Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Dining with Dara: Minnesota fruitcake is no laughing matter
  Fruitcake, depending on your appreciation, can be a holiday favorite, a gag gift or even a doorstop.3:54 p.m.
• Art Hounds: Big Quarters, Nicolas Carter, yuletide dancing
  Follow the hounds as they dig up a brotherly hip hop duo that raps about everyday life, a Nordic Yuletide celebration featuring authentic Scandanavian music and sounds of the season courtesy of a Minneapolis musician and his Paraguayan harp.4:45 p.m.
• Minn.'s Red Bulls remain in Kuwait until May despite end of Iraq war
  More than 2,600 Minnesota National Guard members, led by Col. Eric Kerska, are on duty in the Iraq region until May 2012.4:50 p.m.
• Minn. unemployment rate falls, even as 14K jobs cut
  Officials say sampling errors, more people giving up on finding work and a rise in self-employment could help explain the conflicting results.5:20 p.m.
• Uneven support among opponents of child-care workers unionization
  Opponents of a campaign to unionize in-home child-care providers have boasted that their lawsuit that stopped the union vote is backed by a broad coalition of like-minded organizations.5:24 p.m.
• State Sen. Amy Koch stepping down
  Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch announced Thursday she's resigning her post and not seeking re-election next year. In a letter, the Republican leader says it's been a "challenging, exciting and exhausting year." Koch also said she was resigning as majority leader because the Senate "cannot afford a lame duck leader."5:52 p.m.
• Fargo's Plains Art Museum to open K-5 art education center
  The Plains Art Museum in Fargo announced plans Thursday to open a "Center for Creativity" that will teach art to thousands of local elementary school students.5:56 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Biomedical Research Using Chimps Curtailed
  Following an expert panel's recommendations, The National Institutes of Health announced it will not issue new awards for experiments using chimps until a new set of strict criteria is in place. The panel also recommended setting up an independent oversight committee that includes members of the public.
• Iowa Gov. Branstad On GOP White House Contest: 'It's A Wide Open Race'
  Iowa's popular Gov. Terry Branstad hasn't endorsed any of the Republican presidential candidates crisscrossing his state yet. Still, Branstad will eventually be endorsing someone after the Jan. 3 caucuses. As he told All Things Considered co-host Melissa Block Thursday: "I want to work to help unite the party behind the winner of the nomination process."
• In Iowa, Obama's Campaign Team Rehearses For 2012
  While all eyes are on the GOP presidential contenders, there's another candidate busy building an organization in Iowa: Barack Obama. Volunteers have opened eight offices across the Hawkeye State, hosted dozens of house parties and logged tens of thousands of telephone calls.
• Founder Of Famous Paris Bookstore Dies
  The founder of a venerable literary institution in Paris has died at 98. George Whitman founded the Shakespeare and Company bookstore, across from the Notre Dame cathedral. The shop was a magnet for English speakers in the French capital.
• Report: 'Marines Promoted Inflated Story For Medal Of Honor Recipient'
  While Dakota Meyer "by all accounts deserved" to be nominated for the award, many of the claims about his bravery were exaggerated, according to McClatchy Newspapers.
• GOP Presidential Hopefuls To Debate In Iowa
  The Republican presidential candidates meet for their final debate of the pre-primary season Thursday. Lynn Neary turns to NPR's Mara Liasson for more.
• Changes In The Economy Leave Workers Scrambling
  Middle-level jobs are becoming increasingly automated, which pushes many people into lower-skilled (and lower-paying) jobs like fixing flat tires or delivering pizza to get by. Another option is to get training for higher-skilled jobs — and many want to see more training programs offered.
• Ornithologist Discusses Causes Of Bird Downings
  Melissa Block speaks with Kevin McGowen, ornithologist at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, about the phenomenon of bird downings. Approximately 1,500 migratory birds died on Monday night after crashing into a Wal-Mart parking lot in Utah.
• Tracking An Order In Real-Life Santa's Workshops
  A lot happens between clicking "place order" on an online purchase and finding it on your doorstep. With more and more holiday shopping taking place over the Internet, fulfillment centers large and small are busy processing orders this season.
• 'Carnage' In The Smart Set, And Self-Inflicted, Too
  Two Manhattan couples discover the limits of civility after their sons come to blows in a city park. Roman Polanski's black comedy, based on Yasmina Reza's play, serves up a series of curve balls as the four discover their inner animals.

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