Minnesota Public Radio Stories

• Mississippi Headwaters State Forest is latest battleground over ATV use
  The latest flashpoint in the battle over ATV use on public lands and forests has come in the form of a request from conservationists. They want ATVs prohibited from the Headwaters State Forest because of the region's unique and sensitive ecology.5:19 p.m.
• Duluth's "new" crib washes ashore
  A huge wooden crib has washed ashore in downtown Duluth, and city officials are trying to figure out what to do it.5:23 p.m.
• University of Minnesota AIDS Clinical Trials Unit to close
  An AIDS research program at the University of Minnesota is being forced to close after 20 years of running clinical trials. The National Institutes of Health has cut back on domestic research funding for HIV/AIDS, but plans to perform clinical trials in developing nations.5:46 p.m.
• Family carol tradition continues
  St. Paul composer Abbie Betinis has written her sixth annual Christmas carol. She is carrying on a family tradition begun in 1922 by her great-grandfather.5:53 p.m.

National Public Radio Stories

• Bush Takes Different Tack on Iraq, Troop Levels
  President Bush says he is ready to increase the size of the U.S. military at a White House news conference where he discussed the situation in Iraq. The president said the year has been "a difficult year for our troops and the Iraqi people."
• Bush Walks a Fine Line on Iraq, and Winning
  Michele Norris talks with E.J. Dionne, a columnist for The Washington Post, and Rich Lowry, editor of the National Review. They talk about President Bush's press conference in which he discussed Iraq, the economy, and how he might work with a Democrat-controlled Congress.
• Jennings Asks Judge for Codes to Voting Machines
  Six weeks after Election Day, one House race remains in dispute. In Florida's 13th District, which Republican Katherine Harris was vacating to run for the Senate, Republican Vern Buchanan was certified the winner by a narrow 369-vote margin. But Democrat Christine Jennings is challenging the results, both in court and in the House.
• Dorie Greenspan's Rugelach Secrets
  Forget the last-minute shopping, put down the tinsel, and never mind the horde of relatives on the way. It's time to make holiday cookies. Baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan shares a wealth of baking tips for making rugelach.
• Italy, Getty Museum at Odds over Disputed Art
  The Italian government threatens to break off relations with the Getty museum in Los Angeles in a dispute over a number of Italian antiquities. The Italians are demanding the return of 48 pieces in the museum that they say were taken out of Italy illegally.
• Fat Bacteria in Human Guts Tied to Obesity
  Many people worry about putting on a few pounds during the holidays. But when you reach for a cookie, keep in mind that you're not the only one who will enjoy the treat: It will also get eaten by the bacteria living in your gut. And it turns out that the kind of bacteria living there may affect how much weight you gain.
• 'Children's Hospital' from the McSweeney's Stable
  The Children's Hospital by Chris Adrian, is a preposterous story about a floating hospital where hundreds of children, medical staff, and family members are trapped. It is printed by the McSweeney's publishing house.
• Screening Embryos for Disease
  Jenifer and Angelo Magliocco know much more about spinal muscular atrophy than they ever wanted to. The rare genetic disease killed their first son when he was only 8 weeks old. Before having another child, they used a genetic test to determine if an embryo carried the disease-causing gene.
• Many Clinics Use Genetic Diagnosis to Choose Sex
  Some doctors analyze an embryo's DNA so parents can choose to have a male or female placed in the womb. Last year, a survey found that 1 of every 11 Pre-Implantation Genetic Diagnosis treatment was for sex-selection alone. The study by Johns Hopkins University also found that 42 percent of clinics offering PGD offer it for sex selection.
• The Ethics of Embryonic Sex-Selection Treatments
  As pre-implantation genetics diagnosis are used for embryo selection, Eric Cohen of the Ethics and Public Policy Center says that while it's understandable why parents would want to avoid giving birth to a child with a life threatening disease, it opens up questions about devaluing the lives of people with disabilities.

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