflect on Santa Claus Revelations
  In a youth radio project at Curie High School in Chicago, students reflect on the day they learned more than they wanted to know about Santa Claus.
• Sea Lice-Infested Fish Farms Threaten Wild Salmon
  Wild salmon runs on Canada's West Coast are being ravaged by sea lice linked to fish farms, according to a study whose authors say some kinds of wild salmon will be near extinction if the lice infestations at British Columbia salmon farms continue. By some accounts, the study reflects a dark side of industrial-scale fish farming.
• Baseball Fans React to Report on Drug Use
  Baseball fans at the ESPN Zone sports bar in Washington, D.C., McGillycuddy's bar in Milwaukee, and the Student Center at the University of Missouri, St. Louis, react to the Mitchell report on the illegal use of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances by players in Major League Baseball.
• Mitchell Report on Baseball Gets Mixed Reactions
  Melissa Block talks with Tom Goldman about reaction to the Mitchell report on performance-enhancing drug use among Major League Baseball players, including comments from baseball commissioner Bud Selig and Donald Fehr, director of the Major League Baseball Players Association.
• Mitchell: Many to Blame for Baseball's 'Steroids Era'
  Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell released his long-awaited report on steroid use in Major League Baseball on Thursday, blaming the "steroids era" on "everyone involved in baseball over the past two decades."
• Letters: Ex-CIA Agent, Cardboard, Jandek
  Melissa Block and Robert Siegel read from listeners' e-mails, including comments on Robert Siegel's interview with former CIA Agent John Kiriakou, on our piece about cardboard and the economy, and on the experimental music of Jandek.
• Wholesale Price Jump Dampens Good Retail News
  Economic numbers out this morning show consumer spending holding up pretty well and producer prices on the rise. But that good news was undermined by a sharp increase in wholesale prices. It was the biggest one-month jump in more than 30 years.
• Chicago Proposes City-Owned Casino
  Cities across the country have looked to casinos as a way to generate money, but Chicago is going a step further. There's a movement in Illinois to allow Chicago to own and operate a casino. Given Chicago's history with the mob, gambling and corruption, the plan is raising concerns.
• Baseball Doping Report Names Dozens of Players
  Former Sen. George Mitchell's report on the use of performance-enhancing substances in Major League Baseball is out. Mitchell presented his findings Thursday — including the names of dozens of current and former players. What does it mean for baseball?
• Democrats Try to Set Themselves Apart in Iowa
  The six leading Democratic presidential candidates met Thursday for the final debate before the Iowa Caucuses Jan. 3. Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama along with ex-Sen. John Edwards are in a tight race in Iowa, and each highlighted personal attributes to set themselves apart from the crowd.
• Public Is Better Off With CIA Tapes Destroyed
  Commentator Tony Blankley argues that the destruction of the CIA tapes was a good thing, because if those tapes were released and seen on YouTube or Al-Jazeera, the fallout would have been worse than that following Abu Ghraib.
• Imagining Da Casino in Chicago
  Peter Sagal imagines what a casino in Chicago would look like now that the Windy City is considering building and operating one.
• Scandal Shaped McCain's Sense of Honor in Office
  In his first Senate term, John McCain's meetings with the owner of a failed Arizona savings and loan led to an ethics investigation that almost derailed his career. The experience shook McCain — and may have influenced his later role in overhauling campaign finance.
• FBI's 'Five-and-Out' Transfer Policy Draws Criticism
  A controversial FBI edict that essentially requires all supervisors to transfer to headquarters in Washington, D.C., after five years on the job or return to the streets and take a pay cut is roiling agent ranks.

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